On the occasion of BASF’s 150th anniversary, BASF has published a book about its history in China, entitled Breaking New Ground.
The Chinese language version of the book was presented for the first time today in Beijing, as part of the official kick-off of celebration and co-creation programs in China which will take place throughout the company’s 150th anniversary year.
The book is published in Chinese, English and German and shows how BASF’s continuous dedication to the Chinese markets played a pivotal role in growing with China over the past 130 years.
In 1885, its 20th year of existence, BASF – then known as Badische Anilin- & Sodafabrik – sent a director named Theodor Sprösser to China.
The manager was to explore new customer bases there for such BASF products as the recently invented coal tar dyes.
“At the time, German companies saw China as a new market on a largely unknown continent. For BASF today, our activities in China are an integral part of our company. In particular, China is of ever-increasing importance for our global R&D and innovation network,” said Dr. Martin Brudermüller, vice chairman of BASF’s Board of Executive Directors.
In 2014, BASF achieved sales of around €5.5 billion (US$6.03 billion) in the Greater China region.
It constructed one of its largest and most advanced Verbund sites in the Chinese city of Nanjing, together with its partner Sinopec.
