Wacker adds silicone elastomer capacity in China

Zhangjiagang, China – Wacker has inaugurated a new production line for silicone elastomers at its Zhangjiagang site, the company announced in a statement 10 June.

The new line represents ‘a lower double digit million’ investment and will help support Wacker’s future growth path in China, Wacker said.

The investment will also increase the company’s offering of high consistency silicone rubber (HCR) in the Asia-Pacific region.

Equipped with “sophisticated kneaders” for manufacturing high-quality HCR grades, the new facility has an annual capacity of several thousand of tonnes, according to Wacker.

Next to new mixing and screening equipment, Wacker has also installed a waste treatment process.

The new production line will enable shorter lead times, speed up market response, and improve overall customer experience, the German materials supplier said.

Calling the opening “a milestone” in Wacker’s efforts to expand in China, Paul Lindblad, president of Wacker Greater China, said the expansion underscored the company’s “commitment and technological leadership in the silicone rubber industry.”

Wacker, he said, is determined to “further serve and develop local and regional markets.”

Over the past few decades, demand for solid silicone elastomers has grown quickly, especially in China.

China, according to Christian Gimber, VP engineering silicones, is “the single largest market for silicone elastomers in the world.”

Wacker’s new production line is located in a new building complex covering 2,000 square metres.

Wacker has been operating its own subsidiary in Greater China for over 25 years, and currently operates seven sales offices in all the country’s key economic regions.

It also runs two technical centres and three production sites in China.

The group produces silicones and polymers in Zhangjiagang and Nanjing, both in Jiangsu province.

In 2018, Wacker generated sales of over €1 billion in the Greater China region, including Taiwan.