Production

In 2017, production output was markedly higher than in the previous year. Production costs were 17.1 percent lower due to the deconsolidation of Siltronic, but were 3.0 percent higher on a comparable basis. Production increased particularly strongly at WACKER SILICONES, where manufacturing facilities ran at full capacity. Overall capacity utilization at the chemical divisions exceeded 80 percent. WACKER POLYSILICON once again sold higher volumes than a year earlier, despite the loss of four months of production at the Charleston site.

Capital expenditures amounted to €326.8 million in the reporting year (2016: €338.1 million). Maintenance costs amounted to around €380 million.

Priorities in Productivity

The ongoing Wacker Operating System (WOS) program helps us boost productivity along the entire supply chain. The most important goal is to continue reducing specific operating costs. In 2017, we worked on approximately 700 projects, some 500 of which concerned operations. The projects focused on improving raw-material yields and specific energy consumption. The WOS ACADEMY held 12 training courses at which over 100 employees were trained in new productivity methods, such as Six Sigma and LEAN.