Wacker celebrates 30th anniversary in China
Wacker celebrates the 30th anniversary of its Chinese country organization. The ceremony in Shanghai was attended by customers, representatives of the authorities and long-standing business partners. In 1993, the chemical group began to build its presence in China by opening its first sales offices.
Wacker now has an extensive network of several production, research and service sites. In 2022, the chemical group generated around €2.5 billion in China. This corresponds to around 30 percent of Group sales. Christian Hartel, CEO of Wacker Chemie AG, highlighted the importance of the region in his address. "China is the world's largest chemical market and a key growth driver for the global economy. The country offers a wide range of development opportunities, which we at Wacker intend to continue to systematically exploit." For example, as recently as May of this year, the company commissioned new plants for the production of dispersions and dispersible polymer powders in Nanjing. In September, the Group also announced the construction of several new production lines for the manufacture of functional silicone fluids, silicone emulsions and silicone elastomer gels at its Zhangjiagang site. "This is the largest single investment since the site started operations," Hartel noted. "In total, we have invested around 1 billion euros in production, customer service and research in China over the past 30 years." Today, the Group operates four production sites, two technical centers, eight sales offices and a Wacker Academy for training purposes there, and employs more than 1,700 people. In 2022, Wacker generated around €2.5 billion, or about 30 percent of its Group sales, in China. Alvin Hu, head of the Wacker-China national subsidiary, took a look at the last 30 years in his celebratory speech. "Our track record is impressive: With our comprehensive network of integrated production sites, research and technical service centers, sales offices and four joint ventures, we are strategically very well positioned in China, especially with regard to key growth themes."
To best serve customer needs and market trends in China, Wacker operates several research and development centers in addition to its local production network. In 2000, the first technical application center in the region was opened in Shanghai. In 2012, the Wacker Shanghai Center, equipped with numerous application and research laboratories, began operations. The focus there is on developing customized products for the regional construction, coatings, adhesives, electronics, automotive and personal care industries. The facility also includes competence centers for consumer care applications, cement and concrete, electromobility and for thermally conductive silicones and potting compounds. Wacker's production network in China comprises a total of four sites. At the fully integrated Zhangjiagang production site, the chemical group manufactures highly dispersible silica and a wide range of silicone finished products for the Asian market. At the Nanjing site, the company produces dispersions, dispersible polymer powders and polyvinyl acetate solid resins for the construction, adhesives and coatings industries. Silicone emulsions and silicone-based process auxiliaries for textiles, leather and fiber applications are manufactured at the Shunde site. In 2022, Wacker acquired a 60 percent majority stake in Sico Performance Material (Shandong) Co., Ltd. and, as a result, took over the Jining site, which became Wacker's second-largest silicone site in China. Organofunctional silane specialties for adhesives and sealants, construction chemicals, coatings and composites are produced here.