Wacker boosts silicone output

Wacker has officially inaugurated its new fumed-silica production
facilities in Nünchritz, boosting its capacity by around a third.

Germany's Wacker has officially inaugurated its new fumed-silica production facilities in Nünchritz, supplying material to the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries.

Fumed silica is a loose white powder with a wide range of applications. The pharmaceutical industry uses fumed silica to bind moisture and as a flow aid in powders.

Wacker is investing more than €400 million in the expansion of production facilities for silicones and their precursors, as well as in providing infrastructure, environmental protection and safety equipment. The expansion will create more than 200 new jobs at the Nünchritz site, and will increase Wacker's fumed-silica production capacities by around a third.

According to the company's chief operating officer Dr Rudolf Staudigl, the successful completion of this large-scale project consolidates Wacker's position among the top three silicone producers worldwide. The company operates two other silicone production plants in Kempten and Burghausen.

Staudigl said that Wacker "has thus taken the necessary steps to match the 30 per cent market growth predicted over the next three to four years with appropriate production volumes and to continue expanding its fumed-silica market share."

The global fumed-silica market is currently valued at almost €800 million, he added. Earlier this year, Wacker entered into an agreement with Dow Corning for the production of silicone intermediates and fumed silica in Asia.

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