Wacker makes Jointec Italian-wide distributor for silicone elastomers

By Liz White, ERJ staff

Munich, Germany-Wacker Silicones has appointed Jointec srl to distribute the German supplier's Elastosil silicone rubbers throughout Italy. Starting 1 Aug, Jointec is to focus on customers in the mould-making, prototype manufacturing and pad printing sectors in all of the country, according to Wacker.

Sales outside Germany are of major importance to Wacker Silicones: some 80 percent of its worldwide sales of Euro 1000 million for 2004 were earnt in countries other than its domestic German market. .

Speciality chemicals distributor Jointec serves customers in the electrical engineering, electronics, mould-making, pad printing and prototype manufacturing markets with resins, polymers and elastomers.

Milan-based Jointec has handled Wacker Silicones products for the electrical engineering and electronics industries in Italy since 1997 and has supported Wacker's mould-making customers regionally-in Lombardy, Piemont and Liguria-since 1998.

Wacker Silicones-which claims to be a world leader in silicone manufacturing-says it developed its Elastosil M range of room-temperature-curing silicone rubbers especially for mould making. This is a broad line of two-component products including pourable, spreadable and kneadable silicone rubbers for all mould-making methods and commonly used reproduction materials (wax, gypsum, concrete, artificial stone, casting resins or metal alloys),” said a Wacker statement.

Printing pads, prototypes, mass-production moulds and copies of museum objects or archaeological artifacts are among the uses where Elastosil M rubbers are the ideal material, the silicone specialist said.

Silicones for masonry protection, airbag coatings, as well as elastomers for sophisticated applications in medical technology and in insulation for the power-transmission and distribution sector, are areas where, Wacker Silicones said, it leads the world.”

Wacker Silicones employs 3500 people at ten plants and sales offices and subsidiaries in 26 countries.

In June, Wacker Chemical Corp. in the US opened a major new 2800-sq.m facility for speciality silicone rubber compounding in North Canton, Ohio.