EANS-News: BEST INNOVATOR AWARD 2010/2011: WACKER Wins Prize for Outstanding Innovation Management

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Company Information

Munich / Berlin (euro adhoc) - June 9, 2011 - Munich-based chemicals
company WACKER has received this year´s Best Innovator award in the
Chemicals category. The competition´s joint organizers - management
consulting company A.T. Kearney and German business weekly
"WirtschaftsWoche" - announced the results during an award ceremony
at the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology in Berlin
on Thursday afternoon. Along with nine other prize winners, WACKER
was recognized for its sustainable innovation management. The Best
Innovator award ceremony, held for the seventh time this year, was
attended by Parliamentary State Secretary Ernst Burgbacher.

This year was the first time that Munich-based chemicals company
WACKER had taken part in the prestigious innovation competition. "The
Best Innovator jury identified systematic processes at WACKER that
showed its ability to pursue innovation management as a core
competency," said competition initiator Dr. Kai Engel, a partner at
A.T. Kearney. As an example, he cited WACKER´s appointment of
technology managers. "WACKER employs innovation-focused technology
managers who permanently monitor the entire supply chain and
continuously align the company´s innovation effort to megatrends and
to dynamic developments in specific technological and customer
segments," explained Engel. "That was one of the main reasons behind
our choice in the Chemicals category."

WACKER Executive Board member Dr. Wilhelm Sittenthaler, who accepted
the Best Innovator award at the Federal Ministry of Economics and
Technology, thanked the jury. "We are very pleased to have won the
award. This success confirms that we are on the right track in
innovation management." WACKER´s innovative strength, Sittenthaler
stressed, has been the basis of its business success. He mentioned
the latest trends in microelectronics as a case in point. WACKER´s
Siltronic subsidiary, a leading supplier of hyperpure silicon wafers,
the starting material for computer chips, has only been able to meet
the chip industry´s twin demands - of ever larger wafer diameters and
increasingly small design rules - through intensive research and
development. "Innovations enable us to keep pace with our customers´
accelerating demands. That is why it is vital for us to create a
fertile environment and to maintain a sound innovation-management
process that optimally supports and drives the pioneering strength of
our company."

Today, WACKER scientists are already searching for tomorrow´s
solutions in numerous future-oriented fields, such as battery
technology, biotechnology, and sustainable energy-efficient
materials. "Chemistry has always been a sector whose innovations have
helped other industries launch new and better products on the
market," said Sittenthaler. "In this role, we need not only highly
qualified and motivated employees, but also efficient innovation
management. Without it, we wouldn´t be able to detect trends in good
time and design innovative, market-oriented products when they are
needed."

Over 100 companies participated in this year´s Best Innovator
competition. The winners were chosen in a two-phase selection process
that included both quantitative and qualitative performance criteria.
Alongside Wacker Chemie AG (Chemicals category), the following
companies received awards: 3M Deutschland (corporate venturing and
consumer goods), Bosch (automotive supplier), Audi (automotive OEM),
Endress+Hausser Conducta (metrology), GEA (mechanical engineering),
Infineon Technologies (high-tech) and SMA Solar Technology
(renewables). The American pharmaceuticals and diagnostics company
QIAGEN was the overall winner and received the award Best Innovator
2010/2011.

About WACKER WACKER (www.wacker.com) is a globally active chemical
company headquartered in Munich, Germany. With a wide range of
state-of-the-art specialty products, WACKER is a leader in numerous
industrial sectors. Its products are required in countless
high-growth end-user sectors, such as photovoltaics, electronics,
pharmaceuticals and household/personal-care products.

In 2010, the Group generated sales of some EUR4.75 billion (2009:
EUR3.72 billion) - of which Germany accounted for 19 percent, Europe
(excluding Germany) 25 percent, North and South America just under 17
percent, Asia-Pacific 36 percent and ROW 3 percent. WACKER had
roughly 16,300 employees on December 31, 2010. The Executive Board
comprises Dr. Rudolf Staudigl (president & CEO), Dr. Joachim Rauhut,
Dr. Wilhelm Sittenthaler and Auguste (Guido) Willems.

WACKER´s operations are divided among the following business
divisions: Siltronic, WACKER SILICONES, WACKER POLYMERS, WACKER
POLYSILICON and WACKER BIOSOLUTIONS. Founded in 1914, the Group
operates 26 production sites worldwide, supplying over 3,500 products
to more than 3,500 customers in over 100 countries. The company
maintains subsidiaries and sales offices in over 29 countries across
Europe, the Americas and Asia - including a strong foothold in China.

end of announcement euro adhoc
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company: Wacker Chemie AG
Hanns-Seidel-Platz 4
D-81737 München
phone: +49 (0) 89 6279 01
FAX: +49 (0) 89 6279 1770
mail: info@wacker.com
WWW: http://www.wacker.com
sector: Chemicals
ISIN: DE000WCH8881
indexes: Midcap Market Index, MDAX, CDAX, Classic All Share, HDAX, Prime All
Share
stockmarkets: regulated dealing/prime standard: Frankfurt
language: English

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