BASF brings national troubleshooting skills competition to River Parishes Community College

GEISMAR, LA, May 14, 2019 – BASF sponsored the 2019 National Troubleshooting Skills Competition, held its final round at River Parishes Community College in Gonzales, Louisiana. The North American Process Technology Alliance (NAPTA) invented the competition to address the need for critical thinking and problem-solving skills in the field of process technology (PTEC) – a high-demand role at many chemical companies such as BASF.

Students currently enrolled in PTEC programs at community and technical colleges across the country participated in troubleshooting teams. The top ten of 21 teams participating in a qualifying round held at each local school were selected to compete in the final round. 

"NAPTA's 3rd annual Troubleshooting Skills Competition was a tremendous success and again provided the ultimate opportunity for education and industry to emphasize the importance of critical thinking in process technology,” said Eric Newby, NAPTA Executive Director. “Thanks to the support of our membership, PTEC learning was taken to a higher level."

During the final event, Christen Campbell, BASF’s Procurement Hub Manager at Geismar, delivered the keynote address and commended the students on their decision to pursue a career in manufacturing. Campbell also gave students practical advice on how to be successful in the workplace.

“The Troubleshooting Skills competition is a great way for PTEC students to gain valuable skills they will need in their future careers,” said Christen. “In addition to the technical skills students develop through this event, they are also gaining great value in learning how to communicate effectively and work in teams.” 

Teams competing in the championship round represented colleges in Alaska, Louisiana and Texas. San Jacinto College Central Campus from Pasadena, Texas placed first, ITI Technical College from Baton Rouge, Louisiana placed second and College of the Mainland from Texas City, Texas placed third. 

For more information on careers at BASF, visit www.basf.com/careers.

About BASF

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 20,000 employees in North America and had sales of $19.7 billion in 2018. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.com.

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 122,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of around €63 billion in 2018. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com.