By Frank Esposito
SENIOR STAFF REPORTER
Published: January 20, 2014 2:03 pm ET
Updated: January 20, 2014 2:04 pm ET
BASF SE has opened a plant making Ultrason-brand specialty resins in Yeosu, Souith Korea.
The plant has annual capacity of about 13 million pounds of Ultrason, a polyarylsulfone resin used in the electronics, automotive and aerospace industries for heat-resistant, lightweight components. It is also used in water treatment for food-contact parts in espresso machines, as well as for microwave-proof dishes.
The plant is BASF’s first Ultrason site to be located outside of Germany. It brings the firm’s global Ultrason capacity to almost 40 million pounds. The plant will employ 50 and will allow Ludigshafen, Germany-based BASF to local-source 75 percent of the Ultrason used in the Asia Pacific region by 2020.
“The Yeosu plant brings us closer to our customers in the region and enables us to better support the growth of key local industries,” BASF Korea managing director Woo Sung Shin said in a Jan. 20 news release. “Another important value proposition is shorter lead times.”
BASF is a global plastics and chemicals leader that employs more than 110,000 worldwide. The firm has annual sales of more than $90 billion. | 
