Wacker graduates listen as Konrad Bachhuber, Wacker’s local CEO, speaks early Thursday morning at Chattanooga State Community College. Students graduating will fill some of the laboratory technician and chemical operation positions.
Konrad Bachhuber, Wacker’s local CEO, speaks during the Wacker employee graduation early Thursday morning at Chattanooga State Community College.Wacker officials on Thursday restated their intention to start up its massive polysilicon production plant in Bradley County by mid-2015.
To staff the $1.8 billion complex, the Germany-based company graduated 44 more new lead chemical operators and technicians from its Wacker Institute at Chattanooga State Community College.
“They’ve got to be ready when we prepare for [plant] commissioning,” said Konrad Bachhuber, who is overseeing construction of the factory near Charleston, Tenn., that is to employ 650 people.
Last October, Wacker announced it was pushing back the planned startup of the plant by about 18 months to mid-2015, citing too much production capacity for polysilicon in the marketplace.
Last month, a key competitor, Hemlock Semiconductor, laid off three-fourths of its employees in Clarksville, Tenn., shortly before the planned start of production at its new $1.2 billion plant. Officials of the Michigan-based company said they will cut 300 of the 400 jobs in Clarksville and weren’t sure if there would be any production this year.