Dow Corning Corp. and Germany's Wacker Chemie AG opened an 11-million-square-foot silicone manufacturing site in China's Jiangsu province to serve customers in Asia, the companies said Nov. 18.
The facility is China's largest silicone operations, according to Dow Corning and Wacker. The companies invested $1.8 billion in the site.
The integrated site includes a siloxane plant and a pyrogenic silica plant, both of which are jointly owned by Dow Corning and Wacker. The site also includes finished silicone production plants which are owned and operated independently by each company.
Siloxane and pyrogenic silica are key ingredients in the manufacture of finished silicone products.
Silicone-based materials are used in automotive, construction, cosmetics and personal care products, electronics, power generation and distribution, solar energy and textiles.
The project began in 2006, and the first phase of raw material launched in 2008. The combined capacity for siloxane and pyrogenic silica is expected to reach approximately 210,000 metric tons per year.
