Westlake Vinnolit

What Westlake Vinnolit does

Westlake Vinnolit GmbH & Co. KG is a German manufacturer of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), and chlor-alkali products (caustic soda, chlorine, hydrochloric acid), operating as the European PVC and chlor-alkali subsidiary of Westlake Corporation (NYSE: WLK). Founded in 1993 as a joint venture between Hoechst AG and Wacker-Chemie GmbH, the company was acquired by Westlake Chemical in 2014 and rebranded to Westlake Vinnolit in 2022. It operates six production sites across Germany (Ismaning headquarters, Gendorf, Burghausen, Cologne-Merkenich, Knapsack, and the newly acquired Wilhelmshaven plant) plus an Italian distribution subsidiary, serving construction/infrastructure, automotive, healthcare, and consumer goods end markets.

The company's technology stack is built around integrated chlor-vinyls chemistry: membrane electrolysis for chlorine and caustic soda (operational since 2009, with ThyssenKrupp Uhde single-element membrane technology at Gendorf), EDC/VCM production, suspension PVC, and proprietary microsuspension technology for specialty paste PVC at the Burghausen world-scale plant. Its GreenVin® sustainability sub-brand spans GreenVin® PVC (~25% CO2 reduction via renewable electricity), GreenVin® bio-attributed PVC (~90% CO2 reduction via ISCC PLUS-certified renewable ethylene from OMV), GreenVin® circular-attributed PVC (launched at K 2025), and GreenVin® low-carbon caustic soda (>30% CO2 reduction), all certified under ISCC PLUS, REDcert2, and ISO 14067.

Westlake Vinnolit generates revenue through one-time B2B industrial sales of commodity and specialty chemicals under quote-based pricing, plus technology licensing of proprietary VCM and PVC processes to international partners. Distribution runs through direct enterprise sales from German headquarters, the Italian subsidiary (Westlake Vinnolit Italia S.r.L.), and the parent company's North American channel. Dr. Karl-Martin Schellerer serves as Managing Director, Vice President Europe & Asia Vinyls Chemicals at Westlake, and Chairman of both ECVM and VinylPlus, positioning the company as a central player in European PVC industry sustainability governance.

Name

Westlake Vinnolit

Legal name

Westlake Vinnolit GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://westlakevinnolit.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Westlake Vinnolit is a German manufacturer of PVC, vinyl chloride monomer, and chlor-alkali products (caustic soda, chlorine, hydrochloric acid), operating six German production sites as the European specialty chemicals subsidiary of Westlake Corporation, serving construction, automotive, healthcare, and consumer goods markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

PVC and chlor-alkali chemicals

NAICS

Petrochemical Manufacturing (32511), Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins (325991), Chemical Manufacturing (325)

SIC

Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860), Chemicals & Allied Products (2800), Plastics Products, Nec (3089)

akta.pro primary industry

PVC & Chlor-Vinyl Chain (Chlor-Alkali, EDC/VCM, PVC) (IMAEADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Chlor-Alkali & Derivatives (IMAEAAAC), PVC & Chlorinated Polymers (IMAEANAB)

Keywords

• Polyvinyl chloride production
• Chlor-alkali chemicals
• Caustic soda manufacturing
• Vinyl chloride monomer
• Sustainable PVC resins

Headquarters

HQ city

Ismaning

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. PVC Sales: Production and sale of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products including suspension PVC, paste PVC, specialty PVC, and GreenVin® sustainable PVC variants. Applications span construction, automotive, healthcare, consumer goods, and packaging markets.
2. Chlor-Alkali Products: Production and sale of caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) and chlorine, including GreenVin® low-carbon caustic soda. Generated as co-products in membrane electrolysis process.
3. Hydrochloric Acid: High-purity hydrochloric acid from own production at Gendorf site, new product line added in 2025.
4. Technology Licensing: Licensing of proprietary VCM and PVC technologies to third parties.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Westlake Vinnolit manufactures and supplies polyvinyl chloride (PVC) — both suspension PVC and specialty paste PVC — along with vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), caustic soda, chlorine, and hydrochloric acid from six German production sites. The company operates an integrated chlorovinyls value chain and sells a proprietary GreenVin® line of low-carbon and bio-attributed PVC and caustic soda variants for industrial customers in construction, automotive, healthcare, and consumer goods. It also licenses its proprietary VCM and PVC manufacturing technologies to third parties internationally.

Product overview

Westlake Vinnolit is a leading European PVC and chlor-alkali chemicals manufacturer, operating as part of Westlake Corporation's Performance & Essential Materials business. The company's product portfolio centers on polyvinylchloride (PVC) production—specifically suspension PVC and specialty paste PVC—alongside vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) as a key precursor. Chlor-alkali products including caustic soda (sodium hydroxide/Natronlauge) and chlorine are integral co-products from the integrated chlorovinyls manufacturing chain. The GreenVin® sustainability sub-brand encompasses the company's low-carbon and sustainable variants: GreenVin® PVC (~25% CO2 reduction via renewable electricity), GreenVin® bio-attributed PVC (~90% CO2 reduction via renewable ethylene from biomass), GreenVin® circular-attributed PVC (circular economy variant), and GreenVin® caustic soda (~30% CO2 reduction). Westlake Vinnolit operates five German production sites (Ismaning headquarters, Gendorf, Burghausen, Cologne-Merkenich, Knapsack, and newly acquired Wilhelmshaven), serving housing, construction, packaging, healthcare, automotive, and consumer goods markets globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GreenVin®: Climate-friendly PVC product line including GreenVin® PVC with ~25% CO2 reduction through renewable electricity, GreenVin® bio-attributed PVC with ~90% CO2 reduction using renewable ethylene from biomass, and GreenVin® circular-attributed PVC for circular economy applications.
• GreenVin® (Natronlauge/NaOH)

Products and services

• Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
• Chlor-Alkali Products (Caustic Soda and Chlorine)
• GreenVin® PVC
• GreenVin® bio-attributed PVC
• GreenVin® circular-attributed PVC
• GreenVin® Caustic Soda (Natronlauge)
• Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM)
• Hydrochloric Acid
• VCM and PVC Technology Licensing

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 90% CO2 reduction with GreenVin® bio-attributed PVC compared to conventional PVC
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OMVcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2022OMV supplies ISCC PLUS-certified renewable ethylene from biomass for GreenVin® bio-attributed PVC production. Partnership enables approximately 90% CO2 reduction compared to conventional PVC.
• Wacker Chemie AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVinnolit PVC operations located on Wacker Chemie AG site in Burghausen. Historical joint venture partner (1993-2014). Vinnolit's roots trace to Wacker's PVC expertise.
• InfraServ GendorfcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSite partner for Gendorf production facility. Joint investment in infrastructure development and plant modernization.
• H2 Import Konsortium BayernminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSix companies from energy and chemical industry developing hydrogen import value chain for Bavaria. Goal: sustainable hydrogen supply by 2030.
• Fraunhofer-Institut für Verfahrenstechnik und Verpackung (IVV)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU Circular Flooring project coordinator. Partnership for environmentally friendly recycling of post-consumer PVC floor coverings using CreaSolv® process.
• Polymers for Europe Alliance (PEA)minorOthersIndustry alliance recognizing polymer producers for supply reliability, sustainability, and innovation. Westlake Vinnolit won 2024 PVC category and Overall Decarbonization awards.
• VinylPlus®coreOthersOfficial partner of European PVC industry's voluntary sustainability commitment. Dr. Karl-Martin Schellerer serves as Chairman of VinylPlus. Nearly 740,000 tons PVC recycled in 2018 alone.
• ECVM (European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers)coreOthersAssociation of European PVC producers. Dr. Karl-Martin Schellerer serves as Chairman. Vinnolit leads industry sustainability efforts.
• AltrominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBritish flooring manufacturer using Vinnolit GreenVin® PVC for commercial and residential floor and wall systems, supporting lower carbon construction.
• Arlon GraphicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal leader in technical films using CO2-reduced Vinnolit GreenVin PVC for approximately 25% carbon footprint reduction in film production.
• TekniPlexminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaterials science company transitioned entirely to CO2-reduced Vinnolit GreenVin PVC for film manufacturing since July 2022.
• Suzhou Huasu Plastics Co. Ltd (Huasu)coreOthersChinese PVC and film manufacturer. Westlake has held majority stake since 1993. Part of Dr. Schellerer's VP responsibilities for Europe & Asia Vinyls.
• Taiwan Chlorine Industries (TCI)coreOthersChlorine producer, formerly part of Axiall Corporation. Acquired by Westlake in 2016. Part of Dr. Schellerer's VP responsibilities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BASF SE: BASF is Germany's largest chemical producer and a domestic incumbent with chlor-alkali, polymer additives, and PVC-adjacent specialty offerings. Comparable in German industrial footprint, regulatory positioning, and downstream chemistry overlap, though PVC is not a primary BASF product line.
• Westlake Corporation: Westlake Corporation (NYSE: WLK) is the publicly listed parent company and North American PVC/chlor-alkali producer. Comparable in product portfolio and integrated chlor-vinyl chain operations; effectively the parent and internal benchmark for Westlake Vinnolit's European PVC business within the PEM segment.
• Dow Inc. Dow is a diversified global chemical major with PVC, chlor-alkali, and downstream specialty plastics exposure. While broader in scope than Westlake Vinnolit, Dow's Performance Materials & Coatings segment competes on construction, automotive, and packaging end-markets with overlapping customer relationships.

Direct peers

• Kem One: Kem One is a French integrated PVC and chlor-alkali producer operating across Europe with comparable suspension PVC, paste PVC, and caustic soda offerings. It competes directly with Westlake Vinnolit for European industrial customers and has overlapping end-market exposure in construction and packaging.
• Formosa Plastics Corporation: Formosa Plastics is a global integrated PVC/VCM/chlor-alkali producer with significant European sales presence. Comparable in product portfolio (suspension PVC, caustic soda, specialty grades), vertical integration, and export-oriented go-to-market strategy.
• Shin-Etsu Chemical: Shin-Etsu is the world's largest PVC producer (Shintech in the US, with European operations) and a global benchmark for integrated chlor-alkali/PVC manufacturing. Comparable in vertical integration, specialty paste PVC technology, and end-market breadth.
• Orbia (Vestolit): Orbia's Vestolit business is a European specialty PVC producer with comparable suspension and paste PVC grades serving flooring, wall covering, and technical film markets. Directly competes for the same specialty paste PVC customers that Westlake Vinnolit serves from its Burghausen site.
• Olin Corporation (Olin Epoxy / Chlor Alkali): Olin is a major global chlor-alkali producer with integrated vinyls chain exposure (Olin Epoxy/OBC). Comparable in chlor-alkali scale, membrane electrolysis technology adoption, and chemical co-product economics that drive Westlake Vinnolit's caustic soda and chlorine business.
• BorsodChem: BorsodChem (part of Wanhua Chemical group) operates an integrated VCM/PVC and chlor-alkali complex in Central Europe, making it a regional competitor in the European chlor-vinyl market. Competes with Westlake Vinnolit for construction-grade PVC and MDI-adjacent customer base.
• INEOS Inovyn: INEOS Inovyn is Europe's largest PVC and chlor-alkali producer and the most direct head-to-head competitor to Westlake Vinnolit in the European chlor-vinyl chain. Both companies produce integrated VCM/PVC with chlor-alkali co-products serving identical construction, automotive, and healthcare end-markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCJrSNjfwEGRYd8-CwBlriTg/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/westlake-vinnolit
• Xx.com/vinnolit

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Westlake Vinnolit