Wacker Chemie AG, a leading producer of state-of-the-art binders and polymeric additives based on polyvinyl acetate and vinyl acetate copolymers, recently announced that it is expanding its existing production plants for polymeric binders in Germany. The Munich-based company is currently building another dispersion reactor with an annual capacity of 60,000 metric tons at its Burghausen site. It is reported that about $26 million has been earmarked for the production and local-infrastructure expansion. The plant is scheduled for completion before the end of the year. The company’s dispersions are commonly used to produce low-odor and low-emission indoor paints, but can also be found in plasters, adhesives, carpet applications or technical textiles. In addition, they are the key raw material for the manufacture of dispersible polymer powders for construction applications. Wacker Chemie produces these powders by spray drying at its Burghausen site. “The enlargement of our dispersion production in Burghausen is part of our strategy to achieve further profitable growth through expansions at existing production plants. The additional capacity will strengthen our market position as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of dispersions and dispersible polymer powders, and will help us meet our customers’ continuously increasing demand over the long term,” said Rudolf Staudigl, president and CEO of Wacker Chemie AG. In this way, Wacker Chemie is taking account of the globally increasing demand for high-quality polymeric binders, which is being propelled by worldwide trends such as urbanization, renovation and energy efficiency. Coupled with the new reactor, the company is also investing in the expansion and modernization of local infrastructure. “We are not only making a key contribution to supply security in the years to come, but also to the cost-efficient production of our dispersions and dispersible polymer powders,” explained Peter Summo, head of the WACKER POLYMERS business division.