Wacker expanding silicone healthcare business with US acquisition

Munich, Germany – Wacker Chemie AG is expanding its silicone-based healthcare business with the planned acquisition of US-based test and development centre Bio Med Sciences.

The acquisition, the value of which was not disclosed, covers “a large part of” Bio Med Sciences’ workforce and technology, but does not include the company’s existing consumer products and associated brands, Wacker said 31 May.

Headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Bio Med Sciences specialises in silicone coatings for self-adhesive applications in the medical technology and healthcare industries.

Following the acquisition, all Bio Med Sciences’ production lines and the acquired workforce will be transferred to a newly created business unit called Wacker Silicone Manufactured Innovations LLC (WSMI).

The unit, a wholly owned subsidiary of US-headquartered Wacker Chemical Corp., will act as a prototype developer, technical service provider and contract manufacturer for medical devices and wound dressings.

The takeover, Wacker said, expands the group’s expertise in the field of "fully integrated" development and production of silicone-coated pressure-sensitive adhesive products.

Describing it as an “important step”, Wacker executive board member Christian Kirsten said the acquisition allows the group to ‘drive its silicone specialties business even more effectively.’

The acquired business, Kirsten added, “perfectly complements” the group’s existing solutions in the area of silicone adhesive gels for medical and cosmetic applications.

Wacker will also use the acquired technology as a development platform for developments in the field of fixatives, for example for portable medical devices, or for applications in scar care.

With the newly created business, Wacker can offer prototypes to coaters, assemblers and designers of medical devices, said Christoph Kowitz, CEO and president of Wacker Chemical Corp.

Furthermore, the new facility will enable Wacker to offer ‘contract manufacturing’ of silicone-coated products to potential customers.