BASF halfway through Seneca Expansion

The expansion of a Seneca plant has reached the halfway point.  Officials with the BASF Catalyst plant in Seneca announce the $62 million expansion project is halfway finished.  The project represents one of the largest economic investments in OconeeCounty.  This year the company plans to spend $35 million, or roughly half of the original investment, to continue to improve production capabilities at the Seneca site.  Company officials said they originally planned to hire 25 additional employees, but now plan to increase that number to 30.  Training has already begun for 22 of those new employees.  Eight more employees are to be hired before April and BASF is hoping to be operational with the expansion by the end of the year. The high-tech company, which recovers precious metal from automotive catalytic converters, also manufactures and distributes chemicals, salts and solutions, and chemically precipitated precious metal-activated powders.  The catalytic converter recovery aspect of the business drives the new expansion. The plant, which currently employs 310 fulltime employees and about 100 contract and temporary employees, is located on Engelhard Drive, three miles south of Seneca.