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Coatings Solutions

Driving Surface Solutions

Get to know one of the leading suppliers of global surface solutions. BASF's Coatings division develops, produces and markets a high-quality range of innovative and sustainable automotive OEM and refinish coatings, decorative paints and surface-applied treatments for metal, plastic and glass substrates for a wide range of industries.

We treat various type of surfaces requiring specific properties: we color them, we protect them, and we give them functionalities. Our customers prefer to work with us because of our strengths: customer-centricity, deep expertise, and innovation potential in surfaces.  We drive surface solutions! Meet your highest technical and qualitative demands in an environmentally friendly and beautiful way. We combine sophisticated design with functionality. Shine in the international marketplace! 

We are a reliable worldwide performer – whether in research and development, production or service. Our “Innovation Beyond Paint” program as well as our Digital Incubation Unit develop new markets and businesses.

 

Our Story   Sustainability   Digitalization   Color Design   News & Media

Sharkskin.jpg
Nature as a role model
SharkSkin Technology

Nature as a role model

BASF demonstrated how closely chemistry and sustainability are linked at its research press conference on December 1. Dr. Sebastian Hartwig, head of Functional Films FunTex, presented NovaFlex SharkSkin, a surface film that mimics the fine structure of shark skin and improves the aerodynamics of aircraft. 
Research Press Conference 2023
ON VOLUDE 2023-2024 AUTOMOTIVE COLOR TRENDS.png
ON VOLUDE
Driving Color Design

ON VOLUDE

Each year, designers for BASF’s Coatings division create a new collection of colors to inspire automotive designers around the globe. This year, non-human intelligence was a strong driver for the creation of the ON VOLUDE collection from Automotive Color Trends by BASF for 2023-2024.
AUTOMOTIVE COLOR TRENDS  2023-2024 
Gdansk 09.09.2023 EuroSkills Gdansk 2023 Closing ceremony Podium and medal ceremony Car Painting / Malowanie samochodow Photo: Jakub Gruca/WorldSkills Europe
Supporting young talents
Collision repair industry

Supporting young talents

BASF is stepping up its commitment to developing young talents for the collision repair industry. Almost 600 young professionals from 32 countries were celebrated at the EuroSkills Gdańsk 2023 Closing Ceremony. The best painters were Bastien Vaire from France (1st place),  Johannes Brandl from Germany (2nd place) and Jonas Yde Petersen from Denmark. 
EuroSkills 2023
100% renewable energy usage across BASF Shanghai Coatings Minhang and Caojing sites in Shanghai, and BASF Coatings’ resin plant in Caojing, Shanghai, in 2023.
100% renewable energy
China sites

100% renewable energy

BASF Automotive OEM Coatings secures 100% renewable energy across all China sites. This moves BASF’s Coatings division one step closer to its global sustainability targets – on carbon reduction, material efficiency, and safe and sustainable solutions.
  1. Press Release
  2. Driving Sustainability
Aerial view of the Technology Comptence Center in Marchamalo (Guadalajara), Spain.
New Technology Center
BASF Española

New Technology Center

BASF Española inaugurated its new Technology Center in Marchamalo (Guadalajara). This center is dedicated to researching and replicating the painting process of any vehicle manufacturer. The facility serves more than 100 automotive factories on different continents.
  1. Press Release
  2. Video
From left: Patrick Zheng Yu Zhao, head of the new Global Automotive OEM Coatings Solutions business unit., Chris Titmarsh, head of the new Global Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions business unit., and Frank Naber, head of the Global Surface Treatment business unit, which operates under the Chemetall brand.
New organizational setup
Global business units

New organizational setup

Effective August 1, 2023, the Coatings division of BASF will implement global units for its Automotive OEM Coatings Solutions and Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions businesses. With the new organizational setup, BASF better serves its global customers who increasingly ask for global support and services.
Press Release
Eycke-Christian Dörre, Managing Director Services at THIELMANN, Harald Borgholte, Divisional Digital Officer at BASF’s Coatings division and Patrick Franke, Managing Director NXTGN, sign the Joint Development Agreement.
New market standards
Tracingo

New market standards

BASF, THIELMANN and NXTGN launched a strategic partnership to further develop and commercialize intermediate bulk container (IBC) trackers. The expertise of the three partners will bring the product “Tracingo” as part of the ibc.digital platform to commercial maturity and set new market standards.
Press release
From left to right: Jeffrey Jones (BASF Vice President, OEM Coatings North America and Global Key Account Manager for GM), Nils Lessmann (BASF Senior Vice President, Coatings Americas), Tommy Hosea (GM Executive Director, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain Central Operations), Deb Young (BASF Head of HR, Coatings Americas) and John Van Antwerp (BASF Global Account Manager, OEM Coatings North America)
GM Award
Supplier of the Year

GM Award

General Motors (GM) has recognized BASF as a 2022 Supplier of the Year.  The award recognizes global suppliers that distinguish themselves by exceeding GM’s requirements, and providing innovative technologies at some of the highest quality in the automotive industry. This is the 16th time BASF has received the award.
Press Release
Jan Peter Bredehoeft, Senior Vice President, Operations & Site Management Greater China, BASF and Hongmei Yang, General Manager of Shanghai Huayi Fine Chemical Co., LTD unveiled the Technical Center Building.
Technical Center Building 
BASF Shanghai Coatings

Technical Center Building 

BASF Shanghai Coatings (BSC) announced the opening of its new technical center building at the BSC Minhang site. As one of the key highlights of the Minhang extension project, the launch marks another milestone. With the brand-new outlook, BSC will better serve automotive OEM customers in China. 
Press Release
Modern car with gray shade
Expanding rainbow
New Color Report

Expanding rainbow

As they have for several years, achromatic colors dominated the automotive market around the globe in 2022. But as BASF’s designers found in the company’s Color Report for Automotive OEM Coatings, the automotive color rainbow is expanding to allow colors like yellow, orange, green, and violet to take market share.
Global Color Report 2022
BASF‘s ColorBrite® Airspace Blue ReSource basecoat, certified through a biomass balance approach.
Debut in China
Biomass Balance Approach

Debut in China

BASF’s ColorBrite® Airspace Blue ReSource basecoat, certified by REDcert² according to a biomass balance approach, made its debut in China. This is the first time BASF’s biomass balance automotive OEM coatings were introduced to Asia since the official launch in Europe in May of this year.
Press Release
The surface treatment site, operated by Zhejiang Chemetall Surface Treatment Materials Co., Ltd. in Pinghu City, in China's Zhejiang Province.
Production site in China
Surface Treatment

Production site in China

The Surface Treatment global business unit of BASF’s Coatings division, operating under the Chemetall brand, celebrated the inauguration of its state-of-the-art surface treatment production site in Pinghu City, Zhejiang Province, China. 
  1. Press Release
  2. Surface Treatment
Proud winners in the Car Painting category of the WorldSkills
WorldSkills 2022
Competition for car painters

WorldSkills 2022

Winners of the WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition for Car Painting raised the bar in skill and sustainable practices. The event was held October 18-22 at College 360, the largest general and vocational educational institution in Silkeborg, Denmark.
Press Release
Official ribbon-cutting ceremony at the launch of the Chemetall Innovation and Technology Center
Innovation Center in China
Surface Treatment

Innovation Center in China

The Surface Treatment global business unit of BASF’s Coatings division, operating under the Chemetall brand, opened its first regional innovation and technology center for applied surface treatment technology in Shanghai, China. 
 
  1. Press Release
  2. Surface Treatment
Body Shop BOOST logo
BOOST for body shops
Automotive Refinish Coatings

BOOST for body shops

Body Shop BOOST is a new digital, holistic assessment tool covering the full scope of a repair shop including body, paint, mechanical, sustainability and further infrastructure relevant elements. With that, body shops gain vital insights on what they can act on and improve.
BodyShop BOOST
Light but robust parts made of Elastoglex® and Elastocoat®. contribute to the long lifespan of the car. You can literally stand on roof and hood.
Breaking new ground
oli [all-ë] - Citroën concept car

Breaking new ground

Together with Citroën, BASF joined the journey to a new fully electric car concept: oli [all-ë]. Less is more! The car was painted with the the latest generation of waterborne coatings. For the interior, the concept car used NovaCoat-P, a waterborne coating for flexible substrates that provides additional protection against abrasion, UV, chemicals and dirt.
Products & Solutions
Technical center for electrophoretic dip coating at BASF Coatings' headquarters in Münster.
New application center
Electrophoretic dip coating

New application center

BASF Coatings has inaugurated a new  application center for electrophoretic dip coating at its headquarters in Münster-Hiltrup, Germany. The electrophoretic or cathodic dip coat (e-coat) protects the surfaces, edges and cavities of a car body against corrosion, and evens out the roughness of the pre-treated metal surfaces.
Press Release
Field with Novaflex BladeUp on a 1.3 MW turbine at Ilsede in Lower Saxony, Germany
Efficient wind turbines
Novaflex BladeUp

Efficient wind turbines

Energiekontor AG, a pioneer in renewable energies since 1990 and listed on the SDAX of the German stock exchange, has teamed up with the international maintenance company Omega-Tools GmbH and BASF’s Coatings division to gradually equip its wind turbines with Novaflex BladeUp, thus making them more efficient. 
Press Release
Domes representing the BASF Automotive Color Trends 2022 NEW ARRAY
NEW ARRAY
Automotive Color Trends

NEW ARRAY

Each year, designers for BASF’s Coatings division create a new collection to inspire automotive designers around the globe. The 2022-2023 collection is called NEW ARRAY, providing innovative shades with an increasing focus on sustainability and functionality, while still moving into new and exciting color spaces.
Our new color collection
Capacity extension at coatings site in Jiangmen
Capacity Expansion
Automotive Refinish Coatings

Capacity Expansion

BASF Coatings (Guangdong) Co., Ltd. (BCG) has expanded the production capacity of automotive refinish coatings at its coatings site in Jiangmen, Guangdong Province in South China. With the completion of the expansion in July 2022, BASF’s annual production capacity of automotive refinish coatings will be increased to 30,000 metric tons.
Press Release
Work mechanical arm
Solution for Ford Valencia
Gardostrip® technology

Solution for Ford Valencia

BASF supplies Ford Valencia with the CathoGuard® E-Coat. The coating process requires the electrodeposition tank to be in optimal cleaning conditions. To achieve this while at the same time making a step towards sustainability in its processes, Ford introduced the Gardostrip® technology – a highly efficient paint cleaning technology.
Press Release
From left to right/ de gauche à droite: Geoffrey Gustin, Global Strategic Account Manager, BASF Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions; André Figueiredo, President of AECP; Thibault Lebert, General Secretary of AECP.
Supporting Peugeot 
Automotive Refinish Coatings

Supporting Peugeot 

BASF Global Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions, a business unit of BASF’s Coatings division, is proud to partner with the European Association of Peugeot Car Dealers (AECP) for the upcoming years. The AECP works hand-in-hand with Peugeot and Stellantis Group to establish professional guidelines for automotive retailing.
Press Release
GlareControl Design Plus Award 2022
Design Plus Award
Lighting Solutions - Glare Control

Design Plus Award

BASF GlareControl was chosen for the Design Plus powered by Light + Building from more than 100 submissions and honored as “Best of”. The award is a seal of quality for products that stand out due to their readiness for the future, innovative design and energy-efficient technology.
GlareControl
Winners of the "R-M Best Painter Contest"
R-M Best Painter Contest
Automotive Refinish Coatings

R-M Best Painter Contest

R-M®, BASF's premium automotive refinish paint brand, has announced the winners of its 13th International R-M Best Painter Contest. Andrea Albertoni from Italy was named the contest's winner, 2nd Place Award went to Josephine Ellwein from Germany, and Masaya KATAOKA from Japan received 3rd Place.
R-M Best Painter Contest
Expanding of the Automotive Coatings Application Center
Application Center in India
Automotive Coatings

Application Center in India

BASF has expanded its Automotive Coatings Application Center in Mangalore, India. As an integral part of BASF’s existing research and development (R&D) facilities for automotive coatings solutions, the facility covers over 400 square meters of floor area and is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment.
Press Release
Three young DIU employees talking and laughing
Driving Digital Innovation
Digital Incubation Unit

Driving Digital Innovation

Welcome to our Digital Incubation Unit (DIU). The DIU develops digital business models and establishes corporate ventures for BASF’s Coatings division. Get to know the fascinating interplay between the challenges of the automotive and surface treatment industry and the opportunities offered by digital trends.
New DIU Website
Car with paint made from renewable raw materials
Sustainable coatings
Biomass balance approach

Sustainable coatings

The BMW Group is the first OEM to use BASF paints certified according to the biomass balance approach. Reducing fossil resources and using more sustainable raw materials minimizes the carbon footprint.
Press Release
Festive opening of the laboratory building in Münster, Germany
New laboratory building
Münster site

New laboratory building

BASF opened a new laboratory building for the development of automotive refinish coatings and innovations beyond paint at its site in Münster, Germany. It underlines the Coatings division’s global position as a future-oriented and innovative company.
Press Release
From order management and color determination to training – the digital Refinity platform increases efficiency in the entire body shop process.
Seamless Experience
 Digital Solution for Body Shops

Seamless Experience

With Refinity, we are the first company in the global refinish market offering a single digital platform that combines a number of different software solutions into one secure, easy-to-use cloud-based solution. A solution that is designed to drive body shop business success.
  1. Learn more about Refinity
  2. Driving Digitalization
White car in front of a red building
Products and SoIutions

Products and SoIutions

Our superior and innovative surface solutions meet the current and future functional needs and design trends in a sustainable way.
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Showcasing future mobility with an autonomous driving car and a modern looking city with skyscrapers
Shaping the Future 

Shaping the Future 

We anticipate market trends to identify business opportunities for us and our customers that shape the future of various industries.
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Many colorful hands waving and symbolizing diversity.
Driving Diversity 

Driving Diversity 

By embracing the diverse perspectives of our colleagues, customers and partners, we actively foster an inspiring exchange.
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Three employees talking to a colleague on a screen in a virtual meeting
Work with us  

Work with us  

Add new color to your career and be part of our worldwide Coatings team. Or bring in your expertise as a start-up or collaboration partner.
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