Our business areas
Chemicals Business Area
The Chemicals Business Area has around 32,000 employees and is positioned at the forefront of
attractive fields in the specialty chemicals market. We hold leading positions in more than 80
percent of our chemicals business and are constantly striving to increase this. That includes
strengthening sales and marketing, increasing our presence in attractive growth regions and
focusing on the impetus generated by our innovations.
Market-focused research and development (R&D) will drive profitable growth in the
Chemicals Business Area in the future. More than 20 percent of sales are generated by products,
applications and processes less than five years old. In 2007, our expenditure on R&D again came
to over €300 million.
With production facilities in around 30 countries, the Chemicals Business Area has a presence
where its customers are. The largest sites, e.g. Marl, Wesseling and Darmstadt in Germany, Antwerp
in Belgium and Mobile in the USA, have integrated production structures which are used by various
business units. A large integrated production facility for high-performance specialty polymers is
currently under construction in China to serve the attractive Asian market.
Energy Business Area
The core competences of the Energy Business Area, which has about 4,600 employees, are the
planning, financing, construction and operation of coal-fired power stations. We operate nine
coal-fired power stations and two refinery power plants in Germany. Internationally we have major
coal-fired power stations in Colombia, Turkey and the Philippines. Long-term supply and purchase
agreements with key account customers ensure a sustained return on investment and stable income
streams.
Evonik is a leader in modern generation technology for hard-coal that raises efficiency and
makes careful use of resources. We are currently building a power station using this technology in
Duisburg-Walsum, Germany, with a net efficiency – in terms of pure electricity generation - of more
than 45 percent and a rated power of about 750 megawatts (MW). The installed rated power of the
Energy Business Area is currently over 9,500 MW, including around 7,900 MW in Germany.
Evonik is well-positioned to participate in the fast-growing future market for renewable
energy sources and is one of the German market leaders in mine gas, biomass and geothermal energy.
Real Estate Business Area
The Real Estate Business Area is one of Germany’s largest private housing companies with
about 60,000 residential units and a 50 percent stake in THS GmbH, which has a portfolio of more
than 75,000 units. The business focuses on letting housing to private households. Sustainable
development of the portfolio and intelligent housing concepts covering the entire lifecycle of
properties are very important to us. Our vacancy rates and tenant fluctuation – two key indicators
in this market – are better than the sector average. The business area has around 500 employees.
Geographically it focuses on the Rhein-Ruhr area (North Rhine-Westphalia). Active portfolio
management plays an important part in our business model.
