Sixty years ago, WACKER first applied silicone chemistry industrially. And some fifty years ago, the company began producing polysilicon. Nevertheless, we’re still at the mere threshold of a very promising future. The broad field of new product and process innovations has by no means been exhausted. With the Müller-Rochow process, WACKER possesses one of the most modern and efficient synthetic pathways the chemicals sector has to offer for manufacturing organochlorosilanes, i.e. the basic monomeric building blocks. Backed by innovative strength and high quality standards, the company is well positioned to play a key role in silicon chemistry’s triumphal advance.
In this special publication, we focus on the WACKER SILICONES division, showing its wide-ranging solutions and capabilities. Worldwide, it offers not only over 3,000 highly diverse silicone products, but also comprehensive technical service.
WACKER vastly expanded and enhanced its service and consulting capabilities, particularly during the economic boom of recent years. A tightly meshed global network of 17 technical centers allows WACKER to offer local solutions tailored to customers’ needs. This closeness to customers is a significant competitive advantage, particularly in a market characterized by highly diverse applications.
Customer proximity is also reflected by WACKER SILICONES’ 13 manufacturing locations (not only in Germany, but also Brazil, China, India, Japan, America and elsewhere) and its strategic expansion of this integrated production system. WACKER’s drive to decisively invest in future markets will further consolidate its market position in coming years. At the company’s Nünchritz site alone, for example, €760 million will be invested by 2010 in a new, state-of-the-art production facility. WACKER is meeting the solar industry’s growing worldwide need for hyperpure polycrystalline silicon by expanding polysilicon production capacity from 10,000 to 35,500 metric tons annually.
