WACKER produces its 500-millionth cartridge of adhesives and sealants at its Nünchritz plant

It is a milestone that employees at WACKER’s plant in Nünchritz, Germany, are especially proud of: the Munich-based chemical group has produced half a billion cartridges of adhesives and sealants at the site since production startup in 1998.
 
The chemical plant in Nünchritz has a long tradition. “It was here that silicone chemistry came of age,” says Uwe Scheim, head of sealants research & development in Nünchritz. “After the Müller-Rochow synthesis was developed, the inventor Richard Müller, who was born in nearby Dresden, went on to scale up production of silicones from laboratory to industrial quantities.” The first sealant to be made from silicone started rolling off the production line at the then VEB Chemiewerk Nünchritz in the mid-1960s and was marketed under the name CENUSIL®.
 
The Nünchritz plant is one of the first fully integrated silicone sealants sites in the world. Here, adhesives and sealants are made from start to finish, from grinding the metallurgical-grade silicon through to packaging, and, if requested, delivery in labeled cartridges. In addition to standard sealants, the product portfolio includes special fire-resistant and food-contact grades as well as silicone hybrids based on innovative and user-friendly alpha-silane technology. Besides Nünchritz, WACKER also manufactures silicone adhesives and sealants in China and South Korea.

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