Wacker opens Czech silicones site

Wacker has opened a new production site for specialty silicones in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, with the first production line going on stream after two years of construction, manufacturing customized silicones for the automotive, household appliance, medical technology and energy sectors.

The site will produce room-temperature-curing silicones and solid silicone rubber, complementing WACKER's existing Czech facility in Plzeň, where thermally conductive silicones, automotive potting compounds and silicone gels for wound care are manufactured, and its Burghausen site in Germany, where liquid silicone rubber is produced. Up to 200 jobs are expected to be created at Karlovy Vary by 2028.

'Karlovy Vary is an important pillar for our silicone activities in Europe and a central building block in our specialties strategy,' said Christian Kirsten, Wacker executive board member. 'With the new site, we are expanding our position as a solution provider for customers in key industries.'

The Karlovy Vary facility is located in Business Park Karlovy Vary, a 25,000 sqm industrial park owned by investment group Accolade, with the building shell constructed by Panattoni. WACKER has been present in the Czech Republic since the 1990s, where it has operated a production site for ready-to-use silicones in Plzeň since 2008.