The company is adding a reactor for vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE) copolymer dispersions and a spray dryer for VAE dispersible polymer powders. Construction will start as soon as final permits are received from the local authorities. Both plants are scheduled to go on stream in the second half of 2022.

Wacker said the two plants will be the largest of their kind in the world and will more than double the site’s production capacity, enabling it to meet growing customer demand for its high-quality binders, particularly from China’s buoyant construction industry.

“China is the largest building market in the world, accounting for 20% of all construction investment. Our capacity expansion in Nanjing strengthens our position as the global leader for vinyl acetate-ethylene dispersions and polymer powders,” said Wacker’s CEO Rudolf Staudigl.

“Ongoing urbanization and the need to renovate existing residential buildings continue to drive the development of environmentally-friendly dry-mix building materials in China. Nanjing’s expanded capacities will enable us to securely meet future market growth in the region,” added Paul Lindblad, president of Wacker Greater China.

Wacker’s dispersions and dispersible polymer powders are used in construction, paints, coatings and adhesives – for example, for formulating high-quality tile adhesives, external thermal insulation composite systems, and low-odor low-emission interior paints. They also find applications in paper coatings and in carpets and textiles.

Also in China, the Munich-based company last month opened a global competence center for thermal interface materials in Shanghai. Located at the company’s China headquarters in Caohejing High-Tech Park, the new laboratory will conduct fundamental research to develop novel silicone-based thermal interface products and solutions for the electrical vehicle market, as well as for the consumer electronics and telecommunication industries.

Thermal interface materials have been one of the fastest growing segments of the materials market globally, said Wacker, with an average compound annual growth rate of more than 6%.

Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist