Wacker announces €150m speciality silicone expansion plan

Munich, Germany – Wacker Chemie AG is expanding its speciality silicone manufacturing capacities in China with a planned €150 million investment programme.

As part of the project, the German chemical group is adding several new production lines at its Zhangjiagang site in Jiangsu province to produce functional silicone fluids, silicone emulsions and silicone elastomer gels.

The project has already received all necessary permits from local authorities, said Wacker in a 26 Sept statement.

The new facilities are scheduled to come on stream in the second half of 2025.

“This expansion project is our largest single investment in Zhangjiagang since the site was officially commissioned in 2010,” said Alvin Hu, president of Wacker China.

Demand from customers in China is growing steadily, he added, especially for speciality silicones.

In addition to new production capacity, the site will have expanded R&D activities to strengthen Wacker’s presence in China, Hu said.

“Silicone fluids, emulsions and gels are used in many kinds of applications today, which is why we anticipate growth to continue,” noted Wacker executive and board member Christian Kirsten.

The Zhangjiagang expansion, he pointed out, is part of the group’s strategy to make speciality silicones “a bigger part of its product portfolio”.

Silicone emulsions and elastomer gels are typically used in textile, cosmetic and personal-care applications.

Functional silicone fluids, on the other hand, are used as starting materials for industrial applications such as impregnating or release agents.

Other applications for silicone fluids include use as additives for construction, paper, paints and coatings.

Zhangjiagang is one of Wacker’s largest fully integrated production sites, where it manufactures downstream silicone products such as sealants, elastomers, emulsions and fluids.