Wacker Chemie

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.

Wacker Chemie plant in Burghausen, Germany
Wacker Chemie plant in Nünchritz, Germany
Wacker US headquarters, Adrian, Michigan