Wacker held a grand ceremony in Shanghai to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its subsidiary in China on October 11. The ceremony was attended by customers, authority representatives and long-standing business partners.

Wacker started building its presence in China by opening its first offices in 1993. Today, the Group operates an extensive network of production sites, R&D and service centers. In 2022, WACKER generated around €2.5 billion in China, which corresponds to approximately 30 percent of Group sales.

Addressing the guests, President and Wacker CEO Christian Hartel emphasized the importance of the region. “China is the world’s largest chemical market and an important growth driver for the global economy. The country offers a wide range of development opportunities which we at Wacker intend to leverage continuously.”

In May, Wacker ramped up new production facilities for dispersions and dispersible polymer powders in Nanjing. In September, the Group also announced the expansion of several new production lines for manufacturing functional silicone fluids, silicone emulsions and silicone elastomer gels at its Zhangjiagang site. “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.” Today, WACKER China has over 1,700 employees and operates a total of four production sites, three technical centers, eight sales offices and a Wacker Academy for training purposes. In 2022, Wacker generated around €2.5 billion in China, which corresponds to approximately 30 percent of Group sales.

Alvin Hu, President of WACKER China, briefly reviewed the company’s 30-year journey in China. “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.” As an example, Hu referred to the burgeoning electrification of vehicles in China. “This will benefit our silicone business, as Wacker’s high performance silicones are essential for the development and production of electric vehicles.”

In order to better serve customer needs and market trends in China, Wacker operates several R&D centers in addition to its local production network. In 2000, the Group opened its first regional technical application center in Shanghai. In 2012, the Wacker Shanghai Center went into use, equipped with multiple application and R&D labs for developing tailor-made products that meet regional needs and serve multiple industries including construction, coatings, adhesives, electronics, automobile and personal care. The facility also operates global competence centers for consumer care, cement and concrete, e-mobility and thermal interface materials. 

Wacker’s production network in China currently includes a total of four sites. At its fully integrated Zhangjiagang production site, Wacker manufactures pyrogenic silica and a wide range of down-stream silicone products for the Asian market. The company’s Nanjing site produces dispersions, dispersible polymer powders and polyvinyl acetate solid resins for the construction, adhesives and coatings industries. The Shunde site manufactures silicone emulsions and silicone-based process auxiliaries for textiles, leather and fiber applications. In 2022, Wacker acquired a 60 percent stake in Sico Performance Material (Shandong) Co., Ltd. Its plant in Jining is now Wacker’s second largest silicone production site in China. It provides organofunctional silane specialties for adhesives, sealants, construction chemicals, coatings and composites.