Chemicals group WACKER has commenced production of hybrid polymers at its Nünchritz site in Germany. The new production facility is currently undergoing ramp-up. Hybrid polymers serve as binders for adhesives and sealants. Such binders are increasingly being employed by manufacturers of construction and assembly adhesives or parquet-flooring adhesives. The costs of the new production facility are in the double-digit million euros range. As a result of the investment, 50 new jobs have been created at the site.
The new facility will replace the existing production plant at the Burghausen site and the company says it will substantially boost production capacity for hybrid polymers. “With annual growth rates of well over five percent in some cases, the market for hybrid polymers is extremely attractive for us,” says Christian Kirsten, managing board member. “Expanding our production puts us in a position to support the growth of our customers. The facility thus aligns with our strategy of increasingly focusing on tailor-made specialties that offer great innovation potential, high vertical integration and high customer benefit.”
The production line at the Nünchritz site features a range of technical innovations. “The new facility’s production capacity will increase our output many times over,” says Tom Koini, head of the silicones business division. “If the market continues to grow as dynamically as before, we will be able to significantly boost our production capacity once again.”
WACKER says hybrid polymers rank among the business division’s most important growth fields. Offered under the name GENIOSIL® STP-E, the products serve as silane crosslinking binders for formulating high-performance adhesives and sealants for industrial and construction applications and, more recently, for liquid waterproofing membranes.
The new hybrid production facility will generate 50 new jobs. With 1,600 employees, WACKER is the largest chemical employer in Saxony.