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| Paint&pintura | Julho2015
Investments Strengthen the Industry
The Brazilian paint and coatings market is feeling the
effectsofthecountry’seconomicsituation,butthesame
ishappening in industriesat large.Segments likebuilding
andconstructionor automotive,whicharedirectlycon-
nected to our industry, have experienced a downturn,
directlyaffecting thecoatings industry.
The Central Bank estimates that inflationwill hit 9 per-
cent, and that the Brazilian economy will shrink by 1.1
percent in2015. TheGDP for thefirstquarterwasdown
0.2 percent, according todata from the IBGE (Brazilian
Institute of Geography and Statistics). In addition, the
decline persisted through the beginning of the second
quarter, which has been a cause of much concern, in
that itmay leadBrazil’seconomytoapotential technical
recession. However, the Central Bank is still optimistic,
forecastingaGDP lossof 1.45percent.
This is but a brief summary of what is happening right
nowandthe forecasts forthisyear,whichunfortunately
arenotencouragingatall.Andeventhoughmanyofthe
investments for thisyearhavebeen reducedorevencut
out, this month’s issue brings an extremely important
pieceofgoodnews for thecoatings supplychain.
BASFhas justopenedanacrylicacidcomplex inCamaçari,
Bahia(Brazil). It istheresultofthe largest investmentthe
companyhasmade inSouthAmerica inthepast10years,
amountingto€500million.BASFexpectsthe investment
to have a positive impact on Brazil’s trade balance of
aroundUS$300millionperyear,US$200millionofwhich
by reducing imports, and the remainingUS$ 100million
due to the creation of exports. In addition, it will have
a positive impact on the local economy, encouraging
investments in the region.
The production complex hasworld-scale productionof
acrylicacid,butylacrylateandsuperabsorbentpolymers
(SAP),withcapacity for 160,000 tonsof acrylicacidper year,
whichwillensurethenationalandregionalsupplyofproducts
that arecurrently imported.
Another investment that has already been announced by
BASF is theGuaratinguetá, SãoPauloplant,which, starting in
2016, will produce 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, a rawmaterial used
bymanufacturersof adhesivesand special coatings.
In spite of all the difficultieswe are facing at this time, busi-
nesses still showgreat interest in investing inour country, as
theyare lookingat the long run.
Paint & PinturaMagazine, for its part, has accomplished its
mission, attending that opening ceremony which has beco-
meamilestone forBASF, thechemical industry, thecoatings
industry,Brazil,and foralsous,at themagazine,whohad the
opportunity and the honor to cover such a grand event. On
thefollowingpages,webringyouanexclusive interviewwith
AlexanderTraut,BASF’sdirectorofpetrochemicals forSouth
America, who told us in detail about the importance of this
investment toboth thecompanyand theBrazilianmarket.
Enjoy!
LucéliaMonfardini
Interview - BASF Makes One of the Largest
Investments in itsHistory
BASFhasopeneditsworld-scaleacrylicacidcomplexinCama-
çari,Bahia,after investingmorethan€500million.
Amountingtomorethan€500million,BASF’sinvestmentinits
acrylicacidcomplex is the largest ithasmade inSouthAme-
rica inthepast100+years.Thenewsite, located inCamaçari,
Bahia,will haveworld-scaleproductionof acrylic acid, butyl
acrylateandsuperabsorbentpolymers (SAP).Butyl acrylate,
animportantderivativeofacrylicacid,isusedtoproduceadhesives,
constructionchemicalsanddecorativepaints.SAPsare important
productsintheacrylicacidvaluechainandareusedintheproduction
ofbabydiapersandotherhygieneproducts.
Thesearethefirstplants foracrylicacidandsuperabsorbentpoly-
mers inSouthAmerica.Thecomplexhasacapacityof160,000tons
ofacrylicacidperyear.
BASFexpectsthe investmenttohaveapositive impactonBrazil’s
tradebalanceofaroundUS$300millionperyear,US$200millionof
