Wacker Chemie invests €20m in Chinese solid resin production facility

Wacker Chemie has inaugurated a new production plant for food-grade polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) solid resins in China.

The German company has invested roughly €20m in the expansion, which brings the annual capacity of the site up to 20,000 metric tons. This makes it the largest factory of its kind in the whole of Asia.

“With this investment, Wacker intends to secure sufficient long-term capacity to meet the strong demand for PVAc solid resins and thus continue to offer its Asia-Pacific customers high supply, security and product quality,” the firm explained.

“By bundling its Chinese polymer activities at a single site, the company expects to gain decisive advantages and synergies, achieving economies of scale through a common infrastructure and energy supply. Additionally, it will be able to enhance transport and logistical efficiency and sustainability.”

Wacker executive board member Auguste Willems said: “The new solid resins plant in Nanjing is an important milestone for our continued growth in the region. Asia has become one of the biggest markets for chewing gum. Thanks to the new plant, we can keep pace with our customers’ strong demand for high-quality polyvinyl acetate solid resins in the region in the future – and are thus strengthening our position as the world’s leading manufacturer of solid resins for gumbase.”