Group Structure and Operations

WACKER is a globally active company with state-of-the-art specialty chemical products found in countless everyday items. Ranging from cosmetic powders to solar cells, our products are used, for example, as starting materials for non-naturally occurring actives. They also permit new production processes or make existing ones more environmentally friendly and cost-effective. Often, WACKER products are additives that, even in trace amounts, impart novel or improved properties to well-known materials. Our portfolio includes over 3,500 products supplied to more than 3,500 customers in over 100 countries.

WACKER’s Key Figures: Over 3,500 Products, More Than 3,500 Customers, Active in Over 100 Countries

Most of our products are based on inorganic starting materials. Silicon-based products account for 80% of WACKER sales, and products that are primarily ethylene-related for 20%. Our customers range from the consumer goods, food, pharmaceutical, textile, solar, electrical/electronic and basic-chemical sectors, to medical technology, biotech and mechanical engineering. As a manufacturer of silicones and polymers, WACKER is particularly well represented in the automotive and construction sectors. Plus, we are a key supplier of silicon wafers to the semiconductor industry. As one of the largest producers of polycrystalline silicon, WACKER is also a major raw-material supplier to the solar industry.

At WACKER, global is normal. To be near our customers, we reinforced our global-market presence in 2009. Our market penetration is getting steadily stronger, especially in the world’s growth regions – with our technical centers paving the way. They enable customers to learn about WACKER’s product portfolio, to discuss their specific requirements with specialists, to test different solutions and to use the labs for their own development projects. In 2009, we opened technical centers in Mumbai, India (our 19th) and Allentown, USA (the 20th). Plus, we expanded our Dubai and Shanghai centers. In Shanghai, WACKER now has over ten labs to develop and test silicones and polymer products.

Two New Technical Competence Centers Open in Mumbai (India) and Allentown (USA)

Our production operations are equally global. WACKER has a presence in all key regions – with a total of 26 production sites in Europe (eight), the Americas (nine) and Asia (nine). Due to our exit from solar wafers, the number of European production sites has dropped from nine to eight.