Wacker Polysilicon is a global company that produces hyperpure polycrystalline silicon.
Its product portfolio also includes pyrogenic silica, chlorosilanes and salt.
Polysilicon is used throughout the semiconductor industry and in the growing photovoltaics sector.
In 2011, the Wacker Polysilicon division of Wacker Chemie AG generated approximately 25 percent of the company’s sales.
Crews are making progress at the Wacker Polysilicon site: Five pieces of core equipment, each more than 200 feet tall, are now in place at the Charleston, Tenn., site, officials said Monday.
“This is a very visible stride in our progress: the first major milestone of 2013," Dr. Martin Richtberg, vice president of engineering and head of the Wacker Polysilicon construction project, said in a prepared statement. "We are excited to see this equipment now in its permanent place."
Last October, leaders announced that the production at the plant will not start until mid-2015, which is about 18 months later than originally expected.
The plant will employ some 650 full-time workers once fully operational.
Last year, crews finished pouring concrete, got large core equipment and began to erect steel and start interior work, Richtberg also said.
Each structure plays a major role in the company's production of hyperpure polycrystalline silicon, according to a news release.
This equipment was designed to perform specific types of distillation to produce a product more than 99.99 percent pure.
“It generates great pride to see these incredible structures upright, establishing now the real look of our Charleston plant currently under construction,” Dr. Konrad Bachhuber, vice president and site manager for Wacker Polysilicon North America, said in a prepared statement.
