Wacker Chemie AG
by Kerstin Weber
Business news for the stock market Munich (pta/17.09.2026/07:00) - * WACKER unveils new financial ambitions: growth exceeding global economic growth (GDP+ growth), an EBITDA margin of 15 percent (plus or minus 2 percentage points), and ROCE greater than 10 percent * WACKER aims to achieve its ambitions by focusing on selective growth in attractive markets, implementing portfolio management with differentiated steering, and successfully implementing its PACE cost-savings and efficiency program * Strong focus on sustainability confirmed: Net Zero by 2045 * CEO Christian Hartel: "With REFOCUS, we aim to unlock WACKER's full potential by driving selective growth and sustainably increasing profitability. This approach is based on the structural and efficiency measures we have already implemented to strengthen our competitiveness." Munich – Under the motto "REFOCUS to unlock full potential", Wacker Chemie AG is presenting its strategic priorities and new financial ambitions at its Capital Markets Day in London today. The company aims to outpace global economic growth, and substantially increase profitability and return on capital employed (ROCE). "With REFOCUS, we aim to unlock WACKER's full potential by continuing to selectively drive our growth and by sustainably increasing our profitability," says WACKER CEO Christian Hartel. "The focus here is on selective growth. This involves an even more differentiated and focused perspective on markets, as well as on our own capabilities and potentials. That is why, on the one hand, we are strengthening our competitiveness through the PACE cost-savings and efficiency program, which we launched last year. As a result, we will save more than €300 million a year starting in 2028. On the other hand, we are actively addressing the changing geopolitical and economic situation worldwide and the many related challenges," he continues. "REFOCUS is therefore a holistic approach to improve how we operate, compete and create value; built on our three strategic priorities: elevating our business model and value proposition, unleashing the potential of our structure and processes, excelling with our people and culture. This creates a strong foundation for the future." Outpacing global economic growth The WACKER Group aims to achieve a growth rate that is higher than global economic growth. This target is to be achieved through an improved product mix and accelerated growth in selected segments. The EBITDA margin is expected to be 15 percent (plus or minus 2 percentage points), representing an increase of approximately 50 percent compared with the average over the past three years. Key drivers for increasing profitability and achieving targeted growth include cost savings from the PACE cost-savings and efficiency program and the focus on attractive markets. Commenting on the company's current business performance, Hartel says: "We currently expect third-quarter EBITDA to be on par with that of the second quarter. Our chemical business is currently performing stable to slightly better than in the second quarter. The solar-grade polysilicon business, on the other hand, remains challenging." Selective investments in attractive growth markets Investments are expected to total between €300 million and €400 million per year in the coming years – a level that is below depreciation and amortization. "The very core of REFOCUS involves steering our business and investments in an even more targeted manner based on clearly defined portfolio roles going forward," explains WACKER CFO Tobias Ohler. All of WACKER's product groups have therefore been systematically evaluated and categorized in line with global market conditions, market position, and demand. Going forward, WACKER intends to focus its investments, innovations and resources specifically on businesses with particularly attractive growth profiles. These particularly include applications in the fields of electronics, healthcare and mobility. In established and mature markets, however, the focus is on operational excellence, a higher ROCE, and the consistent leveraging of existing assets and market positions. "Based on all these measures, as well as on lower capital intensity, we aim to drive return on capital employed (ROCE) sustainably above 10 percent," Ohler explains during the Capital Markets Day. Strong potential across all business divisions In the future, the Silicones division will focus even more strongly on solutions for fast-growing end markets that capitalize on the megatrends of the future. WACKER has introduced a number of innovations to the market in this respect. Examples include solutions in the field of e-mobility for battery safety and sensor protection. In high-performance electronics, recent product launches address thermal management for semiconductor devices or optical encapsulants for mini-LEDs and micro-LEDs. WACKER's Silicones division continues to prioritize customer proximity in the regions. To this end, new production capacity has been established in Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic) and Panagarh (India) in recent years, for example. The Polymers division will focus on further solidifying its position as the global market leader in vinyl acetate-ethylene-based dispersions and dispersible polymer powders and leveraging its outstanding technological know-how in this field to develop customer-specific, bespoke solutions for WACKER customers in all regions. In the Biosolutions division, the focus remains on a growth strategy in the biopharmaceuticals sector and in the market for high-quality medical and healthcare products, as well as foodstuffs and dietary supplements based on renewables. WACKER is focused on commercial excellence to exploit the full potential of its cutting-edge biotech setup. Nearly half of all computer chips produced worldwide already use WACKER's hyperpure polysilicon. The Polysilicon division aims to extend its market leadership in the field of ultra-pure polysilicon for semiconductor applications. The new production line for semiconductor-grade polysilicon at the Burghausen site, which went on stream last year, plays a key role here. Sustainability targets confirmed: Net Zero by 2045 A clear focus on sustainability remains a fundamental aspect of WACKER's strategy for the future. In this regard, WACKER reaffirms its commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2045 at the latest. WACKER achieved a 43-percent reduction in CO2 emissions in 2025 versus the base year of 2020. Areas on which WACKER is focusing include the use of renewable energy, further improvements in energy efficiency, and "green silicon," which is produced from biocarbon. (end) emitter: Wacker Chemie AG address: Gisela-Stein-Straße 1, 81671 München country: Germany contact person: Kerstin Weber phone: +49 89 6279 2187 e-mail: kerstin.weber@wacker.com website: www.wacker.com ISIN(s): DE000WCH8881 (share) stock exchanges: regulated market in Frankfurt; free market in Dusseldorf, free market in Hamburg, free market in Hannover, free market in Munich, free market in Stuttgart; open market in Tradegate BSX pressetext Nachrichtenagentur GmbH Ad-hoc and financial news distributed by pressetext.adhoc. Archive: http://adhoc.pressetext.com The emitter is responsible for the content. Contact: adhoc@pressetext.com or +43-1-81140-0.
