Wacker to focus on growth businesses including fumed silica and organosilanes

By Liz White, ERJ staff

Munich, Germany-Wacker-Chemie GmbH is realigning its operations into five business divisions, with effect from 1 Jan 2005. The move is designed to allow Wacker to develop promising new growth sectors, as well as utilise existing opportunities for chemicals better, the firm said.

Wacker's existing silicones division-which includes its silicone elastomers business-will contain a new unit dedicated only to the growth business of fumed silica. A new Wacker Polymers group combines the construction sector polymer activities and functional polymers business.

Additionally the unit making hyperpure silicon for the semiconductor and solar industries becomes a business division in its own right, Wacker Polysilicon.

The new structure will “support further expansion of growth sectors,” such as fumed silica and organofunctional silanes, biotechnology and solar-grade polysilicon, said president & ceo Dr Peter-Alexander Wacker, in a company statement.

"This operative realignment simultaneously lays the groundwork for promoting our young growth sectors even more effectively with the necessary investments and resources," emphasised Dr Wacker. This realignment is “a further decisive step in implementing our Group's strategy to concentrate operational business on chemicals, the core sector," he said.