MUNICH – Munich-based chemical company WACKER is taking a new approach to product marketing. The company now offers pyrogenic silica on CheMondis and PINPOOLS, two online marketplaces for selling chemical raw materials and specialty products. Through the use of Internet platforms like these, WACKER intends to gain experience with digital B2B trading venues and, over the long term, acquire new customers and open up additional marketing channels for its product portfolio.

The WACKER Group is one of the largest manufacturers of pyrogenic silica. Based on amorphous silicon dioxide, this powder has a wide variety of applications. It is used, for instance, as a filler for silicones, for thermal insulation, as an additive to control liquid flow characteristics, and as an anti-caking agent in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and foods. Key customers for the product are in the sealants, adhesives, paints and coatings, food and animal-feed industries. WACKER markets the product throughout the world under the HDK^® Pyrogenic Silica brand name.

Since late July, WACKER is also offering a selection of products on the CheMondis and PINPOOLS online marketplaces. Industrial customers will be able to use either platform to order a total of nine HDK grades with a wide range of surface and rheological characteristics. “By deciding to sell our pyrogenic silica online, we hope to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by digitalization while raising the profile of a product that can be used as an additive in so many different applications,” said Maria-Anna Biebl, Director of the HDK business team within the WACKER SILICONES division.

The decision to sell products on CheMondis and PINPOOLS was the result of an intense selection process. “We’ve looked at a lot of online marketplaces in recent weeks,” said Axel Schmidt, Chief Digital Officer for Customers, whose responsibilities include developing digital business models at WACKER. “We were especially looking for platforms that would complement our existing sales activities as effectively as possible and would help us reach out to new customers and markets.” The two startups ultimately made the most convincing offers. “The collaboration we’ve begun with CheMondis and PINPOOLS is another building block in our strategy of testing and opening up new sales channels for our products”, Schmidt added.

CheMondis, a startup founded by the Lanxess specialty chemicals company, and PINPOOLS, introduced in 2016, are Europe’s leading B2B marketplaces for chemicals. CheMondis is now used by 650 companies from all over Europe to sell more than 7,500 products. “WACKER’s listing on CheModis is another powerful signal that customer-friendly technology is going to succeed on the market”, emphasized CheMondis Managing Director Sebastian Brenner. “We are looking forward to collaborating and to growing our existing network even further with WACKER.”

PINPOOLS currently hosts 500 active buyers and vendors. The marketplace serves as a trading platform for more than 5000 products with a focus on paint and coatings, construction, and the food and animal feed industry. “We are very happy to provide another prestigious company like WACKER with direct access to new customers”, said PINPOOLS CEO Alexander Lakemeyer.