Wacker Chemie AG is expanding its presence in Southeast Asia by opening a new technical center for construction and adhesives applications in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta. The technical facility serves as a development and testing laboratory for dispersible polymer powders and dispersions, which are used as binders for the regional building, paint, coatings and adhesives industries. By expanding its local expertise in development, applications technology and service, Wacker is able to optimally support customers and business partners in the region. It is thus further opening up Southeast Asia’s rapidly developing markets for high-quality construction polymers and chemical raw materials.

The reason for this increased commitment to the region is ongoing growth, particularly in the building industry. “Southeast Asia, and Indonesia in particular, offer promising growth opportunities for Wacker. Demand for construction chemical specialties has risen noticeably over recent years, especially for our dispersible polymer powders and dispersions,” said Christian Hartel of Wacker's Executive Board during the opening ceremony. Since 2007, the company already operates a technical center in Singapore to support customers in the region in the development of new products and applications for electronics, textiles, automotive, coatings, construction and health care products. To meet the increasing customer demands in Indonesia, the Group is investing continuously in its local services and has now established a new competence center in Jakarta. “With the new technical center in Indonesia, we are further expanding our strong market position in the region. This will allow us to optimally support our local customers and partners,” Hartel added.

Wacker already operates a sales subsidiary in Jakarta. The new technical center in Indonesia’s capital now serves as a local development and testing facility for polymer binders for construction and coatings applications. The focus is on formulations containing VINNAPAS dispersible polymer powders and dispersions. These are used, for instance, in dry-mix mortars for tile adhesives or grouts, in water-proofing membranes for bath rooms, kitchens or basements, or in eco-friendly interior wall paints. The new labs are state-of-the-art and provide equipment for testing products under different climatic and environmental conditions und using different raw materials. Additionally, an outdoor weathering station has been installed to analyze the weathering behavior of polymer-modified exterior coatings. For supplementary analyses, Wacker global network of technical centers is also available for consultative support.

“Our aim is to support our customers in the construction industry by realizing their individual requirements directly on the spot. This enables us to develop and test innovative polymeric binder applications tailored to modern construction trends and local raw materials together with them”, explains Patrick de Wolf, Managing Director of Wacker Southeast Asia. “With the new lab, we are significantly contributing to the distribution of modern construction materials in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.”