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BASF SE, formerly BASF AG, is a Germany-based chemical company. The Company has six business segments: Chemicals, Plastics, Performance Products, Functional Solutions, Agricultural Solutions, and Oil & Gas. Chemicals segment offers products in the chemical, electronic, construction, textile, automotive, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. Plastics segment offers a range of products, system solutions and services. Performance Products help its customers to improve their products and processes. Functional Solutions segment bundles system solutions and products for customers and industries. During the year ended December 31, 2008, the Company acquired Revus Energy ASA (Revus), an oil and gas exploration and production company. On September 26, 2008, it acquires Attapulgite Mining, Inc. On December 15, 2008, it acquired the concrete admixture business of Kejie Admixture Science & Technology Co. Ltd. (Kejie). On December 19, 2008, BASF AG acquired Sorex Holdings Ltd.

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Production

BASF's recent success is characterized by a focus on creating resource efficient product lines after completely abandoning consumer products. This strategy was reflected in production by a re-focus towards integrated production sites. The largest such integrated production site is located in Ludwigshafen employing 33,000 people. Integrated production sites are characterized by co-location of a large number of individual production lines (producing a specific chemical), which share an interconnected material flow. Piping is used ubiquitously for volume materials. All production lines use common raw material sourcing and feed back waste resources, which can be used elsewhere (e.g. steam of various temperatures, sulfuric acid, carbon monoxide). The economic incentive for this approach is high resource and energy efficiency of the overall process, reduced shipping cost and associated reduced risk of accidents. Due to the high cost of such an integrated production site it establishes a high entry barrier for competitors trying to enter the market for volume chemicals.