All BASF's European production sites for engineering plastics, polystyrene, expandable polystyrene, polyurethane, thermoplastics polyurethanes, polyamides and specialty polymers are now certified by independent third parties according to the Operation Clean Sweep ^® (OCS) standard. "With the successful certification of the polyamide production in Antwerp, the final milestone of this important project has been reached. We are delighted with this great achievement together with all teams involved in the proper handling of plastic pellets," says Sophie Van Dyck, Vice President Operations Polyamides & Precursors Antwerp. In total, 16 production plants for plastic pellets were certified at six BASF production sites in Europe.

For durable parts requiring special thermal management, BASF expands its portfolio of Ultramid® Advanced T1000. The polyphthalamide (PPA) range based on polyamide 6T/6I now also includes optimized grades with high hydrolysis resistance (HR) and high purity (EQ = electronic quality). This addresses the increasing needs of the automotive industry for combustion engines and electric motors with inverters or fuel cells showing a stable, long-term performance at high power output in presence of different cooling media. The new HR and EQ grades are tailored to combine high strength and stiffness at elevated temperatures with excellent creep strength and resistance against cooling media - outperforming standard polyamides and many other PPAs on the market.