Production (unaudited section)

Production output declined by a mid-single-digit percentage year over year. Production costs, on the other hand, rose by more than 20 percent.

Capital expenditures for 2022 amounted to €546.8 million (2021: €343.8 million). Maintenance costs totaled around €504.7 million.

Priorities of the Productivity Program

The ongoing Wacker Operating System (WOS) program is helping us boost productivity along the entire value chain. The most important goal is to continue reducing specific operating costs each year. In 2022, we handled more than 1,000 improvement projects that once again delivered savings spanning all cost types. The focus of improvement measures in 2022 was to increase capacity amid high utilization of production facilities. Emphasis was also placed on measures to reduce specific energy consumption in the interests of sustainability, as well as on digitalization and automation measures aimed at improving labor productivity.

At the WOS ACADEMY, over 100 employees were trained in the Six Sigma and Lean process improvement methods in online and classroom courses, while optimization projects were implemented simultaneously.