German chemical company WACKER and Chinese specialty silane producer SICO Performance Material have opened a state-of-the-art application development center for organofunctional silanes in Jining, China. The move marks a major push into the country’s high-margin specialty chemicals market.

 

The 2,300-square-meter facility features advanced laboratories where high-performance additives for plastics, coatings, and adhesives will be developed. 

 

Acting as a bridge between research, technical support, and production, the center allows WACKER and SICO to leverage SICO’s local production and scale-up resources for rapid market launches. Investments in the WACKER SICO Application Development Center (ADC) total a mid-six-figure euro sum.

 

“As a provider of innovative silicone specialties and solutions, we can use this development center to achieve a key milestone for our business in China. Our focus is on high-margin specialty silanes, for which demand in China is rising continuously. This investment together with our partner SICO strengthens our presence and commitment to the region,” said Tom Koini, President of WACKER’s Silicones business division.

 

Organofunctional silanes are critical in high-performance adhesives, sealants, coatings, and composite materials, enhancing both mechanical and chemical product properties. “The opening of our Application Development Center in Jining enables us to strengthen our position as a specialties manufacturer in China,” Koini added. “In partnership with SICO, we can now support customers even better in the development and marketing of innovative products.”

 

At the opening ceremony, Kevin Qu, General Manager of SICO Performance Material, described the new labs as “an investment in the future and the cornerstone of a new era of cooperation between WACKER and SICO.” 

 

He added: “We can now pool all of our silane expertise here at our application development center. This know-how ranges from chemical product properties and supply chain matters through to questions of process engineering and current marketing trends. We will leverage this in-depth knowledge to develop forward-looking innovations for our customers. This marks a new chapter of success in the history of our joint venture.”

 

Located near SICO’s production site in Jining, the ADC will focus on developing additives, adhesion promoters, and stabilizers based on organofunctional silanes and functional silicone fluids. 

 

These specialty silanes enable the creation of high-quality adhesives, sealants, coatings, and plastics for high-tech sectors such as electromobility, electronics, power engineering, telecommunications, and coatings. The center combines deep applications expertise with extensive production and process engineering knowledge, positioning WACKER and SICO for accelerated innovation in the Chinese market.