Wacker Asahikasei Silicone Co., Ltd.

Wacker Asahikasei Silicone Co., Ltd. (旭化成ワッカーシリコーン株式会社) is a Japanese silicone company headquartered in Chiyoda City, Tokyo, with a major operating site in Tsukuba. It was established as the Japanese base of the silicone business unit of Germany's Wacker Chemie AG, a global specialty chemicals group founded in 1914 by Alexander Wacker. The company combines Wacker's silicone technology and global network with a Japanese sales, development, quality-control and manufacturing footprint. The Tokyo headquarters houses sales and administrative functions, while the Tsukuba site carries out product development, quality management, technical support and manufacturing. Through the Wacker global network, the company supplies silicone products to customers in Japan across a wide range of industries. Its product portfolio spans five broad categories — oils and emulsions, rubbers and gels, resins, silanes and silicas — and is organized by application. Key application areas include power generation and transmission (polymer insulators, water-repellent treatment for porcelain insulators, cold-shrink cable joints, arresters, cable accessories and cable coatings), LED and lighting (lenses, LED encapsulants, heat-dissipating materials, optical adhesives), electrical and electronics (encapsulants, adhesives, sealants, thermal pastes, coil impregnation, insulating oils), automotive (connector seals, wire seals, muffler hangers, turbocharger hoses, airbags, car polish, dynamic dampers, composites), medical and nursing care (medical seals, valves, respiratory masks, O-rings, catheters, handles, ostomy care, medical tapes, wound dressings, prosthetics, surgical cushioning), food (baby-bottle nipples, antifoams, kitchenware, food and beverage gaskets, food-conveying tubes), silicone rubber molding (keypads, diving masks, gaskets, O-rings, tubes, lenses, diaphragms, industrial rolls, printer rolls, mold-making), civil engineering and construction (exterior coatings, penetrating water repellents, thermal insulation, building materials, gypsum board, concrete, premix, mortar, architectural coatings, adhesives, sealants), industrial coatings and inks (heat-resistant, weather-resistant and anti-rust coatings), cosmetics and toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, treatment, fabric softener, mascara, foundation, lip balm, lotions and emulsions, hair dyes, permanent-wave agents), textiles, fiber and leather (softeners, lubricants, antifoams, coatings), paper and pulp (antifoams, softeners), converting (release paper, release film, barrier film), and synthetic rubber and plastics (release agents, modifiers, processing aids). Wacker's silicone business was founded in 1947 as Europe's first silicone manufacturer and is today described as the world's second-largest silicone producer. Wacker Silicones manufactures more than 2,800 silicone products across seven product groups — silanes, siloxanes, silicone oils, silicone emulsions, silicone elastomers, silicone resins and fumed silica — and supplies more than 5,000 customers worldwide, supported by 14 technical centers. Wacker Asahikasei Silicone operates as the Japanese arm of that global silicone business, providing localized service and solutions. The company's president is Wolfgang Schattenmann, who also maintains a LinkedIn presence highlighting AWS and Wacker activities, events and products. Recent news from the site includes Wacker presentations at FAKUMA on new silicone rubber for e-mobility applications and a world-first self-adhesive liquid silicone rubber requiring no post-curing, as well as a ceramicized silicone for optimized thermal-barrier performance presented at a battery show in Stuttgart.

Wacker Asahikasei Silicone Co., Ltd. was established as the Japanese base of the silicone business unit of Wacker Chemie AG, the German specialty chemicals group founded in 1914 by Alexander Wacker. Wacker's silicone business itself began in 1947, when it became Europe's first silicone manufacturer; it has since grown into what the company describes as the world's second-largest silicone producer. The Japanese entity was created to bring Wacker's silicone technology and global network directly to the Japanese market, combining sales and administration in Tokyo with product development, quality control, technical support and manufacturing at its Tsukuba site. This structure allows the company to provide localized service and solutions while drawing on Wacker's global resources. Wacker Chemie operates through four business divisions. Its chemical divisions, Wacker Silicones and Wacker Polymers, supply silicones and polymer binders to the automotive, construction, chemical, consumer and medical-technology industries. Wacker Biosolutions focuses on biopharmaceuticals and food additives, while Wacker Polysilicon produces high-purity polysilicon for the semiconductor and photovoltaic industries. Wacker Asahikasei Silicone sits within the Wacker Silicones division's global footprint. Globally, Wacker Silicones manufactures more than 2,800 silicone products across seven product groups — silanes, siloxanes, silicone oils, silicone emulsions, silicone elastomers, silicone resins and fumed silica — and supplies more than 5,000 customers worldwide, supported by 14 technical centers. Wacker as a group reported annual sales of €6.4 billion in 2023, with around 16,000 employees, 27 production sites, 22 technical centers and 48 sales offices. More recent figures cited on the Japanese site (as of November 2025) list approximately 16,600 employees, sales of ¥933.5 billion, silicone sales of ¥458.6 billion, 3,100 valid patents, R&D spending of ¥33.2 billion and 14 global technical centers. Wacker Asahikasei Silicone continues to serve Japanese customers across a broad range of industries, from power transmission and electronics to automotive, medical, food, construction, cosmetics and textiles. Its recent activities include presenting new silicone materials at international trade fairs such as FAKUMA and battery shows in Stuttgart, covering e-mobility silicone rubber, self-adhesive liquid silicone rubber and ceramicized silicone for thermal barriers.

• 2026

  Wacker presents new silicone rubber for e-mobility and self-adhesive liquid silicone rubber at FAKUMA.

• 2025

  Wacker group cited with approximately 16,600 employees and silicone sales of ¥458.6 billion.

• 2023

  Wacker group reports annual sales of €6.4 billion.

• 1947

  Wacker becomes Europe's first silicone manufacturer.

• 1914

  Alexander Wacker founds Wacker Chemie in Germany.

Japanese base of Wacker Chemie's global silicone business, combining German silicone technology with local sales, development and manufacturing to serve Japanese customers across automotive, electronics, medical, construction, cosmetics and other industries.

• BELSIL®

  Premium-grade silicones for personal care, especially hair care, skin care, color cosmetics and deodorants.

• DEHESIVE®

  Silicone release coatings for paper and film, used worldwide for over 30 years.

1. 1旭化成ワッカーシリコーン株式会社｜Wacker Asahikasei Silicone Co.,Ltd.aws-silicone.com
2. 2ワッカーについて(About WACKER)｜旭化成ワッカーシリコーン(株)aws-silicone.com
3. 3企業情報(Company Profile)｜旭化成ワッカーシリコーン(株)aws-silicone.com
4. 4製品情報(Product Info)｜旭化成ワッカーシリコーン(株)aws-silicone.com
5. 5Wacker Asahikasei Silicone Co., Ltd. (Japan) - Wikidatawikidata.org