General Motors Names BASF as 2011 Supplier of the Year

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., March 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- For the eighth time in 10 years, BASF has received General Motors' Supplier of the Year Award.

Hans Engel, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BASF Corporation, accepted the award on behalf of the company's Coatings Division during General Motors' annual awards ceremony on March 13 at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

"As a company focused on harnessing the power of chemistry to make our customers more successful, we are honored to have once again earned this recognition from General Motors," said Engel.  "Working together with forward-looking, visionary customers like GM, BASF will continue to create the chemistry for a sustainable future."

BASF's Coatings Division supports GM by combining modern paint processes with special effect pigments and technologies. BASF offers a broad array of color solutions and development capabilities that help carmakers improve productivity and environmental performance.   

For example, BASF recently introduced the environmentally friendly CathoGuard® 800 and 900 product line – a Cathodic e-coating system that provides the base for perfect automotive surfaces and protects edges and cavities from corrosion.

"The Supplier of the Year award winners' partnership, dedication and commitment to consistently perform above expectations played an important role in GM's success in 2011," said Bob Socia, Vice President, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. "In 2012, we will continue to improve supplier relations to achieve a world class supply chain focused on quality, capacity management and total cost."  

GM's Supplier of the Year program began in 1992, and each year a global team of purchasing, engineering, quality, manufacturing and logistics executives determine the winners of the Supplier of the Year Award. Winners represent "World Class" performance leaders in the areas of quality, technology, price, and service.  

For a press photo, click here: http://www.basf.com/group/corporate/us/en/function/conversions:/publish/content/news-and-media-relations/news-releases/news-releases-usa/pressphotos/03-14-12_GMSupplierAward.jpg

Suggested caption for photo: Hans Engel, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, BASF Corporation (second from right), accepts a Supplier of the Year Award from General Motors. From left are Greg Warden, Executive Director, Global Engineering Body/Exterior, for General Motors; Joseph M. Schmondiuk, Vice President, Global Accounts, for BASF in North America; Engel; and, Randy Pappal, Executive Director, Global Purchasing Body/Exterior, for General Motors.

About BASF Coatings
BASF Coatings develops, produces and markets a high-quality range of innovative automotive OEM coatings, automotive refinishes and industrial coatings, as well as decorative paints. BASF has significant market positions in the coatings sector in Europe, North America, South America and the Asia/Pacific region. In 2011, BASF Coatings achieved global sales of 2.8 billion Euros. To learn more about Coatings from BASF, visit www.basf-coatings.com.  A copy of the BASF customer magazine, Coatings Partner, can also be downloaded from www.coatingspartner.com

BASF -- The Chemical Company
BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 16,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $19.9 billion in 2011. For more information about BASF's North American operations, visit www.basf.us.

BASF is the world's leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success, social responsibility and environmental protection. Through science and innovation we enable our customers in almost all industries to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and system solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring healthy food and nutrition and helping to improve the quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF posted sales of about euro 73.5 billion in 2011 and had more than 111,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

SOURCE BASF