BASF has been presented with a best supplier award by Yutian Group Co., Ltd—one of China’s largest producers of PU shoe soles and synthetic leather. The company granted the award in recognition of years of co-operation between the two companies, which has steadily expanded in recent years. BASF has been supplying the company with intermediates for the manufacture of polyurethane (PU) products, including butanediol (BDO), dimethylformamide (DMF) and polytetrahydrofuran (PTHF) since the mid-1990s.

Founded in 1995, Yutian has production sites in the Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Fujian, Sichuan, Guangdong and Shandong areas, with the products focusing on PU resin, TPU and polyols. It is one of the largest PU resin producers in China and held a market share of around 24% in the Chinese polyurethane industry in 2006.