BASF has expanded its Huntsville, Ala., manufacturing site, which makes mobile emissions catalysts.
The Huntsville site expansion began 18 months ago and created 10 additional jobs, according to BASF.
The expansion also enables BASF to continue creating emission-control technologies for cleaner air while simultaneously helping the automotive industry grow, the company said.
“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.”
BASF held a press briefing to announce the completion of the expansion and to celebrate a first-ever manufacturing milestone for the site: the production of the 400 millionth automotive catalytic converter.
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 and nearly 200 million trucks on the roads worldwide, 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.”
The Huntsville facility also celebrated a milestone in sustainability by significantly reducing production waste and achieving a Virtually Zero Waste Facility certification, according to BASF. To qualify for this significant manufacturing achievement, facilities must meet a strict set of criteria; one of the most notable guidelines is full transparency about the amount of waste diverted from landfills and sent for incineration with energy recovery.
“More than 650 of our local residents have gained employment since they opened this plant in 1974, which results in a payroll of more than $44.5 million,” said Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “The company also pays more than $1.6 million in local and state taxes, which further our government programs and initiatives. These funds support K-12 education and health care, improving our quality of life.”
