BASF Research Lab / Manufacturing Plant Construction

The German chemicals company BASF makes materials that help to power electric and hybrid automotive batteries. Its Elyria, Ohio, manufacturing facility leaders turned to the Rudolph Libbe Group to build a pilot plant/research lab for its newly formed business unit, which tests manufacturing processes of nickel-metal-cobalt (NCM) cathode materials used in lithium-ion batteries.

Production plant construction part of a successful partnership

With the success of the lab’s test product facility, BASF then awarded us a contract to provide key services for construction of its new 70,000-square-foot commercial scale production plant. This included: concrete, civil/site work for the substation foundations, installation of process equipment, piping and fire protection. The following year we installed an additional line in the battery plant and were awarded a retrofit project to modify the existing lines.

BASF relies on RLG for its single-source convenience, process knowledge, safety, scheduling and cost controls. The BASF Elyria plant is considered the most advanced cathode materials production plant in North America, working to supply the electric car industry with more powerful, longer lasting and much less expensive battery components.