About the company

About 1,400 employees. Five sites.
Countless solutions. For you, for us and for a sustainable future.

Enhancing your life every day.

Your requirements – Our solutions!

As a leading manufacturer of PVC and reliable partner for the supply of caustic soda, Westlake Vinnolit offers individual solutions for customers from a wide range of industries: our PVC products are used, in particular, for durable applications in the construction sector, but also in the automobile industry and medical equipment, all of which make life better and safer. Caustic soda is an important basic chemical and is used, among other things, to make paper, aluminum, detergents and viscose fiber. 

Westlake Vinnolit is part of the Westlake Group.

Our team – Your strength!

At Westlake Vinnolit, our team has just the right mixture. About 1,400 employees at Ismaning near Munich and at four production sites in Germany together generate an annual turnover of more than 900 million euros. Our focus: quality and strength in innovation, commitment and safety, responsibility and environmental protection.

Your future – Our present!

Westlake Vinnolit is a byword for sustainable treatment of resources, nature and the environment. With our involvement in the Responsible Care program and the VinylPlus initiative, we are actively committed to improving safety and protection of health and the environment in the chemical industry. For you, for us and for a sustainable future. Every day.

We are actively involved.

As part of the international chemical group Westlake, safety and protection of health and the environment are among the primary objectives of our corporate policy.

We support the voluntary initiative of the chemical industry for continuous improvements in the areas of environmental protection, health and safety.

We are an official partner of VinylPlus, the voluntary undertaking of the European PVC industry to pursue sustainable development.

Since 2014 we have been part of the Westlake Group, one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of petrochemicals, polymers and PVC building products.

Facts & figures

Westlake Vinnolit is part of the Westlake Group, has its headquarters in Ismaning and operates four other production sites:
Burghausen, Gendorf, Cologne and Knapsack.

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€ millions turnover / year
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Employees
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kt PVC / year
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kt caustic soda / year
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€ millions invested in R&D / year

Our history

More than 100 years of experience in PVC

In 1913 Fritz Klatte, a chemist at Griesheim Elektron (subsequently Hoechst AG) receives the first patent to make PVC.
In 1935 Dr. Herbert Berg of Wacker-Chemie GmbH invents the suspension process by means of which more than 90 percent of PVC is now made throughout the world.

1993 – Founding of the company

In July 1993 Vinnolit Kunststoff GmbH is founded as a joint venture of Hoechst AG and Wacker-Chemie GmbH. Their joint PVC activities are based in Ismaning near Munich. The combined expertise and decades of experience in the area of PVC quickly make the new company into a world leader in the technology behind special PVC products.

1998 – Growth and new sales channels

In 1998 Vinnolit Monomer GmbH & Co. KG is founded as a hundred percent subsidiary and the co-product caustic soda becomes the second pillar of the company. In the same year the new subsidiary “VinTec” takes over development and marketing of the worldwide licensing business; new sales channels are developed with branches in Belgium, France, Italy and the UK.

2000 to 2003 – merger to form Vinnolit GmbH & Co. KG

2000 is a year of important strategic decisions: the plastics and monomer activities of the company are merged to form Vinnolit GmbH & Co. KG and the financial investor Advent International becomes the majority shareholder. This is followed in 2003 by integration of the subsidiaries Vintron and VinTec into the company.

2006 – Expansion of paste capacity

With the extension of the systems for making paste PVC at the Burghausen site, Vinnolit increases its total capacity to 230,000 metric tons of paste PVC a year in 2006 and consolidates its position as a world market leader in this sector.

2007 – Focus on special PVC products

With the acquisition of the paste PVC business of INEOS ChorVinyls in 2007 with its production sites in Hillhouse (UK) and Schkopau (Germany), Vinnolit continues to focus on the development of its special PVC products division.

2009 – Refitting with environmentally friendly technology

With an investment of €100 million, the conversion of the chlor-alkali electrolysis plants at the Gendorf and Knapsack plants to energy-saving, environmentally friendly membrane technology is completed in 2009.

2012 – Further development of paste PVC

In summer 2012 Vinnolit completes a further expansion of its paste capacity at the Burghausen site. The production capacity of the largest plant for manufacturing paste PVC in the world is now 100,000 metric tons a year.

2014 – Vinnolit becomes part of the Westlake family

From 2014 Vinnolit is part of the Westlake Group, one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of petrochemicals, polymers and PVC building products, with its headquarters in Houston (USA). Integration into the parent corporation opens up numerous opportunities to Vinnolit, including outside the European market.

2019 to 2021 – Further development and investment

The Gendorf site is expanded. The extremely energy-efficient ThyssenKrupp Uhde Single Element Membrane Technology is used in chlorine production, while Vinnolit’s proprietary technology is used in the VCM plant.

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Our sites

Headquarters in Ismaning

Ismaning is the administrative headquarters with around 100 employees.

Köln
Gendorf site

Westlake Vinnolit makes PVC and caustic soda at its Gendorf site. The operations are part of the Gendorf chemical park. Research and development is also based here.

Burghausen site

The Westlake Vinnolit operations for manufacturing PVC are located on the site of the Burghausen plant of Wacker Chemie AG. Burghausen is also home to Westlake Vinnolit application technology.

Cologne site

Westlake Vinnolit’s PVC operations are located on the Cologne-Merkenich chemical park.

Knapsack site

In Knapsack the Westlake Vinnolit operations are integrated into the Knapsack chemical park. Suspension PVC and caustic soda are made here.