Group Structure and Business Operations

GRI 102-2, GRI 102-4, GRI 102-7
Wacker Chemie AG - Sustainability Report 2015/16

WACKER is a globally active company with state-of-the-art specialty chemical products. Our portfolio includes more than 3,200 products supplied in over 100 countries. WACKER products are found in countless everyday items, ranging from cosmetic powders to solar cells.

Silicon Is Our Key Starting Material

Most of our products are based on inorganic starting materials. -based products account for 80 percent of our sales, and products that are primarily -related for 20 percent. Our customers come from virtually every major sector, ranging from consumer goods, food, pharmaceuticals, textiles and the solar, electrical/electronics and base-chemical industries, to medical technology, biotech and mechanical engineering. As a manufacturer of and , we are particularly well represented in the automotive and construction sectors. WACKER is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of polycrystalline silicon for the solar industry.

Technical Competence Centers: Support for Sales and Marketing Activities

WACKER operates all over the world. Our sales strategy is centered around expanding our presence in growth markets. In total, WACKER has 49 sales offices in 31 countries. Our sales organization is supplemented not only by a network of technical competence centers, where customers learn about WACKER’s product portfolio, but also by the WACKER ACADEMY, where we offer technical training sessions on our products and their application fields. In 2016, we expanded our existing technical competence center in Singapore.

26 Production Sites

In 2016, WACKER’s integrated global production system consisted of 26 production sites (2015: 25): Ten were in Europe, eight in the Americas and eight in Asia. The Group’s key production location is Burghausen (Germany). At this site alone, we had some 9,700 employees (including temporary workers and trainees) on the reporting date of December 31, 2016. In 2016, Burghausen manufactured 810,000 metric tons of product, accounting for around 50 percent of the Group’s production output. Alongside Burghausen, Nünchritz is WACKER’s second multidivisional site.

Key Factors for Multidivisional Sites

Key Factors for Multidivisional Sites (graphic)
Silicon
After oxygen, silicon is the most common element on the earth’s crust. In nature, it occurs without exception in the form of compounds, chiefly silicon dioxide and silicates. Silicon is obtained through energy-intensive reaction of quartz sand with carbon and is the most important raw material in the electronics industry.
Ethylene
A colorless, slightly sweet-smelling gas that, under normal conditions, is lighter than air. It is needed as a chemical starting product for a great many synthetic materials, including polyethylene and polystyrene. It is used to make products for the household, agricultural and automotive sectors, among others.
Silicones
General term used to describe compounds of organic molecules and silicon. According to their areas of application, silicones can be classified as fluids, resins or rubber grades. Silicones are characterized by a myriad of outstanding properties. Typical areas of application include construction, the electrical and electronics industries, shipping and transportation, textiles and paper coatings.
Polymer
A polymer is a large molecule made up of smaller molecular units (monomers). It contains between 10,000 and 100,000 monomers. Polymers can be long or ball-shaped.