Eduard Enk started the Wacker semiconductor business in 1953 and produced its first silicon rod two years later.

[7] In 1978, Wacker Siltronic Corporation was founded in Portland, Oregon[8] and in 1983 expansion of the company began in Asia with the addition of facilities there.

[3] In 1987, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wacker Chemie AG, DRAWIN Vertriebs GmbH was founded in Ottobrunn, Upper Bavaria.

[12][13] Wacker Chemie AG – divided into 5 divisions – derives most of its products from two main raw materials: silicon and ethylene.

Wacker Silicones serves end markets like construction, automobile, paints, textiles, and paper.

[14] In early 2009, Wacker announced plans to construct a new solar-grade polysilicon production facility in Charleston, a small city in Bradley County, Tennessee.

[23] Five days later, an environmental sensor detected elevated levels of an unnamed substance prompting a shelter-in-place order for emergency workers involved in cleanup efforts within the facility.

[28] During the explosion event, local officials instructed residents to shelter indoors with their windows closed and HVAC systems turned off.

[27][30] For the week following the event, there was little-to-no communication from Wacker management or government officials, resulting in further speculation about hazardous chemicals being released into the environment.

[34] The biggest production site of Wacker Chemie is the Burghausen plant in the south-east of Bavaria, Germany, with about 8,000 employees.

In 2022, Wacker opened a new US headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with production sites in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.