Wacker Chemie
Encyclopedia
Wacker Chemie AG is a worldwide operating company in the chemical business, founded 1914. The company is controlled by the Wacker-family holding more than 50 percent of the shares. The corporation is operating more than 25 production sites in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The product range includes silicone rubber
s, polymer products like ethylene vinyl acetate redispersible polymer powder, chemical materials, polysilicon and wafers for semiconductor industry. The company sells its products in more than 100 countries. As of 31st of December 2010 16,314 employees have been with Wacker. Corporate annual sales in 2010 were about 4,75 billion Euros, up 28 % compared to 2009.
The biggest production site of Wacker Chemie is the Burghausen
plant in the south-east of Bavaria
, Germany
, with about 10,000 employees. The US headquarters are located at Adrian, Michigan
.
and ethylene
. Siltronic
supplies the semi-conductor market with wafers
. Wacker Polysilicon produces hyper-pure polysilicon for use in electronic and solar wafers. Wacker Silicones serves end markets like construction, automobile, paints, textiles, and paper. Starting from ethylene
, Wacker Polymers serves mainly the construction industry with redispersible powders and several other industries with dispersions. Wacker Biosolutions focuses on using bio-technological processes to serve its customers.
End of 2007, Wacker took over vinyl acetate/ethylene operations from Air Products Polymers
. Consequently, it took full ownership of the activities in Allentown (PA)
, and Calvert City, Kentucky
.
Wacker's US headquarters are located in Adrian
, Michigan
- where Wacker Chemical Corporation is producing Silicon
materials.
Wacker also runs operations in Ohio
and California
.
Silicone rubber
Silicone rubber is an elastomer composed of silicone—itself a polymer—containing silicon together with carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Silicone rubbers are widely used in industry, and there are multiple formulations...
s, polymer products like ethylene vinyl acetate redispersible polymer powder, chemical materials, polysilicon and wafers for semiconductor industry. The company sells its products in more than 100 countries. As of 31st of December 2010 16,314 employees have been with Wacker. Corporate annual sales in 2010 were about 4,75 billion Euros, up 28 % compared to 2009.
The biggest production site of Wacker Chemie is the Burghausen
Burghausen, Altötting
Burghausen is the largest city in the Altötting district of Oberbayern in Germany. It is situated on the Salzach river, near the border with Austria. Its castle, atop a ridge, is the longest castle in Europe .- History :...
plant in the south-east of Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, with about 10,000 employees. The US headquarters are located at Adrian, Michigan
Adrian, Michigan
As of the 2010 census Adrian had a population of 21,133. The racial and ethnic makeup of the population was 84.1% white, 4.4% black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 5.9% from some other race and 4.0% from two or more races...
.
Business Activity
Wacker Chemie AG - divided into 5 divisions - derives most of its products from two main raw materials: siliconSilicon
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. A tetravalent metalloid, it is less reactive than its chemical analog carbon, the nonmetal directly above it in the periodic table, but more reactive than germanium, the metalloid directly below it in the table...
and ethylene
Ethylene
Ethylene is a gaseous organic compound with the formula . It is the simplest alkene . Because it contains a carbon-carbon double bond, ethylene is classified as an unsaturated hydrocarbon. Ethylene is widely used in industry and is also a plant hormone...
. Siltronic
Siltronic
Siltronic AG，is a Munich based company, which is one of the top Silicon Wafer suppliers in the world. It is 100% owned by Wacker Chemie AG and the single european-based Wafer supplier....
supplies the semi-conductor market with wafers
Wafer (electronics)
A wafer is a thin slice of semiconductor material, such as a silicon crystal, used in the fabrication of integrated circuits and other microdevices...
. Wacker Polysilicon produces hyper-pure polysilicon for use in electronic and solar wafers. Wacker Silicones serves end markets like construction, automobile, paints, textiles, and paper. Starting from ethylene
Ethylene
Ethylene is a gaseous organic compound with the formula . It is the simplest alkene . Because it contains a carbon-carbon double bond, ethylene is classified as an unsaturated hydrocarbon. Ethylene is widely used in industry and is also a plant hormone...
, Wacker Polymers serves mainly the construction industry with redispersible powders and several other industries with dispersions. Wacker Biosolutions focuses on using bio-technological processes to serve its customers.
Wacker Chemie in the United States
Wacker broke ground in 2011 on a new solar-grade polysilicon production facility in Bradley County, Tennessee. At a cost of $ 1.45 billion, the plant will be the German company's largest investment ever.End of 2007, Wacker took over vinyl acetate/ethylene operations from Air Products Polymers
Air Products & Chemicals
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. is an international corporation whose principal business is selling gases and chemicals for industrial uses. Air Products' headquarters is in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, in the United States. Air Products is the Lehigh...
. Consequently, it took full ownership of the activities in Allentown (PA)
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
, and Calvert City, Kentucky
Calvert City, Kentucky
Calvert City is a city in Marshall County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,701 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Calvert City is located at ....
.
Wacker's US headquarters are located in Adrian
Adrian
Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Hadrianus . Several saints and six popes have borne this name, including the only English pope, Adrian IV, and the only Dutch pope, Adrian VI...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
- where Wacker Chemical Corporation is producing Silicon
Silicon
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. A tetravalent metalloid, it is less reactive than its chemical analog carbon, the nonmetal directly above it in the periodic table, but more reactive than germanium, the metalloid directly below it in the table...
materials.
Wacker also runs operations in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.