WACKER Expands Technical Center in Mexico to Include Dispersion Applications for Coatings and Adhesives
Munich-based chemicals group WACKER has expanded the service portfolio at its tech- nical center in Mexico City, Mexico. The local facility now com- prises state-of-the-art applications technology and test equip- ment for polymer dispersions needed as binders for architectur- al coatings and adhesives. The expansion not only enables WACKER to help its local customers develop new and tailor- made products for the region. It also encourages the exchange of know-how and promotes internationally recognized quality standards in Latin America. The expansion has focused on vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer (VAE) dispersions used as binders for low-odor indoor paints, durable outdoor coatings and sustainable water-borne adhesives. This meas- ure will help WACKER to further bolster its position as a globally lead- ing producer and supplier of VAE dispersions.
“Latin America is a promising market for WACKER. Demand is in- creasing steadily for our high-quality dispersions. Our sales in the region have grown significantly over the recent years and we are en- couraged by the regions’ potential. This new facility will help foster the development of our products and support the needs of our local cus- tomers”, explained John Fotheringham, vice president of Dispersions at WACKER POLYMERS.
The enhanced technical center will now also support customers in the paints, coatings and adhesives sectors to develop new products and applications for the regional markets with regard to locally available raw materials, climatic and environmental conditions, and regional requirements. The new labs are equipped with cutting-edge instru- mentation meeting international standards: Test are ranging from optical and rheological property measurements of VAE-enhanced paints such as gloss, reflectance, viscosity or sag resistance to physi- cal qualities of paints and adhesives like density, solids content or thermal stability. Additionally, the technical center has installed a new UV chamber to analyze color fading and weathering behavior of pol- ymer-modified exterior coatings.
“Our aim is to support our local customers by realizing their individual requirements directly on the spot, and to develop and test innovative VAE binder applications together with them”, said Alfonso Valcarce, head of Wacker Mexicana. “Our technical center here in Mexico City is highly equipped and we are setting new standards in service, ad- vice and transfer of expertise, offering our customers and business partners considerable added value.”
WACKER is thus helping to ensure and expand the availability of high-quality VAE binders in Latin America. Moreover, WACKER’s local experts are assisting to formulate quality standards as well as to introduce environmentally friendly technologies in the region.
WACKER in Latin America WACKER has been supplying the Americas with basic chemicals since as early as the mid-1960s. The company laid the foundation for its presence in Latin America with a separate sales office in Mexico in 972. The local subsidiary Wacker Mexicana S.A. was founded in Mex- ico City in 1975. To meet increasing sales and service demands in Lat- in America, WACKER set up a technical center in Mexico City in 2012 for polymer applications, mainly in the construction industry. At the same time, WACKER established a local branch of its international training centers, the WACKER ACADEMY, at the Mexico facility. The technical center in Mexico supports customers from Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, the Caribbean, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela and Bolivia.
Scrub resistance test at the Technical Center in Mexico City: The new lab for polymer dispersions used in architectural coatings and adhesive applications serves to develop new and locally adapted formulations and promotes internation- ally recognized quality standards in Latin America.