Wacker expands Kolkata technical centre

The Munich-based chemical group WACKER is strengthening its presence in India by opening its expanded technical centre for silicone products in Amtala near Kolkata recently. Operated by the joint venture Wacker Metroark Chemicals Pvt Ltd (WMC), the enlarged regional competence centre now comprises state-of-the-art applications technology and test equipment for silicone products needed in the textiles, personal care and construction industry. The chemical Group is thus responding to the growing demand for silicone products and the emerging needs of regional customers for technical support and expertise. The investment amounts to around half a million Euro.

Continued growth in the Asian region prompted enlarging the technical centre in the north-east of India. The extended centre, now spanning about 1,800 square metres and furnished with state-of-the-art equipment, supports silicone customers in the personal care, textile, automotive and construction sector in the development of new products and applications for the regions markets. This will help WACKER enhance its position as a market and technology leader for high-quality silicone products.

"By advancing our lab capabilities, we will leverage our local competence to fulfil our customers needs in the growing regions of India and South East Asia even better," stressed Dr Christian Hartel,

President of WACKER SILICONES, during the opening ceremony. "Our top-notch equipped technical centre for silicone applications sets new standards in service, advice and transfer of expertise, offering our customers and business partners considerable added value," Levi Cottington, Executive Director of WMC, emphasised: "The investment in our facility shows WACKERs commitment to the Indian market. It clearly indicates that our company continuously expands its technical expertise in Asia."

Soumitra Mukherjee, Managing Director of WMC, further praised the investment as an important milestone for the joint venture. "WACKER and Metroark have been working together with great success for over a decade. With our range of high quality silicone products, we are already market leaders in many industries in India today. And with the new labs, we are able to offer our customers even more effective local support," Wacker Metroark Chemicals Pvt Ltd.

Wacker Metroark Chemicals Pvt Ltd (WMC) is headquartered in Kolkata and responsible for production, marketing and sales activities in the Indian subcontinent relating to WACKER silicone products. The joint venture – in which WACKER has a 51 per cent stake – was set up in 1998 and is active in greater Indias most important trade centres with sales offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai, as well as in Dhaka in Bangladesh. Key markets are the textile, personal care, construction, coatings, transmission and distribution, automotive, plastics, adhesives, and packaging sectors. The company also markets WACKER sealants, silanes and pyrogenic silica in India. WMCs current workforce in India numbers over 180 employees.

Wacker Metroark Chemicals enlarged technical centre in Kolkata: Now spanning about 1,800 square metres, the so-called Swaraj Centre comprises state-of-the-art applications technology and test equipment for silicone products needed in the textiles, personal care and construction industry.