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BASF Moves to Double African Business
Jul, 30 2012
With the recent opening of its regional office in Lagos, global chemical giant BASF has said it plans to double its one billion Euros 2011 Africa sales, excluding oil and gas, by 2020.
According to the company’s President responsible for Business in Europe, Middle East and Africa, Jacques Delmoitiez, “seeking to double our sales is just being conservative because we believe that establishing our presence in the region will help us to better appreciate the true potential of Africa.”
He said the company’s presence in Nigeria is to promote economic diversification and also improve the quality of products exported out of the country by incorporating their cutting-edge technology into the processing of local export commodities.
“Through establishing a local presence in Nigeria we will not only invest in developing local manpower and skills but will be able to much better understand our customers’ needs and enhance BASF’s market position,” he said.
He noted that the continent was endowed with a wealth of raw materials, teeming population and a rapidly-growing market, making it important for the company to be present in Africa.
Delmoitiez expressed the company’s commitment to boost the economy of Africa generally and Nigeria specially, stressing that they “are interested in helping their customers in Africa become more successful.”
He said BASF offers polyurethane which is a versatile material incorporated into products such as, high quality mattresses, appliances, footwear, foam for insulated panels, and spray foam systems, helping to reduce energy bills and adding to the comfort of private and commercial homes.
He expressed optimism that in the years to come, the company would build a polyurethane plant in the country because of the product’s growing market.
He also noted that one of the key markets for BASF in Nigeria is the booming construction sector, which will enjoy the company’s supply of admixtures for the ready-mix concrete industry, as well as a wide range of products for industrial flooring, protective coatings, waterproofing solutions and joint sealants.
Also speaking at the event, the company’s Business Development Manager, West Africa, John Gilbertson, disclosed that the company’s construction chemicals’ high performance admixtures and building system products were vital ingredients of the Julius Berger built Lekki-Ikoyi link Cable Bridge.
“This is the first Cable Bridge to be built in Nigeria and to be considered successful it needed to meet functional, engineering and aesthetics standards. The BASF solutions, used successfully internationally and elsewhere on the African continent, assisted to smooth construction processes and meet engineering standards,” he said.
He added that key to servicing the project included available on-site technical skills from BASF which were on hand to test and monitor the quality of the concrete put out by the batching plant.
According to Gilbertson, “the finish of the concrete is superb and comfortably similar to that found in Europe. In addition, our levels of service and pricing met the unique needs in this difficult working environment because of our adaptability to the environment and understanding of the inherent challenges.”
By Crusoe Osagie
SOURCE: www.thisdaylive.com
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