Evonik Expands Silicone Platform in Germany and China

Evonik has announced plans to strengthen its technology platform for specialty silicones with a global investment initiative. Overall, Evonik plans to invest a triple-digit-million-euro amount in the coming years and gradually increase the production volume of specialty silicones. “Evonik is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of specialty silicones. With our investment initiative we want to strengthen our position as a technology leader and reach new market opportunities” says Evonik Executive Board member and Chief Operating Officer Patrik Wohlhauser.  

In Essen, the company is currently putting the expansion of a plant  for the production of these special products into operation. The investment for this expansion is in the double-digit-million-euro range. Increasing the production in Germany Evonik accompanied the growth of its customers in the important European market. Within the global investment initiative for specialty silicones additional production expansions in Essen are planned.  

The market for specialty silicones continued to grow in recent years. This development is mainly driven by the construction, textile, coating, furniture and appliance industries. Particularly strong was the demand in Asia. Evonik responds to this positive development by expanding its site in Shanghai (China) with a new production complex for specialty silicones.  

“Optimization and expansion of the global silicone platform will strengthen effectively the position of Evonik as the world leader in specialty silicones. We want to meet the demands of the different markets even better and to accompany the growth of our customers locally. We position ourselves as a long term reliable supplier and partner,” said Hans-Josef Ritzert, Member of the segment management Nutrition & Care.  

Specialty silicones offer an enormous wide range of applications for numerous industries, Evonik says. For example, as additives for plastics, specialty silicones are responsible for comfortable furniture, car seats and ergonomic mattresses. They also play an important role within the formulation of ideal insulation material for building insulation and guarantee of the highest energy efficiency of refrigerators. Other areas of application are defoaming agents, used in industries like construction, textile or plastics. Furthermore, specialty silicones are used in coatings and inks. The integrated silicone technology platform forms the backbone of significant businesses of the Evonik segments Nutrition & Care (Business Lines Comfort & Insulation, Interface & Performance, Personal Care) and Resource Efficiency (Business Line Coating Additives).