Wacker opens new silicones production site in India

Munich, Germany – Wacker Chemie AG has opened a new production site for silicones in Panagarh, 160km northwest of Kolkata in eastern India.

The plant will manufacture silicone rubber and ready-to-use silicone compounds for electromobility, medical technology and electrical transmission & distribution, said Wacker in a statement 5 July.

Furthermore, the German chemicals supplier is planning a subsequent expansion in the medium term for the production of silicone fluids and silicone emulsions at the site.

The new facility is part of Wacker’s growth strategy which envisions substantial investment within the group’s chemicals division and silicones business.

In line with the strategy, Wacker aims to invest a “mid-double-digit million euro” amount in Panagarh over the next few years over several stages.

Over the medium term, Wacker expects the Panagarh output to double the group’s silicones production capacity in India.

Currently, the site manufactures high-consistency- and room-temperature-vulcanising solid silicone rubbers, liquid silicone rubber and Silmix ready-to-use silicone compounds.

These products are used particularly in electromobility, medical technology and electric transmission and distribution.

In the next stage, the company aims to produce silicone fluids and silicone emulsions for cosmetics, textile and personal care applications.

Wacker and its Indian joint venture Wacker Metroark Chemicals (WMC) have been operating a production site for silicones in Amtala near Kolkata since 1999.

The new plant, according to Wacker, spans an area of 165,000 square metres – three times the size of the existing site in Amtala, where the group manufactures silicone fluids and silicone emulsions for the cosmetics and personal care industries.

“Panagarh offers excellent infrastructure and very good connections to the Indian railway and road networks,” Wacker executive board member Auguste Willems at the opening ceremony.

However, he went on to say, the main benefit of the site is the large space it offers.

“We will use this to significantly expand our production capacity in India and strengthen our market position on the Indian subcontinent,” Willems added.