THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2023
German chemical manufacturer Wacker held a ceremony yesterday in Shanghai, China, celebrating the company’s 30-year anniversary of its subsidiary in the country.
At the ceremony, Wacker CEO and President Christian Hartel commented on the importance of the region to the company, as it has been involved in the expansion of new production lines like silicone fluids and emulsions.
“This is our largest single investment since the site went into operation,” Hartel said. “Over the past 30 years, we invested nearly €1 billion in production, in customer and technical service and in research in China.”
Photos: Wacker |
German chemical manufacturer Wacker held a ceremony yesterday in Shanghai, China, celebrating the company’s 30-year anniversary of its subsidiary in the country. |
Wacker’s emailed release states that it runs multiple research and development centers, as well as its local production network in China. In 2000, it opened its first regional technical application center in Shanghai.
In 2012, the Wacker Shanghai Center reportedly began operations, equipped with multiple application and research and development labs for creating products that meet regional needs and can serve industries such as construction, coatings, adhesives, electronics, automobile and personal care.
The facility also reportedly contains global competence centers for consumer care, cement and concrete, e-mobility and thermal interface materials.
According to the company’s release, in May, Wacker started up new production facilities for dispersions and dispersible polymer powders in Nanjing, China.
Then, in September, the company reportedly announced the expansion of new production lines for manufacturing functional silicone fluids, silicone emulsions and silicone elastomer gels at its Zhangjiagang site, also in China.
In 2012, the Wacker Shanghai Center reportedly began operations, equipped with multiple application and R&D labs for creating products that meet regional needs and can serve industries including construction, coatings, adhesives, electronics, automobile and personal care. |
Wacker states that its facilities in China have over 1,700 employees across four production sites, three technical centers, eight sales offices and a Wacker Academy for training purposes in the country.
Additionally, in 2022, Wacker generated around €2.45 billion (about $260 billion) in China, making up around 30% of the company's sales.
“Our track record is impressive: equipped with a comprehensive network of integrated production sites, four joint ventures, R&D and technical service centers as well as several sales offices we are well positioned strategically, especially with a view to key growth topics,” said Alvni Hu, President of Wacker China.
“This will benefit our silicone business, as Wacker’s high-performance silicones are essential for the development and production of electric vehicles.”
At its production site in Zhangjiagang, Wacker reportedly manufactures pyrogenic silica and a range of downstream silicone products for the Asian market.
The company’s Nanjing site reportedly produces dispersions, dispersible polymer powders and polyvinyl acetate solid resins for the construction, adhesives and coatings industries.
The release states that the Shunde site manufactures silicone emulsions and silicone-based process auxiliaries for textiles, leather and fiber applications.
Additionally, last year Wacker took a 60% stake in Sico Performance Material (Shandong) Co., Ltd. Its plant in Jining is now reportedly Wacker’s second largest silicone production site in China. The release states that the site creates organofunctional silane specialties for adhesives, sealants, construction chemicals, coatings and composites.
Tagged categories: Business management; Business matters; Coating chemistry; Coating Materials; Coatings; Coatings Technology; Industry News; Program/Project Management; Research; Research and development; Silicone; Wacker; Wacker Chemie AG