25 experts from BASF Leather Chemicals met in Germany last month for a three day workshop on how best to meet challenges in today’s global automotive climate.

The event, held on June 10-12, was part of BASF’s newly established Global Industry Management – Automotive Leather team based in Germany.

"In today’s automotive industry, we see a majority of the finished leather production in Europe and North America, within the vicinity of major car producers," said Joachim Henkmann, the new head for the Global Industry Management – Automotive Leather.

"To remain competitive, we need a setup that mirrors this, allowing us to remain close to both car producers and customers. This is why we have our global centre for automotive leather in Ludwigshafen, Germany, with best-inclass laboratory facilities, technical expertise and close network of partners along the value chain," he continued.

BASF hope that this new setup will allow for better leveraging of their industry-wide network, facilitate closer collaborations across the different business units and result in a "more integrated solution approach" within the context of the automotive industry.