Due indirectly to the corona virus outbreak, BASF has introduced short-time working at German plants in Münster/Hiltrup und Würzburg. Both sites produce automotive coatings.

The measures follow shutdowns at car manufacturers. Even before the outbreak, automakers  across Europe began reducing production due to slack demand. The slowdown has affected chemical companies’ output of products ranging from coatings to plastics and manmade fibers.

A BASF spokesperson told the newspaper Mannheimer Morgen that the Ludwigshafen-based German chemical giant currently no plans for shorter working hours at its headquarters site