The Schunk Group has fully acquired the raw materials manufacturer ESK-SIC as of January 1, 2025. With this acquisition, Schunk is expanding its product portfolio to include the manufacturing and distribution of the strategically important raw material silicon carbide.
“ESK-SIC is the leading manufacturer of high-quality silicon carbide powder, which Schunk uses in its Business Unit Technical Ceramics as a starting material for 3D printing of high-tech products. With this acquisition, we are expanding our portfolio to include the production and distribution of the strategically important raw material silicon carbide. This will enable Schunk to pursue new growth opportunities with this high-performance material, which is in high demand in the market,” says Peter R. Manolopoulos, CEO of the Schunk Group.
Long-standing collaboration between ESK-SIC and Schunk
ESK-SIC specializes in the production of silicon carbide powder. The company was founded in 1922, has been based in Frechen near Cologne since 1952 and employs around 160 people. ESK-SIC and Schunk have been working together closely for years and have jointly developed numerous innovations such as IntrinSiC, the 3D printing of diamond-hard SiC.
Pioneering recycling of an important raw material
Together, the companies are planning a silicon carbide production facility using ESK-SIC's newly developed recycling process. “This will enable us to create the basis for the new groundbreaking RECOSiC powders,” says Matthias Hausmann, CEO of ESK-SIC. These powders offer unique technical properties and at the same time make it possible to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 80 percent compared to conventional silicon carbide synthesis, Hausmann continues. “I am therefore very pleased that ESK-SIC is now part of the Schunk Group and that the new recycling process can thus be implemented on an industrial scale.”
Schunk's acquisition of ESK-SIC is also highly relevant beyond the two companies. “With the recycling of silicon carbide, ESK-SIC and Schunk are ensuring Europe's independence in the supply of this important raw material and thus a source of silicon carbide for the ceramic industry and its customers,” emphasizes Dr. Ulrich von Hülsen, COO of Schunk and responsible for the technology company's materials business.
Added value for customers
The bundling of expertise between ESK-SIC as a manufacturer of high-quality silicon carbide powders and Schunk as a leading company in the production of silicon carbide ceramics also enables the development of completely new and improved materials. “This enables us to offer ESK-SIC's existing and future customers real added value in the use of the high-tech material silicon carbide,” says Dr. Lars Schnetter, Head of Schunk's Business Unit Technical Ceramics.
