BASF launched a new MDI plant in Geismar, Louisiana. The German chemical concern invested about one billion dollars in the project. This is BASF's largest independent investment project in North America - it was carried out without the involvement of joint venture partners.
The main goal is to strengthen the position of the concern in the American market, stated the chairman of the board of BASF, Markus Kemit:
The United States has long been a key market for BASF. By launching our new industrial-scale MDI plant in Geismar, we are strengthening the core of our business, driving innovation and bringing manufacturing closer to our customers.
First of all, we are talking about expanding the production capacity of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI). After the launch of the factory, the production volumes of this product almost doubled, to about 600 thousand tons per year. Also, as part of the expansion of the complex, the company increased the aniline production capacity.
The Gamer complex is considered BASF's largest integrated manufacturing facility in the United States. On an area of almost 10.5 square meters, several tens of kilometers of industries operate, and the output of one network feeds the other with raw materials. For example, the same aniline is used to produce MDI directly on site.
At the end of 2025, the American market accounted for approximately €13 billion of BASF's total revenue (almost €60 billion).
Despite this, BASF is now facing serious pressure - high energy costs (mainly in Germany), excess capacity in the world market and increased competition, including from Chinese manufacturers. In the past, Kamit stated that the European chemical industry is experiencing one of the most difficult crises in the last 25 years.