BASF Coatings has officially separated from its corporate parent to launch as an independent global business under the name Surventis.
This type of separation, known in the financial sector as a carve-out, means the former BASF division is now a standalone organization in the automotive refinish, original equipment manufacturer coatings, and surface treatment markets.
The newly independent business is now majority-owned by funds managed by the global investment firm Carlyle Group, in partnership with the Qatar Investment Authority.
BASF continues to retain a 40% minority equity stake in the new operation.
Surventis enters the global market with massive scale, reporting approximately €3.9 billion in annual sales. The organization employs roughly 10,700 workers and serves more than 42,000 customers across over 140 countries. Operations include a network of more than 30 production and development facilities worldwide, coordinated from the main headquarters in Münster, Germany, which hosts the world's largest integrated paint manufacturing site.
For the collision repair industry, leadership stressed that the corporate restructuring is built entirely on operational continuity. The established product portfolio—which includes industry-staple brands such as Glasurit, R-M, and Chemetall—remains completely intact.
Bodyshop customers will continue to receive the exact same product formulations, digital color-matching technologies, and technical support systems under the new ownership. Contracts and supply chains are not expected to see any short-term disruptions.
Leading the newly formed organization is CEO Jens Luehring, who brings more than two decades of experience in corporate transformations.
"Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for us and all our employees worldwide," Luehring stated in the official press release. "We are building on more than 130 years of coatings expertise. Our ambition is clear: we want to become the leading technology company for coatings."
The strategic separation was designed to remove the coatings division from the broader corporate structure of the BASF chemical group, granting leadership greater entrepreneurial freedom.
By operating as a standalone entity backed by Carlyle's industrial scaling experience, executives expect to manage operations with increased speed and agility.
"As an independent company, the business is well positioned to accelerate innovation, deepen customer partnerships and seize global growth opportunities," Tanaka Maswoswe, a partner at Carlyle, said in the release.
