MOSCOW—Wacker has opened, and already expanded, a technical center for silicones in the Russian capital of Moscow since May 2015.
The expansion was in response to the demand in the Russian market, according to Anna Tsareva, head of the technical center in Moscow.
“The Russian market for silicones has always been distinguished by its specific requirements for both properties and processing methods,” said Tsareva in a statement.
According to Tsareva, difficult climatic conditions and Russian safety standards call for special solutions and strong local technical support.
Alexander Serov, managing director of Wacker Russia, said the center would try to target the Russian energy industry. The executive said the new center will initially focus on energy in response to aging electrical grids in Russia that demonstrate very high electricity losses compare to Western Europe.
“The Federal Electrical Grids Company is interested in improving the situation,” said Serov adding that Wacker's silicone insulators could be the answer to the problem.
Another trend, he said, is fire safety for buildings, adding that Wacker's ceramifying silicone rubber grades could be used for the production of safety cables.
In terms of slowing Russian economy, Serov said that the technical center was expected to provide the opportunity to develop cost-efficient solutions for local needs while maintaining quality.
Wacker is a global chemical company with about 16,700 employees and 2014 sales of about $5.3 billion. It operates 25 production sites, 21 technical centers and 52 sales offices worldwide.