The additional capacities created will be for the production of a range of silicones and silane-terminated polymers, which Evonik sells under the brand names Polymer VS and Polymer ST. The products are used in many applications including in parquet adhesives, in adhesives for wound care or encapsulation applications in electronics.

"The planned investment at the Geesthacht site has an important strategic significance by helping us to further strengthen our focus on innovative specialty chemical products," says Dietmar Schaefer, head of the Interface & Performance Business Line of Evonik, in a press release.

The new plant is scheduled to go into operation at the end of 2019. Besides the increased production capacity, a facility for filling tank trucks is also being built at the site. “This will simplify the delivery and storage process for our customers and in doing so increases efficiency,” says Dr. Sabine Giessler-Blank, head of the Polymer & Construction Specialties Product Line. “The additional production capacity will also create room for us to develop new products, enabling us to increase the performance of our customers’ products and to react to future demands in the adhesives and sealants market.”

The Geesthacht site, with about 100 employees, will focus on two areas: silicone and nanotechnology. The addition- and condensation-curing silicones as well as the silane-terminated polymers are used as binders in adhesives and sealants, electronics and medical applications. Among other things, the company's nanomaterials serve as property-enhancing additives in fiber composites, which are used successfully in the automotive and aerospace industry.