Wacker expands dispersible polymer powders capacity in Germany

The Munich-based chemical company Wacker Chemie AG is expanding its production capacity for dispersible polymer powders in Germany. Wacker is currently building a new spray dryer with an annual capacity of 50,000 metric tonnes at its Burghausen site, investing an amount of around Euro 20 million. The facility is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2015 and will be one of the largest of its kind worldwide.
 
Spray-drying towers for dispersible polymer powders at Wacker’s parent plant in Burghausen, Germany. With the construction of a new 50,000-metric-tonne spray dryer, Wacker is strengthening its position as a market and technology leader in this field.
Wacker aims to meet the globally rising demand for dispersible polymer powders, which is driven by worldwide trends such as urbanisation, renovation and energy efficiency, as well as the increasing need for environmentally compatible dry-mix mortar products. With the planned production expansion, the Group is creating the necessary capacity to reliably meet the market growth predicted by industry experts in the long term.
 
“Worldwide, demand for high-quality dispersible polymer powders is rising particularly in residential construction and infrastructure measures. We started to extend our dispersible polymer powder production at our Nanjing site at the end of last year and now want to push ahead with expanding our capacities in Burghausen, too - and thus strengthen our global position as a leading manufacturer of dispersible polymer powders,” explained Arno von der Eltz, president of Wacker Polymers.