WACKER recently opened a new production site for silicones in the Czech Republic. After just two years of construction, the first production line officially went on stream in Karlovy Vary. The site will manufacture customized silicones for the automotive, household appliances and medical technology industries, as well as for the energy sector. “Karlovy Vary is an important pillar for our silicone activities in Europe and a central building block in our specialties strategy”, said WACKER Executive Board member Christian Kirsten at the opening ceremony. “With the new site, we are expanding our position as a solution provider for customers in key industries.”

With the commissioning of the new site, WACKER is reorganizing its silicone activities in Europe. Together with the company’s Plzeň, Nünchritz, and Burghausen sites, Karlovy Vary will be responsible for supplying customers of silicone specialties going forward. In the future, liquid silicone rubber will be manufactured in Burghausen, while thermally conductive silicones, potting compounds for the automotive industry and silicone gels for wound care will be produced in Plzeň. Room-temperature-curing silicones and solid silicone rubber will be located in Karlovy Vary.

“Karlovy Vary will make our integrated production network in Europe much more flexible, agile and efficient,” said Kirsten. “Karlovy Vary complements our existing sites and, thanks to state-of-the-art production technology, creates the underlying conditions for extremely high levels of efficiency and quality. Going forward, this will enable us to serve our customers even better thanks to high-quality and innovative products. With Karlovy Vary, we are beginning a new chapter in our silicones’ success story.”

Megatrends Drive WACKER’s Silicone Business

The main drivers for the silicone business are megatrends such as electro-mobility, medical technology, renewable energy, grid expansion, and digitalization. Customized silicone elastomers are especially needed where conventional materials cannot meet the high and ever-increasing requirements, such as in thermal management in electric vehicles, wound care and power engineering.

The new production site is located in Business Park Karlovy Vary, a 25,000 square meter industrial park in the north of Karlovy Vary. The land and the building, which WACKER has leased, are owned by the investment group Accolade.

WACKER has been present in the Czech Republic since the 1990s. In Plzeň, the company has been operating a production site for ready-to-use silicones since 2008. Meanwhile, thermally conductive silicones and silicone gels are also manufactured at the site. In 2023, Plzeň also became home to an Excellence Hub, which provides services for the entire group.

Learn more about WACKER at wacker.com.