BASF completes site expansion in Huntsville, Alabama

“The Huntsville facility is our largest emissions catalyst manufacturing site in North America and this expansion demonstrates our commitment to our business growth strategy,” said Ken Lane, President of BASF’s Catalyst Division. “The additional capacity will meet the growing market demand and customer technology needs in the region.” The journey to 400 million catalysts began in 1973 when the automotive catalytic converter was first developed. The first catalytic converter was mass produced and featured in a 1975 automobile, and since its inception has eliminated more than 95 percent of harmful emissions from gasoline-engine exhaust. There are currently more than half a billion cars on the roads worldwide, and nearly 200 million trucks, and the automotive catalyst is incorporated into nearly every vehicle. “We have a world-class team at the BASF Huntsville facility,” said Dirk Demuth, BASF Senior Vice President, Catalysts Division. “This facility and all 400 million catalytic converters are visual representations of the important work that is accomplished here every single day. Our employees ensure that our products are developed with integrity and the highest attention to detail, safety and environmental responsibility – and we can proudly say that we are creating chemistry for a sustainable future.”