BASF and SCHÜTZ have signed a location agreement to build a highly automated production and storage facility for intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) at the BASF headquarters in Ludwigshafen, Germany. The new IBC production facility will ensure the secure, long-term supply of industrial packaging to the BASF plant. Construction work is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2026.

The state-of-the-art IBC manufacturing plant is to be built on a site directly adjacent to the chemical company’s factory perimeter. The concept also includes an advanced, digitalised packaging warehouse that will be integrated in the container production facility, and the continued roll-out of the reuse, reconditioning and recycling of used packaging containers. “This project is not only a bold signal for sustainable site development; it also stands for highly efficient, customer-specific on-site solutions and the further expansion of our role as a strategic partner to the industrial sector,” says Roland Strassburger, CEO of the SCHÜTZ Group.

“The targeted attraction of long-standing partners and the investment in production capacities close to the site create decisive structural advantages for our main plant,” says Helmut Winterling, President European Verbund Sites, BASF SE. “The integration of IBC manufacturing into our material and production cycles strengthens our competitiveness in the long term.”

“SCHÜTZ’s new site close to our facility creates maximum supply security for our operations. The proximity and integration keep transport routes short and allow us to respond flexibly at all times to changing demands in our production plants and facilities,” says Uwe Lohr, Senior Vice President Global Indirect Procurement, BASF SE.