Regina, SK, Nov. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BASF Canada Agricultural Solutions (BASF) unveiled today its modernized formulation, packaging and distribution facility in Regina, Saskatchewan. More than $14 million was invested in facility transformations, making it the division’s single biggest agriculture infrastructure investment in the last decade. Located in the heart of Canada’s agriculture industry, the Regina facility will produce over half of BASF Canada’s crop protection products, helping ensure farmers across the country and the northern United States have access to the products they need, when they need them.
“For decades, farmers have relied on our portfolio of solutions to help them overcome agronomic challenges on their fields,” said Jonathan Sweat, Vice President, Business Management, BASF Canada Agricultural Solutions. “Situated in Western Canada, the transformed facility will further support our customers and enable us to produce more than 30 million litres of agricultural solutions annually. This significant investment highlights our ongoing commitment to innovation, ensuring we can continue to provide farmers with the solutions they need to succeed today, while setting ourselves up to produce, at our Regina site, the solutions they will need for continued success tomorrow.”
Major enhancements to BASF’s Regina facility include upgrades to mechanical operations, automation systems, quality control and safety protocols and performance. The transformation also supports greater segregation among products, further safeguarding against cross-contamination and upholding BASF’s commitment to quality control.
Additional upgrades to the Regina production facility include:
- A new control room that serves as the heart of the entire plant, providing real-time information on every valve and tank.
- A 300,000-litre stainless steel tank for the storage of raw materials, increasing the facility’s total storage capacity to 2.8 million litres.
- Expanded analytical capability in the lab to meet production requirements, allowing BASF to test, approve and record all products for quality assurance.
- Increased ventilation, dust containment and high-speed shutter doors in the formulation area, contributing to a safe worksite for employees.
These significant improvements will allow BASF to produce high-quality products more efficiently, while supporting future production of new solutions. Viper® ADV, one of the most important herbicides for field pea farmers, is among the first solutions to be produced at the facility this fall and will now be 100 per cent produced domestically at the Regina facility. Offering broad-spectrum weed control and multiple modes of action, Viper provides farmers with reliable and consistent weed control in field peas, further supporting Canada’s pulse industry as the global demand for pulse crops continues to rise.
“The transformation of our Regina facility is not only a milestone for our company, but also for our customers and the community at large,” said Sweat. “The upgrades allow us to efficiently deliver product to our retailers, in many cases within a 24-hour period, to help ensure we are responding to farmers’ requirements and are able to get them the products they need, when they need them most. We are incredibly proud of our team’s hard work and dedication throughout the two-year upgrade process, and we’re excited for the future as we continue to provide farmers with the innovative solutions they need to get the most out of every acre.”
Construction at the Regina facility began December 2019 and was officially completed in October 2020. One hundred per cent of the facility updates were completed by Saskatchewan-based contractors, further supporting the local economy. During peak production period – which generally runs from fall to early spring – the facility will employ approximately 130 people, ensuring farmers are fully supported at the onset of each growing season.
The virtual tour of the Regina facility can be viewed here.
B-roll, additional images and supporting backgrounder and fact sheet are available upon request.
For more information on BASF Agricultural Solutions, please visit www.agsolutions.ca.
About BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division:
With a rapidly growing population, the world is increasingly dependent on our ability to develop and maintain sustainable agriculture and healthy environments. Working with farmers, agricultural professionals, pest management experts and others, it is our role to help make this possible. That’s why we invest in a strong R&D pipeline and broad portfolio, including seeds and traits, chemical and biological crop protection, soil management, plant health, pest control and digital farming. With expert teams in the lab, field, office and in production, we connect innovative thinking and down-to-earth action to create real world ideas that work – for farmers, society and the planet. In 2019, our division generated sales of €7.8 billion. For more information, please visit www.agriculture.basf.com or any of our social media channels.
About BASF
BASF Canada, headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, has over 1,200 employees at production facilities and offices located across Canada. BASF Canada is a subsidiary of BASF SE, and an affiliate of BASF Corporation. To find out more about BASF’s activities in Canada, visit www.basf.com/ca or follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/basfcanada.
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 117,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €59 billion in 2019. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com.
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