WACKER is Rewarded as Model Smart Workshop by Jiangsu Province and Suzhou City

The HDK® packaging station which has been recognized as Model Smart Workshop was carried out in a one-year improvement project. Now, after the upgrade, 100 percent of its production equipment are automated and connected to the control network. The workshop employs a SAP integrated module which enables closed-loop management including planning, material management and production execution. The entire manufacturing process has been fully automated, including palletizing by robot. Furthermore, newly employed digital tools allow consistent analysis of the collected production data and continuous monitoring and optimization of the production process. After the improvement project, the production capacity of the HDK packaging workshop increased 15 percent while the head account decreased 30 percent by leveraging natural staff turnover and relocating employees to other plants at the site.

WACKER Chemicals Fumed Silica (Zhangjiagang) Co., Ltd. is one of the largest pyrogenic silica production plants in China. Using chlorosilane, a byproduct from siloxane plant, as raw material and sending its own residual product hydrogen chloride back to the production of siloxane, it is also an important part of the circular economy of Zhangjiagang Integrated Silicone Manufacturing Site. The facility leverages state-of-the-art technologies and highly automated process control systems for manufacturing pyrogenic silica, making it one of the most advanced plants of its kind in the industry.

Upon receiving of the reward, Dean Zhang, Director of WACKER’s Zhangjiagang production site, noted, “Smart manufacturing is a mega trend in the industry. As WACKER increasingly leverage digital technologies, the company will continue to improve the degree of automation and process control in its plants, which helps to enhance the safety, stability and efficiency of our facilities in the long run. By doing so, we will be able to further strengthen our market competitiveness and contribute to the progress of China’s manufacturing industry.”

About HDK® pyrogenic silica

Pyrogenic silica is a specialty chemical used as an active filler in silicone elastomers, a viscosity-adjusting agent in coatings, printing inks, adhesives, unsaturated polyester resins and plastisols, or as a flow aid, for example in the cosmetics, pharmaceutical and food-processing industries. HDK® is the trade mark of the pyrogenic silica produced by WACKER.