Wacker Chemie is the ICIS Company of the Year

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Sep 21, 2015, 05:00 ET

NEW YORK and LONDON, September 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Germany-based Wacker Chemie has been named the ICIS Company of the Year by weekly global publication ICIS Chemical Business.

ICIS Logo (PRNewsFoto/ICIS)

Download the ICIS Company of the Year article at http://www.icis.com/contact/top-100-chemical-companies-company-of-the-year-2015/

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150511/743802 )

The selection takes into account year-on-year growth in sales and profits at operating and net levels, and absolute profit margins in 2014.

"We congratulate Wacker Chemie and president and CEO Dr. Rudolf Staudigl for an outstanding financial performance in a challenging environment and positioning the company for future gains," said Joseph Chang, Global Editor of ICIS Chemical Business.

"The company captured strong growth last year, kept costs under control and pushed profits and margins higher against a difficult global economic and oil price environment," said Nigel Davis, ICIS Insight Editor.

Wacker Chemie's earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose 54% in 2014, with the EBITDA margin increasing to 21.6% versus 15.2% in 2013, based on higher volumes and prices, as well as productivity programs. Sales increased 7.8% year on year to €4.83bn.

"We are very pleased and honored that ICIS has awarded Wacker as 'Company of the Year' for its business achievements. 2014 was an extraordinary year for Wacker, as our company celebrated its centennial. Over the last 100 years, our strong commitment to change, adapt and renew itself has been one of the pillars for our ongoing success up to this very day," said Dr. Staudigl.

"Our hallmark is a passion for innovation and technological excellence. As globalization progresses and more and more people benefit from rising affluence, demand for our high-quality products is set to further increase. This is why I consider Wacker well equipped to serve a growing customer base and to play its role in promoting a global sustainable development," Dr. Staudigl added.

The ICIS Company of the Year award is made for outstanding financial performance in 2014 based on detailed analysis of critical financial measures and ratios and the data collected for the ICIS Top 100 Chemical Companies - a listing of the world's major producers published in the September 7, 2015 issue of ICIS Chemical Business.

The ICIS Top 100 Chemical Companies listing can also be downloaded at http://www.icis.com/Top100Chem

About ICIS Chemical Business

ICIS Chemical Business is the leading global weekly magazine focusing on the bulk commodity chemical and polymers markets. Get your weekly global summary of these markets by subscribing today at http://www.icis.com/about/icis-chemical-business-magazine.

About ICIS

ICIS Chemical Business is part of ICIS. ICIS is the world's largest petrochemical market information provider and has fast-growing energy and fertilizer divisions. Our aim is to give companies in global commodities markets a competitive advantage by delivering trusted pricing data, high-value news, analysis and independent consulting, enabling our customers to make better-informed trading and planning decisions. We have more than 30 years' experience in providing pricing information, news, analysis and consulting to buyers, sellers and analysts. With a global staff of more than 800, ICIS has employees based in Houston, Washington, New York, London, Montpellier, Dusseldorf, Karlsruhe, Milan, Barcelona, Mumbai, Singapore, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Yantai, Tokyo and Perth. ICIS is a division of Reed Business Information, part of RELX Group.

For editorial inquiries, contact:

Joseph Chang
Global Editor
ICIS Chemical Business
T: +1-212-791-4224
[email protected]

For commercial inquiries, contact:
John Hill
Global Sales Manager - Content Marketing and Advertising
ICIS Chemical Business
T: +44-20-8652-3893
[email protected]