BASF Coatings and Henkel have signed a joint venture agreement to develop innovative corrosion protection solutions for the automotive industry. The 50/50 venture, pending approval of the German anti-trust authorities, will be headquartered in Düsseldorf. The joint venture is anticipated to launch in early 2011.

The primary focus of the joint venture will be research and development. It is intended to bring together the unique competences of both companies in the areas of metal pretreatment and dip coating to develop products and processes that offer greater benefits in terms of cost, performance and environmental compatibility than the standard corrosion protection processes currently used within the automotive industry. Following a successful development of these products and processes Henkel and BASF Coatings intend to jointly market them in the automotive industry.

"A reduced number of process stages for metal pretreatment and corrosion protection would offer customers extensive benefits for the first phase of automotive painting," explained Paul Kirsch, corporate senior vice president Transport and Metal at Henkel.