Wacker Chemie AG plans to further expand its silicone specialties business and is reorganizing its production operations in Europe.

A new production site for silicones is to be built in Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic. The main drivers of this expansion measure are megatrends such as electromobility and renewable energies which require silicones from WACKER.

Production is expected to start at the end of 2025. In the first step of the project, the Group would create up to 200 jobs. The investment volume is in the low triple-digit million-euro range.

The new production site in Karlovy Vary is intended to complement WACKER’s existing integrated production sites in Germany – namely Burghausen and Nünchritz –, as well as the site in Pilsen, which is specialized in the area of electromobility.

“Karlovy Vary will be an important pillar for our silicone activities in Europe, especially when it comes to the production of customized silicone compounds. With this project, we will be creating important conditions for further optimizing our production processes and making us even more flexible within our integrated production system comprising four locations. Our customers stand to benefit from specific product solutions – reliable, highly efficient and top quality”, says WACKER Executive Board member Christian Kirsten.

The main drivers for the silicone business are megatrends such as electromobility, renewable energies and the expansion of electricity grids. “Our grades of silicone rubber are in demand in all key growth markets”, states Kirsten. “Customized silicone elastomers are especially needed where conventional materials cannot or can no longer meet the high and ever-increasing requirements. In order to be able to meet the growing demand for such solutions in the long term, we need to lay the groundwork for it now.”

The new site in Karlovy Vary will focus on the production of room-temperature-vulcanizing specialty silicones. Production is scheduled to start at the end of 2025. Later, high-temperature-vulcanizing silicone compounds will also be produced there.