Wacker celebrates 40th anniversary at Brazil headquarters

31 Aug '17

2 min read

Wacker Chemie AG, the Munich-based technology leader in the chemical industry, has announced that the company is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its Brazil-based South American headquarters in Sao Paulo, Wacker Quimica do Brasil Ltda. The office was set up in 1977, as part of an important milestone in South American expansion of the group.

In Jandira near São Paulo, Wacker now manufactures silicone products used, for example, in the textile, construction, paper, agrochemical, personal care and cosmetics industries. The company is currently building a new multifunctional facility at the site for manufacturing antifoam agents and functional silicone fluids. Investments for the expansion will total around €7 million. Wacker’s Jandira technical centre further offers customers special support with the development of new products and applications for the South American market. With over 100 employees, Wacker Brazil generated sales of around €90 million in 2016.

Wacker executive board member Tobias Ohler said, “Our sales in this region have grown at an average rate of more than nine percent annually over the past ten years. At the same time, local production volumes have increased five-fold. In the years ahead, we expect demand in South America to grow for our high-quality specialty chemicals – and see huge potential for our Jandira site.”

Wacker already ranks among the top silicone suppliers in South America and is the market leader for dispersible polymer powders for the construction industry. The region’s main markets for Wacker products range from construction, paints and coatings, paper, electrical/electronics and textiles, through to the cosmetics, agrochemical, household and personal-care sectors.

A wholly owned subsidiary, Wacker Química do Brasil Ltda., supports customers and partners in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Besides sales and marketing, the approximately 21,000 square metres site houses its own production plants, which produce, for example, silicone fluids and emulsions, as well as silicone resins and rubber compounds. Wacker is currently expanding its existing silicone operations by building a multifunctional facility for manufacturing antifoam agents and functional silicone fluids for the paper, cosmetics, and household industries. While the reactor for silicone fluids has already been completed, the plant for antifoam agents is expected to come on stream by the end of the year. (GK)

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