Munich-based chemicals group Wacker is strengthening its presence in Southeast Asia and has expanded its technical center in Singapore. A new laboratory has been built for developing and testing silicone elastomers for growing industries such as health care and electronics. At the same time, the labs for silicones and polymeric binders dedicated to construction applications have been expanded and newly furnished. The regional competence center will now provide technical support for customers in the electronics, personal and health care, textile, automotive, coatings and construction industry, among others. With the expansion, Wacker is increasing its local expertise in applications technology, know-how transfer and service, thereby meeting its customers’ needs for high-quality silicone and polymer products in the strongly growing markets of Southeast Asia.

The region’s strong economic development, particularly with regard to electronics applications and modern construction solutions, prompted the expansion of the local facility. “Southeast Asia is an important growth market for Wacker. Our sales in the region have grown significantly over the recent years, and we see further potential for strong future growth in the region,” explained Wacker executive board member Christian Hartel during the opening ceremony.

The technical center Singapore has been supporting customers in the development of new products and applications since 2007, taking local raw materials and environmental conditions into consideration. As part of the current expansion, lab space has more than doubled: A new laboratory for silicone elastomers has been established to serve fast-growing industries in the region, such as electronics, healthcare, automotive and household, to name just a few. Additionally, the labs for construction silicones and dispersible powders, which are used in dry-mix mortars for sophisticated construction applications, have been enlarged. All labs are equipped with cutting-edge instrumentation meeting international standards. Spanning an area of more than 1500 square meters, the regional competence center now houses under a single roof both customer development, applications technology, and a training facility for silicones and polymers applications.

“Our aim is to support our local customers by realizing their individual requirements directly on the spot, and to develop and test innovative applications together with them,” says Patrick de Wolf, managing director of Wacker Southeast Asia. “With the new labs and our expanded portfolio, we are setting new standards in service, advice and transfer of expertise, offering our customers and business partners considerable added value.”