Wacker Chemie AG: Capital Markets Day 2024: WACKER confirms strategy and long-term growth targets

München (pta006/19.09.2024/07:00) -
* Since the end of 2021, WACKER has invested around €1.7 Billion in further growth and made considerable progress in achieving its sustainable development goals
* WACKER is aiming for sales to reach €10 Billion by 2030, with an EBITDA Margin in excess of 20 percent
* "Our strategy remains intact. We are in a strong financial position and are benefiting from global megatrends," says WACKER CEO Christian Hartel, who also stresses: "Going forward, we will be focused more on improving our margins than on volume growth.

Wacker Chemie AG is using today's Capital Markets Day as an opportunity to confirm the growth and sustainable development goals communicated in 2022. This means that, by 2030, WACKER is aiming for sales of €10 billion (sales in 2023: €6.4 billion) and an EBITDA margin in excess of 20 percent (EBITDA margin in 2023: 12.9 percent). Also, by 2030, absolute CO2 emissions will be reduced by more than 50 percent as against the 2020 baseline. WACKER had already successfully reduced its emissions by around one-quarter by the end of 2023.

"We are on track despite the challenging market environment," says Christian Hartel, President & CEO of Wacker Chemie AG, at the Capital Markets Day event. "Our strategy remains intact. We are in a strong financial position and are benefiting from global megatrends." He also stresses: "Going forward, we will be focused more on improving our margins than on volume growth. This means investing more in efficiency and on expanding our portfolio of specialty products."

The company is using Capital Markets Day as an opportunity to unveil details of the progress it has made and the action taken to date. Out of the 40 investment projects presented in March 2022, 25 percent have already been completed. Since the end of 2021, WACKER has invested a total of around €1.7 billion in new capacities for silicone specialties in Nünchritz, in expanding capacities for the manufacture of high-quality polymer products for the construction sector at the company's site in Nanjing, China, as well as in a new mRNA competence center in Halle (Saale), Germany, and in expanding the production of semiconductor-grade polysilicon in Burghausen.

Going forward, WACKER is aiming to further enhance its market position on attractive markets and to forge ahead with its profitable growth trajectory. To this end, the company is presenting solutions for global trends such as health, sustainability, smart construction and digitalization. "We will continue to invest systematically in innovation and in expanding our global production network," explains Christian Hartel. In its chemical divisions, WACKER places even greater emphasis on the specialty chemicals business. This includes high-tech silicones to enable the energy and mobility transition, as well as polymers for smart, sustainable construction. The focus for BIOSOLUTIONS is on renewable BioIngredients and next-generation medicines. When it comes to POLYSILICON, WACKER is devoting greater attention to manufacturing hyperpure electronic-grade silicon. "At the same time, we will keep striving to become even more productive and efficient," stresses Hartel. "In this respect, key levers available to us include active portfolio management, as well as further digitalization and automation measures."

The WACKER CEO is also taking the Capital Markets Day as an opportunity to stress how important the topic of sustainability is to the company. "For us, sustainability is a business case. Our aim is not only to improve our own footprint, but, above all, to also offer our customers innovative, sustainable solutions which support them in achieving their own sustainability targets. Various ESG rating agencies have awarded WACKER top rankings in recognition of the progress we have made on our sustainability journey."

Today's Capital Markets Day is being held as an interactive face-to-face event at the company's largest site in Burghausen.

All documents on Capital Markets Day are published on the website at http://www.wacker.com under Investor Relations.

This press release contains forward-looking statements based on assumptions and estimates of WACKER's Executive Board. Although we assume the expectations in these forward-looking statements are realistic, we cannot guarantee they will prove to be correct. The assumptions may harbor risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual figures to differ considerably from the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such discrepancies include, among other things, changes in the economic and business environment, variations in exchange and interest rates, the introduction of competing products, lack of acceptance for new products or services, and changes in corporate strategy. WACKER does not plan to update its forward-looking statements, nor does it assume the obligation to do so.

(Ende)