Wacker opens new technical centre in Istanbul

Munich, Germany – Wacker Chemie AG expanded its range of services in Turkey with the opening of a technical centre for construction, textile and consumer-care applications in Istanbul.

The technical facility serves as an application and test laboratory for polymeric binders and silicones needed in the region's construction, textile, household and cosmetics industries, Wacker said.

It allows the company to offer its customers and business partners better local support by broadening its local expertise in application technology and service, it said. The new centre is the company's response to Turkey's sustained economic growth.

The facility enables testing of specific properties of tile adhesives and external thermal insulation composite systems, the two key applications for Vinnapas dispersible polymer binders from Wacker. It also has modern laboratory equipment for analyses of viscosity and air-pore content or the curing time of fresh mortars. It offers the possibility of testing the properties of hardened mortars as required by various standards, such as EN 12004 or EN 13499. The properties that can be tested include adhesive, flexural and compressive strengths, as well as water-vapour permeability and impact resistance.

The new centre is equipped to examine products under varying climatic conditions, such as applying ETICS adhesives at low temperatures, Wacker said.

The new facility also has a laboratory for silicones used in the textile industry. It allows in-depth studies to determine the thermal and shear stability, foaming tendency, gloss and colour stability, as well as the water repellency or hydrophilicity of products. Different formulations can be applied and tested in the new laboratory under realistic conditions, such as padding or exhausting.

In addition, the equipment enables specific tests and formulations tailored to the needs of the local cosmetic and household care industries. The laboratory is also equipped for developing local formulations, such as shampoos, creams or fabric softeners, Wacker said.

The new technical centre will also be used to hold theoretical and practical training courses. A showroom has been set up that is equipped with various proprietary construction chemicals to show Wacker products.

The new development centre’s proximity to customers is intended to strengthen Wacker's market position and enable it to better address local customers' specific needs, Wacker said.

The facility will also serve customers from neighbouring countries. It is a part of Wacker Kimya Ticaret's new site in Istanbul's Atasehir district.