On April 28, 2026, we first semester students of the degree programs Business Administration with a focus on Logistics for Internationals, together with the lecturer of our C1 German course, Jennifer Jost (International Office), were given an insight into the headquarters of the chemical giant BASF (Badische Anilin- & Soda-Fabrik) in Ludwigshafen.
The BASF Visitor Center was the first place we visited. After a short bus ride from our university, we arrived at the plant and were given a guided tour of the BASF Museum. There, the history of the company and the importance of chemistry in our everyday lives was explained. It was particularly interesting that the museum appealed to different senses. At one station, for example, we had to use our sense of smell to identify which aromas were natural and which were chemically produced. The highlight of our visit to the BASF museum was the experiment on hydrogen rockets. In this experiment, we had to turn a crank until enough energy was generated to trigger the launch of a small rocket, which then shot up into the air. The resulting bang was particularly loud. This demonstrated how hydrogen can propel rockets due to its high detonation speed.
Afterwards, we took the bus across the factory site and partly through a forest of pipelines. The large factory warehouse and the good infrastructure were very impressive. Many different chemicals are produced there. We found it particularly interesting that BASF has had a state-of-the-art plant producing electronic grade ammonium hydroxide since 2025. This is used in the manufacture of microelectronic chips in Europe. Good logistics and safer delivery routes are important for transportation, as strict safety rules must be observed.
BASF is organized like its own city and has its own train and bus stops as well as a port on the plant site on the Rhine. Thanks to its central location in the metropolitan area Rhine-Neckar, the company has excellent connections to shipping, rail and road transportation. Raw materials are mainly delivered by ship and train, while the finished products are exported worldwide. Of particular interest are the autonomous vehicles that transport containers independently across the plant site.
The topic of sustainability plays a major role at BASF. The company uses modern systems to avoid polluting the Rhine and protect the environment: In emergency situations, a wall of water can be built up from a pipe laid in the Rhine to prevent pollutants from entering the river.
The visit gave us an exciting insight into the processes of a large industrial company in Ludwigshafen. It became clear how important logistics are for the production and transportation of products. We also saw that good organization, safe transport routes and modern technology play a major role in ensuring that everything runs smoothly.
Mengxin Xu, Nilesh Yeshwant Waghmare, Habiboullah Waled (first semester students on the Business Administration with a focus on Logistics for Internationals degree program)
