WACKER Intensifies Biotech Focus

WACKER BIOSOLUTIONS will primarily focus on the growing sectors of food, pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, alongside its existing portfolio of fine chemicals and chemical intermediates.

1 Mar 2010 --- WACKER, the Munich-based chemical company, intends to strengthen its future focus on biotechnology and is therefore repositioning its existing biotech and fine-chemical segment. Effective immediately, the division previously known as WACKER FINE CHEMICALS will operate under the “WACKER BIOSOLUTIONS” name and primarily concentrate on the food, pharmaceutical and agrochemical sectors.

The aim of this strategic reorganization is to offer customers tailored complete solutions based on WACKER’s biotech expertise and to intensify use of synergies between chemical and biotech expertise. The Group sees promising potential to continue its growth via innovative products and technologies in the budding market for bioengineered products.

In the future, WACKER intends to mainly rely on its solution expertise in the field of biotechnology – and therefore restructured its existing biotech and fine-chemical segment at the turn of the year. WACKER BIOSOLUTIONS will primarily focus on the growing sectors of food, pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, alongside its existing portfolio of fine chemicals and chemical intermediates. With this repositioning, the Group is expanding its range of activities and reinforcing its focus on one-stop tailored solutions and synergies between chemical and biotech expertise.

“This reorganization lays further foundations for WACKER’s future success in the growing field of biotechnology,” explains Dr. Gerhard Schmid, senior vice president of WACKER BIOSOLUTIONS. Over the past few years, WACKER has already posted high double-digit growth with biotech products such as cyclodextrins and cysteine. In the target markets of food, pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, the Group sees great future global-market potential. “We want to continue to see high double-digit growth in biopharmaceuticals,” says Schmid. “The greatest potential is offered by the combined use of chemical and biotech expertise, which is why we intend to focus on tailored complete solutions for our customers and increasingly bundle our expertise.”

The WACKER Group has been working intensely with biotech products and processes since the 1980s. With its bioengineered product groups – cyclodextrins and fermentation-generated cysteine – WACKER is a world market leader according to in-house research. In coming years, the Group plans to mainly press ahead with further expansion into white biotechnology (industrial production) and its red counterpart (pharmaceuticals). To do so, WACKER is continually investing in production expansion, such as at the Eddyville (USA) cyclodextrin production facility in 2009. Currently, WACKER is extending process development and production capacities for the manufacture of pharmaceutical proteins at Wacker Biotech in Jena, Germany.