Production

WACKER’s integrated production systems, primarily based on silicon and ethylene as starting materials, are one of its greatest strengths. We have highly integrated and interlinked production processes along the entire supply chain. Our internal systems function as loops. In our processes, we optimize the number of materials used – combining, processing and recycling them. By-products are usually further processed immediately or used in another production area. Take, for example, our integrated silicon production system. Although it comprises just four starting materials – silicon, methanol, hydrogen and salt (sodium chloride) – it enables us to manufacture over 3,000 silicone products, as well as pyrogenic silica and polysilicon. And in our integrated ethylene production system, we generate acetaldehyde, acetic acid, ketene, vinyl acetate, polymer dispersions and dispersible polymer powders. This unique production strategy conserves resources and energy, and ensures seamless monitoring and control for our customers throughout the entire material loop – from the raw material to the finished product.

WACKER’s Highly-Integrated Production System Is Efficient and Clean

WACKER has three integrated sites worldwide. The cornerstone of our integrated-site policy is Burghausen, our largest production site. WACKER also maintains production sites in the key sales regions of Europe, the Americas and Asia. Our strategy is to manufacture goods as close to our customers as possible to maximize the speed of delivery. Additionally, this strategy makes us less prone to exchange-rate fluctuations. Transaction risks are lower, because production costs and sales revenue are in the same currency. A further benefit is that we reduce our transport costs and risks.

Over the past years, WACKER’s production network has expanded enormously, due to rising sales volumes and the growth of our production operation in China – currently the main growth market. WACKER has not only invested in new production sites, but also expanded or acquired existing plants.

Production network expansion has been complemented by our “Wacker Operating System” (WOS) program. WOS aims to continually optimize the productivity of WACKER plants. So far, the program has been instrumental in significantly boosting our productivity around the world since its introduction at Burghausen in 2004. WOS focuses on lowering not only specific operating costs, but also raw material and logistics costs. On the raw material side, the program is concerned with either achieving higher yields or reducing raw material consumption. In logistics, WACKER is working toward lower transport costs and optimized delivery times.

Plant Productivity Continues to Rise