Coatings
Inauguration of the "Lean Lab" laboratory concept in Breuil-le-Sec, France
- New laboratory concept drives innovative, customer-centric product development
- The new facilities fully meet the requirements of customers and of the EU in terms of raw material classification and occupational safety
BASF Coatings inaugurates new laboratory facilities at its Breuil-le-Sec site in France, marking a key step in the development of its innovation capabilities in Europe. The opening follows the successful implementation of Lean Lab in Muenster and Wuerzburg, Germany, and in Guadalajara, Spain.
The new facilities at Breuil-le-Sec fully meet the requirements of BASF Coatings’ customers. They comply with European standards for raw material classification and occupational safety, and contribute a significant reduction in the carbon footprint, generating substantial CO₂ savings.
“Our goal has always been clear: to build a modern, digital, and highly efficient laboratory environment that strengthens customer focus and accelerates innovation. Thanks to the commitment of our teams, Breuil-le-Sec now stands ready with state‑of‑the‑art infrastructure that will support our further growth with French OEMs,” said Dr. Ralf Otte, Vice President, Global Technology, BASF Automotive OEM Coatings, during his speech at the inauguration.
The Lean Lab concept is based on a new laboratory setup designed to foster the development of innovative, high-performance and customer-oriented products, especially for automotive OEMs in Europe. It is based on a clear and complementary specialization of activities, organized around three pillars:
- Process laboratory: responsible for product preparation activities and optimization of manufacturing processes
- Product laboratory: formulation focused on developing new products, new colors and continuously optimizing products to serve customers
- Laboratory services: responsible for the supply of raw materials and consumables
This organization allows for seamless collaboration, better operational efficiency, and accelerated product development. All workstations have been designed in accordance with ergonomic requirements, regional specificities, and current performance standards. The laboratories are equipped with modern IT infrastructures, ensuring full traceability of processes and increased efficiency throughout the product development cycle.
Located on the ground floor of building D341 at the Breuil-le-Sec site, the new facilities bring together all the laboratory services, a product laboratory equipped with the latest-generation technologies and a secure raw material storage area, including a dedicated workstation. In addition, this area includes a social room, promoting exchanges and the well-being of the teams.
About BASF Coatings
BASF Coatings is a global expert in the development, production and marketing of innovative and sustainable automotive OEM and refinish coatings as well as applied surface treatments for metal, plastic and glass substrates in a wide range of industries. We create advanced performance solutions and drive performance, design and new applications to meet our partners’ needs all over the world. We share skills, knowledge and resources of interdisciplinary and global teams for the benefit of customers by operating a collaborative network of sites in Europe, South America, Middle East, Africa, North America and Asia Pacific. In 2025, our businesses achieved global sales of about €3.7 billion.
BASF Coatings – Driven by passion and science, we always go beyond the surface. For more information, visit www.basf-coatings.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. Our ambition: We want to be the preferred chemical company to enable our customers’ green transformation. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 108,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises, as core businesses, the segments Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, and Nutrition & Care; our standalone businesses are bundled in the segments Surface Technologies and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €60 billion in 2025. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.
