Key Events 2019/2020
2019
February
Saxony’s State Governor Michael Kretschmer visited WACKER’s site in Nünchritz, where he talked to company executives, plant management, the employee council, and employees.
March
WACKER attended the European Coatings Show 2019 in Nuremberg, presenting new polymeric binders, pyrogenic silicas and silicones for paints, adhesives and construction solutions. The company also focused on polymeric binders based on renewable raw materials.
June
WACKER dedicated a new production line for silicone elastomers at its Zhangjiagang site in China.
August
The then German Family Affairs Minister Franziska Giffey visited WACKER’s site in Nünchritz, Saxony, where she spoke with WACKER Executive Board member Dr. Christian Hartel and employees about the company’s family-oriented personnel policies.
September
WACKER acquired a stake in British battery material specialist Nexeon Ltd., thus intensifying WACKER research into silicon-based materials for high-performance batteries.
Following a 20-month construction phase, WACKER opened a new spray dryer in Ulsan, South Korea, for manufacturing dispersible polymer powders.
October
WACKER presented innovative silicones at the K 2019 international trade fair for plastics and rubber. Event visitors were impressed by the improved product and processing properties of liquid and solid silicone rubber grades – which, for example, are self-adhesive, offer greater fire protection, and are more electroactive.
WACKER presented the Alexander WACKER Innovation Award to two employees for the development of CAVACURMIN®. This nutritional supplement contains curcumin, an antiinflammatory, antibacterial extract of turmeric. The cyclodextrins in the supplement allow the body to absorb the curcumin much faster.
WACKER brought a pyrogenic silica manufacturing plant on stream at its us site in Charleston, Tennessee – a move that expands production there.
November
Wacker Chemie AG opened a plant for manufacturing silicon metal at its site in Holla, Norway. The Group invested roughly €100 million in the new plant, which was built according to the most modern standards, resulting in an exceptionally efficient facility with low maintenance requirements.
A key project for digital communication was completed when WACKER relaunched its website. The technology, content and structure of the Group website were all completely updated.
President & CEO Dr. Rudolf Staudigl and Site Manager Dr. Dieter Gilles, both of whom have since retired, welcomed German Minister of Finance and Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz to the Burghausen site, where Mr. Scholz learned about silicon deposition processes and about the significance of WACKER POLYSILICON products in protecting the climate.
2020
January
After being commissioned in 2019, the new gas turbine for the Burghausen site’s captive power plant is now in operation. The electricity generated is easier to adjust to actual electricity needs. The 135-megawatt power plant is a significant factor in securing the site’s supply of electricity and energy.
March
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, WACKER donated 11,000 liters of isopropyl alcohol to make 15,000 liters of disinfectants for Bavarian hospitals and care facilities.
April
Production of silicone cartridges at the company’s Nünchritz site, which began late 1998/early 1999, reached one billion units.
May
The pandemic triggered the biggest decline in WACKER’s sales in a single month.
July
WACKER invested in its Amsterdam production facilities for biologics, LMPs (live microbial products) and vaccines.
August
The coronavirus pandemic compelled WACKER to hold its first-ever online Annual Shareholders’ Meeting.
September
WACKER opened a competence center for thermal interface materials in Shanghai.
It presented SeungA Lee and JungEun Lee of South Korea with the Alexander Wacker Innovation Award for developing new silicone resins for optical bonding applications.
October
WACKER’s Executive Board and employee representatives signed a framework agreement on the Shape the Future efficiency program. By 2022, the Group plans to cut about 1,200 jobs and save a total of €250 million, half in personnel and half in non-personnel costs.
WACKER expanded its capacity for making polymer products in China by investing around US$100 million to build two new production plants at its Nanjing site.
December
WACKER’s Supervisory Board approved an agreement to sell WACKER’s stake in Siltronic AG, its publicly listed associate, to Taiwan’s GlobalWafers Co., Ltd. WACKER holds a stake of about 30.8 percent in Siltronic AG. The offer price was €125 per share.
The Supervisory Board took key personnel decisions for the future. Dr. Christian Hartel is to become Wacker Chemie AG’s new president and CEO in May 2021. He will succeed Dr. Rudolf Staudigl, who retires at the end of the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting. Angela Wörl will join the Executive Board as personnel director.