WACKER Optimizes the Group's Structure
Effective January 1, 2005, Wacker-Chemie GmbH is realigning its operative organization. In future, the Group will have five independent business divisions active in the marketplace. The realignment's goal is to make even better use of the existing market and technology opportunities for chemicals, as well as to develop promising new growth sectors.
Thus, today's WACKER SPECIALTIES will be split into two business divisions. WACKER's construction-sector polymer activities and its functional polymers business will be combined to form WACKER POLYMERS. The focus of WACKER FINE CHEMICALS will be fine chemicals and biotechnology.
At WACKER SILICONES, the fumed silica business - previously part of the "Advanced Materials" Business Unit - will be turned into a separate "Silica" Business Unit. The WACKER POLYSILICON unit, in which hyperpure silicon is produced for the semiconductor and solar industries, becomes a business division in its own right.
President & CEO Dr. Peter-Alexander Wacker said: "This organizational realignment is a further decisive step in implementing our Group's strategy to concentrate operational business on chemicals, the core sector." Dr. Wacker added that thanks to a stronger management focus, the new structure would support the further expansion of growth sectors such as biotechnology, solar-grade polysilicon, fumed silica and organofunctional silanes. "This operative realignment simultaneously lays the groundwork for promoting our young growth sectors even more effectively with the necessary investments and resources," emphasized Dr. Wacker.
WACKER's future structure at a glance:
-WACKER SILICONES Business Division (silicone fluids, emulsions, elastomers and resins, silanes, fumed silica). President: Dr. Christoph von Plotho.
- WACKER POLYMERS Business Division (redispersible powders, construction dispersions, powder binders, solid resins based on vinyl acetate polymers, polyvinyl butyrals, vinyl chloride polymers). President: Arno von der Eltz.
- WACKER FINE CHEMICALS Business Division (fine chemicals and biotech products such as cyclodextrins, cystine and cysteine). President: Dr. Gerhard Schmid.
- WACKER POLYSILICON Business Division (polycrystalline silicon and chlorosilanes). President: Ewald Schindlbeck.
- Siltronic AG (hyperpure silicon wafers, float-zone and crucible-pulled silicon monocrystals). Chief Executive Officer: Dr. Wilhelm Sittenthaler.
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