Into WACKER: Interpretation of the development of the world's second largest silicone producer in the Chinese market

As a world-leading multinational company in the field of silicon and ethylene chemistry, Wacker Chemicals has established a solid foundation in the Chinese market with innovative products and leading technologies. Although it is a global company originating from Germany, it still shows extraordinary strength in the face of China's fast-growing and changing market. Especially in the field of silicone raw materials, WACKER is the second largest silicone producer in the world. Its business involves all aspects of life, from home care to cosmetics, from makeup and hair care to skin care and sun protection. Said full coverage.

So, what is WACKER's ability to take a place in the raw material market for silicones and lead the world? Today, the reporter of "Beautiful Artisan" interprets WACKER's development from the aspects of WACKER's R&D innovation, localization development and sustainable development.

From skin care to make-up, we will break through the Chinese cosmetics market in all directions.
WACKER has been involved in the development of silicone raw materials since 1947. Over 70 years of historical precipitation and experience has undoubtedly become the booster for WACKER to become the world's second largest supplier of silicones. It is understood that WACKER puts a lot of energy and time into product innovation every year, and has been focusing on providing customers with quality products and corresponding solutions. So far, WACKER's variety and quantity of silicones are far ahead. From personal care to home care, from skin care to make-up, a comprehensive range of care solutions is undoubtedly a highlight of WACKER's competitiveness.

With the application of WACKER silicone in the field of hair care, with the upgrading of the cosmetics market, consumers' care for hair is becoming more diverse and specialized, and WACKER recently launched a new product. BELSIL® ADM 8600E, a nonionic microemulsion containing ammonia-terminated polydimethylsiloxane. The product incorporates a trimethylsiloxysilicate component, which allows the active substance in the product to be effectively deposited on the surface of the hair and forms a breathable protective film to protect the integrity of the scales and effectively repair the stain due to hot dyeing. Loss of hair. In addition, it can solve the problem of fading after hair dyeing that is commonly plagued by consumers.

Of course, in addition to its hair care performance, another highlight is the high transparency of the product itself. It is not difficult to find that the current shampoo products on the market have gradually changed from a opaque appearance to a transparent appearance, and a transparent or near-transparent product has been welcomed by consumers. Compared with the traditional opaque appearance shampoo, how to achieve transparency under the premise of ensuring efficacy, it will undoubtedly increase the difficulty for raw material technology developers. Because many traditional conditioning ingredients are difficult to add to the transparent shampoo, which makes the performance of the transparent product difficult to meet the needs of consumers, and the BELSIL® ADM 8600 E solves this technical problem well. While ensuring product transparency, it also provides a good sense of use.

As mentioned earlier in the article, WACKER's silicone products are not limited to the skin care field. This is explained by Mao Wei, senior sales manager of functional silicones at Wacker Chemie (China) Co., Ltd.: "Silicone is a special one. The oil has a low surface tension, and the silicone has a good effect of improving the skin feel in cosmetics compared to the thick and sticky feeling of the conventional oil. On the other hand, the stability of the silicone itself is good. Whether it is personal care or make-up, it has certain safety performance. Therefore, combined with the advantage of the functional structure of silicone, we can develop various types of products for customers to choose. For example, water-soluble silicone products can With skin care and hair care effects, such as silicone bombs for makeup, it can provide a three-dimensional skin feel, effectively cover the pores, and can also be used to smooth wrinkles in eye cream products. ”
Mao also said that the innovation of each of WACKER's products is inseparable from customer and consumer positioning. WACKER will have a dedicated business unit to communicate with customers to understand the needs of the market, then feedback the information to the R&D department, evaluate and determine the R&D path for product development, and finally have to do all kinds of related quality before expanding production. , efficiency and other tests, a series of research and development production processes must go through layers of checks.
From management, production to R&D, all localization
For many multinational companies, how to firmly grasp China's localization trends and characteristics is not an easy task. After all, in the Chinese market and the competition of Chinese enterprises, for foreign-funded enterprises, whether it is an insight into consumers, or communication with customers, or production and transportation of products, reaction decisions of headquarters, etc., There are certain limitations. This is also a common problem that journalists have learned through contact with international raw materials suppliers.
But WACKER seems to be more calm and calm in this regard. Mao Wei told reporters: "Implementing China's localization is a point that Wacker is proud of. Whether it is from the management or production base or the construction of the R&D team, we have all achieved localization, which greatly improved the tile. Ke's response to customers."
It is reported that WACKER's Shanghai R&D center in China is second only to the largest R&D center of the German headquarters. It is also the headquarters of WACKER Greater China. WACKER Shanghai Center has a number of R&D and application laboratories, and is equipped with the most advanced instruments and equipment. WACKER's R&D in China is not only satisfied with the needs of the Chinese market, but also needs to participate in the global R&D center platform. It will also be exported to other countries. In addition, in terms of personnel ratio, the foreigners of WACKER's Greater China headquarters are already at a lower proportion, and most of them are Chinese employees. Therefore, whether it is in the knowledge reserve or the preferences of Chinese consumers, They are closer to the Chinese market.
In the localization of production, WACKER has also been accelerating the construction investment in production bases in China. The completion of the Zhangjiagang organic silicon integrated production base ensures the supply capacity and competitive advantage of WACKER's organic silicon in China. The site provides WACKER silicone products for the Asian chemical market, including silicone emulsions, silicone polymers, silicone intermediates and silicone oils. While it also guarantees the stable supply of WACKER products, it can also better cope with the impact of fluctuations in upstream and downstream raw materials on WACKER.
Xu Mingli, senior manager of functional silicones at Wacker Chemie (China) Co., Ltd. said: "The Chinese market is a very dynamic market, and WACKER has seized this market opportunity earlier and gradually established a complete Chineseization. The team adapts to the future developments. Therefore, in WACKER, we not only provide a product and basic information, but we can also provide customers with a comprehensive solution from a broader perspective."

From raw materials to production to achieve sustainable development
Sustainability has always been the unchanging theme of the development of the current era. Compared with local Chinese companies, many international companies do have a lot of experience to learn from in this respect. WACKER is no exception.
With the increasing demand for resource-protected raw materials in the cosmetics industry, WACKER launched the BELSIL® eco range, which means “eco” means environmentally friendly. In the production of BELSIL® cosmetic silicone oils, WACKER uses only silicon and biomethanol, which is derived from plant waste, such as straw or turf grass, through a certified process. WACKER is currently the only manufacturer in the world to offer such silicone products.
According to Mao, the traditional bio-methanol is mainly extracted from petrochemical products, but if it is replaced by plant waste, it can achieve complete natural and environmental protection from the source of silicone products. In the production process, the BELSIL® eco series can reduce the emission of 1.6 tons of carbon dioxide per ton, so WACKER has made a contribution from the perspective of reducing carbon emissions.
One of WACKER's greatest strengths lies in the integrated production system based on silicon and ethylene. By combing, processing and recycling raw materials, by-products are usually immediately processed further or used in other production areas, optimizing the efficiency of raw materials. It is understood that this integrated production system can produce more than 3,200 products using only five main raw materials. While saving resources and energy, it also brings a certain cost advantage to the enterprise.
At the end of the interview, WACKER talked about the future development plan for the Chinese market: As consumers' demand for skin care and color cosmetics continues to be segmented and functionalized, WACKER will continue to develop special structures in these two areas. Silicone products, tapping more of their development space and potential to meet the needs of the rapid development of the market.