Key Products, Services and Business Processes
Overall, the range of products and services at each of our divisions remained unchanged in 2017. In several application areas, though, we expanded our product portfolio. With over 2,800 products, WACKER SILICONES has our broadest offering. The division produces both specialties and standard products, primarily used as starting materials in silicone production.
WACKER POLYMERS makes state-of-the-art binders and polymeric additives (such as dispersible polymer powders and dispersions). These are used in diverse industrial applications or as base chemicals. Customers range from the paint and coating sectors to the paper and adhesive industries. The main customer for polymer binders is the construction industry.
WACKER BIOSOLUTIONS supplies customized biotech and catalog products for fine chemicals. Products include pharmaceutical proteins, cyclodextrins, cysteine, polyvinyl acetate solid resins (for gumbase), organic intermediates and acetylacetone. The division focuses on customer-specific solutions for growth areas, such as food additives, pharmaceutical actives and agrochemicals.
WACKER POLYSILICON produces hyperpure polysilicon for the semiconductor sector and, above all, the solar sector.
Integrated Production System – WACKER’s Greatest Strength
The highly integrated material loops at its major sites in Burghausen, Nünchritz and Zhangjiagang are one of the WACKER’s key competitive advantages. The basic principle of integrated production is to use the byproducts from one stage as starting materials for making other products. The auxiliaries required for this, such as silanes, are recycled in a closed loop. Waste heat from one process is utilized in other chemical processes. Integrated production not only cuts energy and resource consumption, but also improves the use of raw materials in the long term, and integrates environmental protection into our processes.