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Wacker Chemie AG

WACKER had its best year ever in 2006

- Net income more than doubled to €311 million (2005: €144m) -

Dividend of €2.00 per share proposed, plus a special bonus of €0.50 -
Sales grew 21 percent to €3.34 billion (2005: €2.76bn) - In 2007 
focus on capacity expansion and continued growth in sales and 
earnings
  ots.CorporateNews transmitted by euro adhoc. The issuer is responsible for
  the content of this announcement.
balance
March 22, 2007 - Wacker Chemie AG has posted
its best annual sales and earnings figures since its foundation over 
90 years ago. Despite substantially higher raw-material and energy 
costs in 2006, the Munich-based chemical Group generated an EBITDA of
EUR786 million (2005: EUR614m). Adjusted for special items in fiscal 
2005 totaling EUR47 million, the increase was 39 percent. Net income 
was EUR311 million (2005: EUR144m), with earnings per share amounting
to EUR6.46 (2005: EUR2.90). The Group’s robust financial performance 
is also reflected in its Return on Capital Employed of 18 percent 
(2005: 10%). Benefiting from strong volume gains, high capacity 
utilization and a sustained upturn in global economic activity, 
consolidated sales rose 21 percent to EUR3.34 billion (2005: 
EUR2.76bn). Thereof, EUR2.68 billion (2005: EUR2.18bn) was generated 
outside Germany. International business accounted for about 80 
percent of total sales. Although capital expenditures were up 76 
percent year on year, WACKER’s 2006 net cash flow increased 16 
percent to EUR185 million (2005: EUR159m). WACKER expects the market 
upswing to carry forward in 2007. The company’s sales and earnings 
are estimated to show further growth in the current fiscal year 
thanks to substantial capacity expansions, which will start 
contributing to results during 2007.
"The above-average success of last year stems from our strategic 
focus on activities with healthy margins and high growth potential," 
said Group CEO Peter-Alexander Wacker in Munich on Thursday. "2006 
saw our investment projects making huge progress. With an equity 
ratio of about 50 percent and financial debt down by almost two 
thirds, our ambitious growth strategy is set on a sound financial 
basis. In all our major business fields, we expect customer demand to
remain high. As a result, we are focusing intensely on further 
expanding our production capacity during the remainder of the year."
2006’s success was the result of several factors. The Group generated
strong volume gains in many business sectors, fueled by a substantial
increase in capacity coupled with high utilization levels. At 
Siltronic, the robust price situation and strong customer demand 
boosted semiconductor sales and earnings. Additionally, the usual 
seasonal Q4 downturn in chemical business was less marked in 2006 
than in previous years. Thanks to the mild winter, 
construction-industry demand for WACKER products remained high. In Q4
2006, the Group generated total sales of EUR851 million (2005: 
EUR731m), with EBITDA at EUR189 million (2005: EUR157m).
Total capital expenditures for 2006 grew to EUR525 million (2005: 
EUR299m). WACKER’s investment activities focused on several major 
projects: At Burghausen, WACKER POLYSILICON continued to expand its 
capacities for polycrystalline hyperpure silicon. The division 
currently has two new production plants under construction there. 
With a combined capacity of 8,000 metric tons, they are aimed to meet
soaring demand both from chipmakers and the booming photovoltaics 
industry.
At Freiberg (Saxony) and Burghausen (Bavaria) in Germany, Siltronic 
is expanding its capacity for 300 mm silicon wafers. More and more 
chipmakers are switching their production lines to these wafers, 
since the larger diameter enables them to achieve a cost advantage of
about 30 percent. Moreover, in a joint venture with Samsung 
Electronics Siltronic is building a new 300 mm production plant in 
Singapore. Siltronic and Samsung are jointly investing a total of 
US$1 billion in this project. Production is scheduled to start in 
mid-2008.
WACKER SILICONES has further expanded its locations at Nünchritz 
(Saxony) and Zhangjiagang (China). The division is thus responding to
huge demand for silicone, a truly general-purpose material. A new 
monomer plant at Nünchritz came on stream in early November. Its main
product is siloxane, a key raw material for silicones. The new 
facility has increased WACKER’s global siloxane capacity to 200,000 
metric tons per year. At Zhangjiagang, 2006 saw starting up 
production facilities for silicone elastomers and sealants. 
Additionally, WACKER and Dow Corning started building a joint 
siloxane facility there. Work to construct a pyrogenic silica 
production plant - again in partnership with Dow Corning - is on 
track. It is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2007.
At WACKER POLYMERS, capacity expansion continues for dispersible 
polymer powders, with plants being built at Burghausen and in China. 
The new facilities, each with an annual capacity of 30,000 metric 
tons, will be the largest in the world. Completion of Burghausen’s 
powder dryer is scheduled for mid-2007. Construction work on the 
Chinese plant - at a new site in Nanjing - should also begin this 
year.
WACKER’s R&D expenditures in 2006 amounted to EUR152 million (2005: 
EUR147m), or 4.6 percent of sales. The focus of divisional research 
activities included development of novel hybrid polymers at WACKER 
SILICONES and surface treatment technologies for silicon wafers at 
Siltronic. WACKER’s basic research activities investigated new 
biotech processes, for example, and functional materials to generate 
energy from renewable sources.
At year end, WACKER had some 14,700 employees, 1.6 percent more than 
the prior-year number.
Business Divisions In 2006, WACKER SILICONES posted sales of EUR1.29 
billion (2005: EUR1.12bn), a year-on-year increase of 15 percent. 
This growth mainly stems from substantially higher sales volumes 
following capacity expansions. The division’s EBITDA reached EUR232 
million (2005: EUR211m), 10 percent more than a year earlier.
WACKER POLYMERS’ 2006 sales totaled EUR560 million, 18 percent up on 
2005 (EUR474m). The main driver here was strong volume gains for 
dispersible polymer powders. At EUR107 million, EBITDA grew almost 8 
percent against 2005 (EUR99m).
In 2006, WACKER FINE CHEMICALS posted total sales of EUR113 million, 
up 2 percent (2005: EUR111m). The division's EBITDA of EUR11 million,
however, did not reach the prior-year’s EUR18 million. Earnings were 
impacted by price pressures in custom synthesis. In contrast, the 
division’s biotech products business performed well.
In 2006, WACKER POLYSILICON increased its sales by 13 percent to 
EUR326 million (2005: EUR288m). The higher sales volumes were driven 
by successful measures to boost production yields and enhanced 
capacities. Sales also benefited from higher price levels. At the end
of 2006, the division finished expanding nominal capacity for 
hyperpure polycrystalline silicon from 5,500 to 6,500 metric tons. As
a result, production output rose to 6,200 metric tons last year. 
Earnings growth was even more pronounced than sales, with EBITDA 
amounting to EUR118 million (2005: EUR90m) - up 31 percent.
Siltronic generated total sales of EUR1.26 billion in 2006 (2005: 
EUR0.93bn). This was a year-on-year increase of 37 percent - fueled 
by soaring sales volumes, a favorable product-mix shift toward 300 mm
silicon wafers, and higher average wafer prices. Earnings went up 
much more sharply than sales. Siltronic’s EBITDA reached EUR356 
million (2005: EUR167m), thus more than doubling this figure compared
to 2005.
Proposal on Appropriation of Profits Following 2006’s healthy 
results, the Executive Board and Supervisory Board will propose a 
dividend of EUR2.00 at the annual shareholder meeting. In relation to
WACKER’s share price at the end of 2006, the dividend yield is 2.0 
percent. Additionally, the Executive and Supervisory Boards propose 
paying a non-recurring special bonus of EUR0.50 cents per 
dividend-bearing share. The special bonus is intended to reward 
investors’ trust with respect to the IPO after WACKER’s first year as
a publicly listed company.
Outlook In their full-year outlook for 2007, economic analysts 
anticipate continued growth in all key regions. In view of this 
forecast and the Group’s rising production capacities, WACKER 
currently expects further increases in both sales and earnings during
2007.
Key Group Figures
|EUR million        |2006    |2005     |change  |                  |
|                   |        |         |in %    |                  |
|Sales              |3,336.9 |2,755.7  |21.1    |                  |
|EBITDA             |786.3   |613.7    |28.1    |                  |
|EBIT               |456.3   |262.5    |73.8    |                  |
|Net income         |311.3   |143.7    |116.6   |                  |
|Earnings per share |6.46    |2.90     |122.8   |                  |
|EUR                |        |         |        |                  |
|Return on Capital  |17.9%   |10.3%    |-       |                  |
|Employed           |        |         |        |                  |
|                   |        |         |        |                  |
|Balance Sheet/Cash |        |         |        |                  |
|Flow               |        |         |        |                  |
|                   |        |         |        |                  |
|Total assets       |3,258.2 |2,922.9  |11.5    |                  |
|Equity             |1,585.8 |934.4    |69.7    |                  |
|Equity ratio       |48.7%   |32.0%    |-       |                  |
|Capital            |        |         |        |                  |
|expenditures (incl.|525.3   |299.0    |75.7    |                  |
|financial assets)  |        |         |        |                  |
|Depreciation (incl.|        |         |        |                  |
|financial assets)  |330.0   |351.2    |-6.0    |                  |
|Net cash flow      |184.7   |158.7    |16.4    |                  |
|Net financial      |367.0   |911.5    |-59.7   |                  |
|liabilities        |        |         |        |                  |
|                   |        |         |        |                  |
|Research           |        |         |        |                  |
|                   |        |         |        |                  |
|Research           |152.3   |146.9    |3.7     |                  |
|expenditures       |        |         |        |                  |
|                   |        |         |        |                  |
|Employees          |        |         |        |                  |
|                   |        |         |        |                  |
|Personnel expenses |962.4   |867.8    |10.9    |                  |
|Employees (December|14,668  |14,434   |1.6     |                  |
|31)                |        |         |        |                  |
|                   |        |         |        |                  |
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 22.03.2007 07:51:08

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: CDAX
Börsen: Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse / official dealing/prime standard

Original-Content von: Wacker Chemie AG, übermittelt durch news aktuell

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