BASF's 'toolbox strategy' offers solutions to designers

GUANGZHOU, CHINA — At the Chinaplas Design Forum held in Guangzhou in May, BASF SE highlighted a new trend coming out of its Performance Materials division.

Several of the products BASF showed off used materials originally developed for a different industry. When the strategy works, project time can be sped up and BASF can save on R&D costs.

“Now we are structured different,” said Martin Baumert, head of new market development of BASF SouthEast Asia, speaking about the impact of a restructuring in the company last year that resulted in the creation of the Performance Materials division.

“One unit is Raw Materials and another is Performance Materials. Now we're taking more products and having one face to the customer,” he said.

Plastics have played a big role in this strategy.

“When it comes to design freedom, plastics are often the solution,” said Andy Postlethwaite, BASF's senior vice president for Performance Materials Asia-Pacific. “Plastics are often stronger and lighter than steel and more attractive and colorful than wood.”

“It was a very conscious decision,” Baumert added. “The reason is that we want to innovate by combining different products.”

BASF showcased several products at the Design Forum that utilized their new approach to design. The products ranged from shoes to window profiles to bike tires.

“One way of innovating is to take one product that is a proven application in one area and then transpose to another area,” Baumert said.

One example: the Puma Ignite running shoe, which used high-performance Elastopan and Cellasto materials for the sole.

Baumert said Cellasto is a microcellular polyurethane elastomer that was originally used in the automobile sector for its anti-vibration qualities.

“Shoes and automotive are completely different,” said Baumert. But “the [shoe] client came to us and they wanted materials with a damping property.” The design team realized that they could utilize this material in running shoes as a shock absorber.

“The need is similar,” he said, “And this way we don't need to develop a new product. We basically look at what the customer needs and then we look at our toolbox and ask many people if they have a solution and then only if that doesn't work then we develop a new product,” he added.

Using PBT in a high-end chair

Another product that BASF showcased in the booth was the Myto chair, made of Ultradur High Speed polybutylene terephthalate. The chair was a collaboration that included BASF, Munich, Germany-based Konstantin Grcic Industrial Design and Italian furniture manufacturer Plank srl.

“The designer gave us the design of the chair and our task was to offer a product. We realized we need a product with a high flow capability that can fill the molds,” Baumert said. The team used Ultradur, “which has a very high flow and is able to fill thin molds,” Baumert explained. Typically it is used for connectors in the electronic industry.

BASF's designfabrik centers can facilitate these connections between industry sectors, Baumert said.  “They try to connect one industry to another,” he said. “They are the central point. Only if they are stuck will the product developers come in.”

BASF will open a new designfabrik center in Shanghai next year.

Baumert said that keeping a balance between cost and performance is the biggest challenge in Asia Pacific and this strategy is one solution. “We can do many things from the technology level but then it has to be acceptable cost,” he said. “Not necessarily lower cost but acceptable cost. This is the balance we have to overcome.”