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Silicones, Wacker, Dow, Shin-Etsu
Munich, Germany / United States / Japan48.14°N 11.58°E
computed criticality11/100
reading
market ≈6.2 Mt in 2024; China (Bluestar) the leading siloxane capacity block
2024Fault line
Elastomers, oils, resins: silicones hold up to heat, sealing and electronics. The chain starts from silicon metal and methyl chloride (the Müller-Rochow process), mastered by a restricted club, Wacker, Dow, Shin-Etsu, Elkem, now challenged by the massive capacity of China National Bluestar. Aerospace and medical grades remain Western and Japanese; commodity siloxane is sliding towards China.
Actors
Wacker Chemie (Munich)
Dow (Midland)
Shin-Etsu (Tokyo)
Elkem (Oslo)
China National Bluestar (Beijing)
Depends on 1
Chlor-alkali, chlorine-caustic electrolysisChemicals & Materials · Critical anchor↗Sources