Munich-based Wacker Group has invested EUR400,000 to expand its Singapore technical centre to add on to the range of services which it provides. Hence, the Southeast Asian sales hub will provide technical support for customers in the consumer and personal care industry as well as in the paper coating and plastics processing industry, in response to the growing demand for silicone products and the emerging needs of regional customers for technical support and expertise.

The Singapore technical centre, which has been operational since 2007 and now occupies an area of some 565 sq m, provides technical support to a wide range of different industrial sectors, including construction, paint & coatings, textiles, paper and chemicals. Its technical labs test and develop dispersible polymer powders and dispersions as well as silicone emulsions, silicone resins and antifoam agents for customers throughout Southeast Asia. In 2012, it started providing additional support for manufacturers that use innovative VAE dispersions based on vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymers as binders for the formulation of low-emission interior wall paints.

The latest investment is directed primarily at the labs run by the Performance Chemicals and Construction Chemicals business teams within Wacker Silicones. The business division has been strengthening its operations and sales structures in Asia since the start of the year. The enlarged and newly equipped labs at the centre now enable local development and testing of cosmetic products, shampoos and polishes that are formulated with silicone fluids or emulsions. These new services will also benefit customers in the paper coating and plastics-processing sectors.

“By advancing our lab capabilities and research activities, we can provide a much better service for our local silicones customers in Southeast Asia,” stressed Patrick de Wolf, Managing Director of Wacker South East Asia. “Continued investment in the Singapore Technical Center solidifies Wacker’s role as a technology partner to the industry and illustrates our long-term commitment to driving innovation of silicone-based materials and technologies for the SEA silicone market. The new labs enable us to offer a much better service to local and global key customers, such as Procter & Gamble, and Unilever. Thus, Wacker will continue to collaborate closely with these customers to help advance the silicone market in the region.

Wacker has other technical centres in the Asia region, such as in Australia, China, India and South Korea. The chemical company currently operates 22 such facilities around the world.