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BASF Coatings Whitehouse Facility Expands Customer Service

The Whitehouse site, which recently marked 30 years of continuous operation, provides a wide range of R&D, technical and customer-support services for BASF's three coatings groups: Automotive Refinish, Automotive OEM and Industrial.

Kenneth Perry, Technical Director, BASF Automotive Refinish, outlined the functions and capabilities of the site: "At the core of our facility are the various laboratories that conduct coatings research, develop integrated paint systems, and perform testing and analysis. We also have a color matching lab, which determines tinting formulas to match automotive and industrial colors, and a commercialization lab, which creates custom formulas and special chemistries for fleet, general manufacturing and specialty vehicle applications."

The BASF North American Customer Service Center is the site's information and transaction link with BASF's coatings customers. Fielding more than 1,000 incoming phone calls daily, the "call center" employs some of the most advanced computer-based equipment available and offers customers "one-stop shopping" via toll-free phone or fax for a wide range of services, including: order entry and tracking; color formula information; technical assistance; and training enrollment.

To help ensure reliable access for customers, the call center developed an "operational contingency plan" to keep the center functioning in the event of a partial or complete system failure. The plan was recently put to the test after a truck accidentally knocked out the site's communications network. "Within several minutes, about a fourth of the call center was back in operation, and two hours later, the entire center was up and running, with some of the functions transferred to other locations across the country. Most of our customers were completely unaware that anything unusual had happened," said Frank Pew, Customer Service Supervisor, North American Customer Service Center.

The Whitehouse site is also home to the Automotive Refinish Application and Training Center (ATC), which delivers technical and business-management instruction to body shop and jobber personnel.

According to Perry, all the activities at BASF's CTSC are driven by customer needs. "At our site we do much more than develop modern coatings for the automotive and industrial markets. Here we enable our customers to conduct business with us efficiently, we train them to use our products properly and safely, and we help them comply with environmental regulations," concluded Perry.

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