Wacker Chemical Corporation is set to build a new North American Innovation Center & Regional Headquarters in Pittsfield Charter Township that will house its North American headquarters and R&D operations. The project is expected to create 70 high-paying, high-skilled jobs.
The new Innovation Center & Regional Headquarters
The new Innovation Center & Regional Headquarters will serve as a leading-edge location for advanced R&D activities and enhanced employee collaboration, allowing the company to tap into the local pool of highly-qualified personnel who have scientific backgrounds in various disciplines and also supporting WACKER’s long-term growth plans in the state.
The building capacity of more than 300 employees will include those who will relocate from WACKER’s current regional headquarters in the city of Adrian as well as up to 70 new jobs to be added in the next five years. WACKER will continue production of elastomers, silicone fluids and silicone emulsions at its existing Adrian operations, with approximately two-thirds of the current employees remaining there.
Also Read: US $40m stadium logistics center to be built in Texas, US
This is WACKER’s second expansion in Michigan in recent years. In 2017, the company established a Silicones R&D Center in Ann Arbor. The new headquarters project is expected to create 70 highly paid jobs and generate a total private investment of $51 million, resulting in a US $1m Michigan Business Development Program grant from the Michigan Strategic Fund. Michigan was chosen for the North American Innovation Center & Regional Headquarters over competing sites in Tennessee and Ohio.
The project aligns with MEDC’s strategic focus of attracting, retaining and supporting a business in the focus industries of advanced manufacturing and engineering, design and development, while fostering high-wage skills growth. In addition, WACKER has a robust on-the-job training program, with both internal and external opportunities for advancement. The company is also actively engaged with schools and universities, and has supported a successful internship program to provide hands-on opportunities to students.
