In early April Pilsen-based Wacker Chemie s.r.o. – a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wacker Chemie AG – ramped up a new downstream compounding plant for silicone rubber. In doing so, WACKER SILICONES is expanding capacity for its SILMIX^® brand of silicone rubber compounds and can more flexibly meet growing demand for its ready-to-use silicone rubber products.

SILMIX^® heat-curing silicone rubber compounds are used in applications such as automotive gaskets, cable insulation and rubber-coated rolls in photocopiers.

“Our customers want fast delivery of silicone rubber compounds,” says Dr. Bernd Pachaly, head of the Elastomers business unit at WACKER SILICONES. “At the same time, they demand plenty of flexibility in adjusting product parameters,” he continues. “To best serve our market, with its focus on low-volume orders, we need a good alternative to our large-scale operations at Burghausen.”

The new plant in Pilsen compounds over 2,000 metric tons of solid silicone rubber per year..