Objectives of the Position

• Establish the center of technical product expertise for polyols and polyurethane systems (PMO/PMU)
• Overall responsibility for raw material development & qualification, product-site fit, registration & maintenance, product transfers, toller management and sustainability certifications in accordance with BASF quality systems and procedures for PMO/PMU in the Asia Pacific region.

Responsibilities

Leadership

• Overall responsibility for product transfer cross-production sites in Asia and cross-regions.
• Manage PMO/PMU tollers throughout Asia for cost efficiency, capacity/capability optimization.
• Be the product technical expert related to polyols and polyurethane systems and drive discussion for optimization with Research & Development (R&D)/Technical Development (TD) and plants.

Raw Material Qualification & Risk Assessment

• Direct the optimization of raw materials list and maintenance of the alternate raw materials matrix.
• Manage all raw material / product related chemical inventory topics in collaboration with R&D/TD/Product Stewardship (PSS)
• Oversee raw material risk assessment process including maintenance of the single source raw materials list and determine risk mitigation steps with Product Manager & Procurement. In case alternatives are unavailable, support the team/ Supply Chain Management (SCM) on safety stock management.
• Manage the qualification and approval of new raw materials and suppliers for all plants in the Asia-Pacific, strictly adhering to BASF quality norms.
• Drive technical discussions with procurement/suppliers to ensure that the quality and performance needs for the business are met. Conduct technical audits for raw material suppliers as necessary.
• Accountable for the setup of the raw material specification
• Provide technical guidance for the development and implementation of the raw material sourcing strategy to manage supply risks and cost optimization.

Technical Product Portfolio Management

• Supervise the creation and maintenance of polyol recipes.
• Oversee the creation of technical datasheets for polyol and polyurethane systems and maintenance of the Technical Data Sheet system.
• Direct new product registrations to ensure listed Raw Materials are as maintained in SAP across plants.
• Ensure the established nomenclature protocol is strictly followed.

Product Transfer

• Drive the APAC product transfers in close collaboration with the relevant stakeholders to define manufacturing network optimization potential, plan implementation and achieve smooth execution. Coordinate cross-country or regional alignments (where applicable) for technical aspects to support Asian plants.
• Lead the technical discussion with operations and other stakeholders to ensure the appropriate technology is being used to maintain the similar performance of the product from the original source and to determine with operation on the CAPEX if needed.
• Guide the production line or reactor qualification and ensure that plant is supported with appropriate documents and technical information to ensure product transfer is done in time.
• Engage with all the technical communities (R&D, TD, operations, etc.) across APAC regularly for ongoing technical activities and steer them in alignment with PM’s APAC production footprint. Share knowledge & setup training of team members as and when necessary.

Aging Inventory

• Collaborate with SCM and business teams to reduce aging inventory. Manage the product re-allocation among system houses and rework processes to the plant after alignment with TD.

Toller Management

• Manage the projects with tollers with special focus on meeting requested schedules and smooth scale up for sustainable production.
• Ensure that the tollers follow guidance/directives on plant safety, process control and product transfer process to ensure the product conforms to BASF specification. Perform technical audit as and when needed to ensure compliance to BASF and relevant industry standards / requirements.
• Guide process amendments as needed if there is gap with current set up.
• Oversee the scale up trial at all tollers, commercial discussions including tolling costs and economic assessments.
• Ensure proper documentation of all aspects related to the tolling activity.

NCM Support

• Guide quality team as needed to resolve product non-conformity issues.
• Manage rework/reprocessing activities with the relevant stakeholders.

Polyol Portfolio Development

• Manage the overall process from ideation to the final commercialization of polyols and drive discussions for optimization with different stakeholders including R&D, TD and Plant.
• Develop / update technical roadmap in alignment with the PU strategy.
• Drive new polyol development with suppliers (wherever applicable) in collaboration with Product Manager & Procurement.

Sustainability

• Oversee product certifications in APAC in close collaboration with business, procurement, quality, production, TD
• Guide sustainability projects from industries (e.g., recycling) in establishing relevant value chains (e.g., waste for recycling), production feasibility and chemical inventory regulations.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s / Master’s Degree in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Chemical Engineering or related discipline
• At least 10 years’ experience in plastics industry with more than 8 years in technical, quality or production function
• High level of technical background in polyurethane (PU) value chain, PU Chemistry and polymer science.
• Experience in a regional role is an added advantage.
• Highly proficient in SAP
• Strong project management and stakeholder management

BASF has been present in Singapore since 1978, supplying to customers from various industries, including chemicals, construction, electronics, personal care, and health and nutrition. The company today operates four production facilities in Singapore, as well as Human Nutrition Application Lab Asia Pacific for its nutrition and health business. BASF posted sales to customers in Singapore of about €300 million in 2023 and had 520 employees as of the end of the year. Further information is available on www.basf.com/sg.