Wacker, the Munich based chemical company, is expanding its research facilities for silicones with a new R&D centre in Ann Arbor, US, to support Wacker’s overall business in the North, Central, and South America. In a first phase, the Group is investing on equipment and installation of the labs. The facility will officially open in the first half of 2017.

Based at Michigan innovation headquarters, a co-work campus facility in Ann Arbor, the centre consists of several labs for R&D and analytics. Projects that Wacker intends to pursue right from the start include health and medical care applications, solutions for coatings and paints, silicone-based softeners, and personal care products. The labs will be operated by Wacker Chemical Corporation (WCC), Wacker’s Adrian, MI, based subsidiary for North, Central and South America, and staffed with highly specialised experts in the field of silicone and polymer chemistry.

David Wilhoit, WCC president and CEO said, “Our facility is among several high-tech development operations in a 90,000 square foot co-work campus. This scientific co-work community is ideal for Wacker. It puts us in the midst of a business incubator atmosphere where ideas can be developed and brought quickly to market. With Ann Arbor considered a technology hub, it complements the company’s business model to be close to its customers and close to regional market trends.

Robert Gnann, head of the Group’s silicone division Wacker Silicones, “Our R&D centre in Ann Arbor, combined with our Adrian site, furthers the strategic regionalisation of Wacker’s global network of research and development. Our aim is to offer long-term technical assistance for customers and support Wacker’s future business growth. By enhancing research efforts in the field of silicone technology, our emphasis will be on developing new and advanced applications in growth markets such as health, medical and personal care, electronics, life sciences, and coatings.” (GK)