EANS-News: WACKER Starts Polysilicon Production at its Nünchritz Site
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Company Information
Subtitle: - New production facilities boost WACKER's annual capacity by 15,000
metric tons
- Investment of some 900 million creates more than 500 new jobs at Nünchritz
plant
- WACKER CEO Rudolf Staudigl: Production started ahead of schedule thanks to
our extensive technological expertise and our experienced engineering and
production teams
Nünchritz (euro adhoc) - October 10, 2011 - Wacker Chemie AG has begun producing
hyperpure polycrystalline silicon at its Nünchritz site, the Munich-based Group
announced today. First deposition reactors at the new production complex have
already ramped up production of high-quality polysilicon for sale. The full
nominal capacity of some 15,000 metric tons annually is expected to be
operational in the second quarter of 2012. The start of production is three
months earlier than WACKER's very ambitious original timetable. All in all,
WACKER has invested about EUR900 million in these new production facilities
creating more than 500 new jobs as a result.
Rudolf Staudigl, President and CEO of Wacker Chemie AG, explained to journalists
in Nünchritz on Monday: "This expansion of capacity is instrumental to continue
meeting our customers´ strong demand for top-quality and highly efficient
solar-grade polysilicon in the years to come. Our extensive technological
expertise as well as our highly experienced teams of engineers and production
staff allowed us to initiate production sooner than expected."
As previously announced, WACKER decided in March of this year to rise production
output at the Nünchritz site from an initial target of 10,000 metric tons to
15,000 metric tons per year. This rise in capacity will be achieved by taking
debottlenecking measures within the integrated production network at the site.
WACKER´s entire polysilicon output, including that from Nünchritz, is almost
completely under contract until the end of 2015.
The new production complex utilizes highly integrated material flows. This means
that manufacturing by-products are reprocessed and then reused as starting
materials in the value chain. Doing so lowers costs while conserving resources,
and, as a consequence, sharpens WACKER's competitive edge in polysilicon
production.
WACKER targets to produce more than 33,000 metric tons of hyperpure
polycrystalline silicon in 2011 making it one of the largest manufacturers in
the world. Thanks to its new production complex in Nünchritz and the polysilicon
site currently under construction in Charleston (Tennessee, USA), WACKER is
strenghtening its position as a leading manufacturer of high-quality
semiconductor silicon and solar silicon.
WACKER in Nünchritz
Founded as a chemical facility in 1900, the Nünchritz site became part of the
WACKER Group in 1998. Approximately EUR1.4 billion have been invested in the
Nünchritz plant in the meantime, making it one of the world's largest and most
modern production sites for silicones and hyperpure polycrystalline silicon.
More than 1,400 people work at WACKER Nünchritz.
This press release contains forward-looking statements based on assumptions and
estimates of WACKER´s Executive Board. Although we assume the expectations in
these forward-looking statements are realistic, we cannot guarantee they will
prove to be correct. The assumptions may harbor risks and uncertainties that may
cause the actual figures to differ considerably from the forward-looking
statements. Factors that may cause such discrepancies include, among other
things, changes in the economic and business environment, variations in exchange
and interest rates, the introduction of competing products, lack of acceptance
for new products or services, and changes in corporate strategy. WACKER does not
plan to update the forward-looking statements, nor does it assume the obligation
to do so.
Further inquiry note:
Christof Bachmair
Media Relations & Information
Tel.: +49 (0)89 6279 1830
E-Mail: christof.bachmair@wacker.com
end of announcement euro adhoc
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company: Wacker Chemie AG
Hanns-Seidel-Platz 4
D-81737 München
phone: +49 (0) 89 6279 01
FAX: +49 (0) 89 6279 1770
mail: info@wacker.com
WWW: http://www.wacker.com
sector: Chemicals
ISIN: DE000WCH8881
indexes: MDAX, CDAX, Prime All Share
stockmarkets: regulated dealing/prime standard: Frankfurt, free trade: Hamburg,
Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Hannover, München, regulated dealing: Berlin
language: English