EANS-News: WACKER Ends Fiscal Year 2010 With New Record Figures

- 2010 sales climb 28 percent to €4.75 billion
- At €1.19 billion,
EBITDA nearly doubles year over year
- Full-year 2010 EBIT set to
reach some €760 million, net income expected at half a billion Euro

- Around €690 million invested in growth projects and acquisitions
financed from own cash flow
- CEO Rudolf Staudigl: “Customer demand
remains strong in the new year”

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Financial Figures/Balance Sheet

Subtitle: - 2010 sales climb 28 percent to €4.75 billion - At €1.19
billion, EBITDA nearly doubles year over year - Full-year 2010 EBIT
set to reach some €760 million, net income expected at half a billion
Euro - Around €690 million invested in growth projects and
acquisitions financed from own cash flow - CEO Rudolf Staudigl:
“Customer demand remains strong in the new year”

Munich (euro adhoc) - January 31, 2011 - According to preliminary
figures and as expected, Wacker Chemie AG set new sales and earnings
records in 2010. The Munich-based chemical company posted total sales
of EUR4.75 billion in 2010, up some 28 percent year over year. Strong
sales volumes due to high customer demand were the main factor behind
the sales increase.

According to preliminary figures, earnings before interest, taxes,
depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounted to some EUR1.19
billion (2009: EUR607 million) - thus nearly doubling compared with
the previous year. Earnings growth was largely the result of higher
sales volumes and revenues, as well as increased plant utilization,
which benefited specific production costs. Earnings before interest
and taxes (EBIT) are estimated to reach EUR760 million in 2010 (2009:
EUR27 million) according to preliminary calculations. Net income for
the year is expected at around EUR495 million (2009: EUR-75 million).

In fiscal 2010, WACKER´s investments (including acquisitions)
amounted to some EUR690 million (2009: EUR740 million) according to
preliminary figures. WACKER financed these completely through
cashflow from operating activities. In terms of net financial
liabilities, WACKER posted a surplus of around EUR260 million (2009:
EUR-76 million) at the end of 2010. Investment spending focused on
the Group´s strategic growth projects, primarily concerning hyperpure
polysilicon production facilities under construction at the company´s
Nünchritz (Germany) site.

Customer demand remained at a high level in Q4 2010. Group sales from
October through December 2010 amounted to EUR1.21 billion (Q4 2009:
EUR935 million) - up 29 percent against the prior-year period. Sales
dropped by close to 5 percent compared to Q3 2010 (EUR1.27 billion)
due to the usual seasonal effects, particularly in
construction-related business. WACKER´s Q4 2010 EBITDA reached some
EUR290 million (Q4 2009: EUR95 million).

WACKER´s chemical divisions generated total sales of some EUR600
million between October and December 2010 (Q4 2009: EUR519 million) -
thus up 16 percent against the prior-year quarter. In Q4 2010,
chemical divisions´ EBITDA climbed over 40 percent to about EUR50
million (Q4 2009: EUR35 million). Two non-recurring effects had an
impact on last fiscal year´s figure. In Q4, WACKER established
provisions of EUR50 million for expected future losses from its
silicone business in China caused by higher transfer prices for
siloxane from its joint venture with Dow Corning. In contrast, the
sale of WACKER´s share in US-based Planar Solutions improved Group
EBITDA by EUR20 million. In early December, former partner FUJIFILM
Electronic Materials acquired WACKER´s 50-percent share in this joint
venture. Planar Solutions produces CMP slurries for the surface
treatment of semiconductors and purchases WACKER´s HDK® pyrogenic
silica to do so.

The semiconductor segment grew even faster than chemical-related
business. Siltronic generated Q4 2010 sales of around EUR270 million
(Q4 2009: EUR184 million), thereby exceeding the prior-year period´s
level by 46 percent. Higher sales volumes and, in some cases, higher
prices contributed to this increase. Siltronic´s EBITDA from October
through December 2010 amounted to almost EUR40 million (Q4 2009:
EUR-23 million), thus outperforming the prior-year period´s figure by
more than EUR60 million. Siltronic´s Q4 EBITDA was higher quarter
over quarter as well (Q3 2010: EUR32 million).

Hyperpure polycrystalline silicon business remained strong. Sales at
WACKER POLYSILICON rose 38 percent to around EUR370 million in Q4
2010 (Q4 2009: EUR269 million). In the same period, EBITDA grew
almost 60 percent to some EUR205 million (Q4 2009: EUR130 million).
Thus, the division posted an EBITDA margin clearly above 50 percent
in Q4 2010, as in the prior quarter. In total, WACKER POLYSILICON
produced and sold over 30,000 metric tons of hyperpure polysilicon in
2010.

"WACKER shook off the effects of the world economic crisis faster
than anticipated and finished 2010 with new record figures," said CEO
Rudolf Staudigl. "Our customers´ demand for our products remains
strong and we kicked off the new year well - with a business trend
that continues to develop positively."

The Q4 and fiscal 2010 figures and forecasts in this press release
are preliminary. Wacker Chemie AG will publish its Q4 Report and
Annual Report 2010 on Wednesday, March 16, 2011.

This press release contains forward-looking statements based on
assumptions and estimates of WACKER´s Executive Board. Although we
assume the expectations in these forward-looking statements are
realistic, we cannot guarantee they will prove to be correct. The
assumptions may harbor risks and uncertainties that may cause the
actual figures to differ considerably from the forward-looking
statements. Factors that may cause such discrepancies include, among
other things, changes in the economic and business environment,
variations in exchange and interest rates, the introduction of
competing products, lack of acceptance for new products or services,
and changes in corporate strategy. WACKER does not plan to update the
forward-looking statements, nor does it assume the obligation to do
so.

end of announcement euro adhoc
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ots Originaltext: Wacker Chemie AG
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Further inquiry note:

Christof Bachmair
Media Relations & Information
Tel.: +49 (0)89 6279 1830
E-Mail: christof.bachmair@wacker.com

Branche: Chemicals
ISIN: DE000WCH8881
WKN: WCH888
Index: Midcap Market Index, MDAX, CDAX, Classic All Share, HDAX,
Prime All Share
Börsen: Frankfurt / regulated dealing/prime standard