German chemicals, silicon, logistics and energy-investment group headquartered in Duisburg.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
PCC SE is the parent and holding company of the privately controlled PCC Group, an international industrial group based in Duisburg, Germany. Its activities span base chemicals, specialty chemicals, silicon production, logistics, trading and services, and selected development projects. The group supplies industrial intermediates and services used in areas including polyurethane foams, detergents and cleaning products, plastics, construction materials, metallurgy, transportation and other manufacturing applications. The business began in October 1993 when Waldemar Preussner and partners established Petro Carbo Chem Rohstoffhandelsgesellschaft mbH in Duisburg. That company, now known as PCC Trade & Services GmbH, initially focused on commodity trading. PCC AG was created as a corporate spin-off in 1998 and was converted into a Societas Europaea, or SE, in February 2007. PCC was an early German medium-sized company to finance itself through direct corporate-bond issuance rather than relying principally on bank loans. Bonds have remained an important financing instrument for the holding company. PCC expanded by combining acquisitions, modernization programs and industrial project investments. A particularly important part of its growth was the acquisition and development of former state-owned industrial businesses in Poland and other parts of Central and Eastern Europe. The group completed the takeover of the Polish chemical producer now known as PCC Rokita SA in 2010. PCC Rokita became the group's largest subsidiary and remains central to its polyols, chlorine and derivatives activities. PCC also developed a position in surfactants through PCC Exol SA and maintained activities in specialty chemicals through businesses such as PCC Chemax in the United States. The group is organized around seven principal segments identified in its 2024 annual reporting: Polyols & Derivatives, Surfactants & Derivatives, Chlorine & Derivatives, Silicon & Derivatives, Trading & Services, Logistics, and Holding & Projects. Chemicals are the core of the portfolio. PCC Rokita produces polyether polyols, chlorine and related products, while PCC Exol manufactures surfactants. Polyether polyols are important raw materials for polyurethane products such as flexible and rigid foams, including materials used in mattresses and other manufactured goods. PCC's silicon business includes a plant in Húsavík, Iceland, commissioned in 2018. The facility produces silicon metal using electricity supplied from renewable sources, including geothermal generation, and uses quartzite sourced from a PCC quarry in Poland. In Asia, the group has pursued polyurethane and polyol activities through a 50 percent interest in IRPC Polyol Company Ltd. PCC also developed an oxyalkylates plant in Malaysia with Petronas Chemicals Group; the joint-venture facility entered service in 2023. Logistics is another established activity. PCC Intermodal S.A. provides combined road-and-rail container transportation in Central and Eastern Europe. Its network includes container transshipment terminals in Poland and Germany and rail links connecting inland terminals with German ports, Benelux destinations and other European locations. PCC previously owned the Polish logistics subgroup PCC Logistics, which it sold to Deutsche Bahn in 2009. PCC SE remains controlled by Waldemar Preussner, who is the sole shareholder of the group's parent and holding company and chairs its supervisory board. The group has reported operations through dozens of subsidiaries and production or operating sites across Europe, Asia and the United States. In 2024, PCC reported consolidated revenue of EUR 960.0 million, EBITDA of EUR 88.0 million and earnings before taxes of negative EUR 29.5 million. The group also supports local and international social initiatives, including community organizations in Duisburg, children's-rights work and an orphan-support organization in Tanzania.
History
PCC SE traces its origins to October 1993, when Waldemar Preussner and business partners founded Petro Carbo Chem Rohstoffhandelsgesellschaft mbH in Duisburg. The company, now called PCC Trade & Services GmbH, began as a commodity-trading business. PCC AG was subsequently established in 1998 as a spin-off. In the same period, PCC became one of the first medium-sized German companies to issue corporate bonds directly and independently of banks, creating a financing model that continued to support later acquisitions and investments. The group gradually moved from trading into industrial ownership. It acquired and modernized former state-owned enterprises, particularly in Poland and other Central and Eastern European markets. This expansion created a manufacturing base in chemicals, logistics and related industrial services. PCC AG was converted into a European Company, PCC SE, in February 2007. PCC's logistics portfolio developed significantly during the 2000s. PCC Intermodal became a combined road-and-rail container logistics operator with terminals in Poland and Germany. PCC Intermodal entered the Warsaw Stock Exchange in 2009. In the same year, PCC sold its Polish logistics subgroup PCC Logistics to Deutsche Bahn, a major divestment that reduced the group's direct exposure to parts of the logistics sector while leaving PCC Intermodal as an important group company. Chemical manufacturing became the principal growth engine. PCC acquired the Polish producer that became PCC Rokita SA, completing the takeover in 2010. PCC Rokita developed into the group's largest subsidiary, with activities in polyether polyols, chlorine and derivatives. Polyether polyols are used as feedstocks for polyurethane foams, while chlorine and its derivatives serve a range of industrial applications. PCC Exol SA established a complementary position in surfactants and derivatives. The group also expanded its specialty-chemical presence through PCC Chemax in the United States and through international joint ventures. PCC placed minority stakes in selected Polish subsidiaries on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. PCC Exol completed an initial public offering in 2012, followed by PCC Rokita in 2014. PCC Intermodal was later delisted in 2018. These transactions provided public-market access for individual operating companies while PCC SE remained a privately controlled holding company. The group diversified geographically and technologically during the 2010s. In Thailand, PCC acquired a total 50 percent interest in IRPC Polyol Company Ltd., a producer connected with polyols and polyurethane materials. In Iceland, PCC developed a silicon-metal plant in Húsavík, which was commissioned in 2018. The facility uses renewable electricity, including geothermal power, and receives quartzite from a PCC quarry in Poland. The project added silicon and derivatives to the group's chemical portfolio and linked raw-material supply with energy considerations. PCC continued to pursue international chemical projects in the 2020s. A joint venture with Petronas Chemicals Group developed an oxyalkylates plant in Malaysia, commissioned in 2023. By 2024, the group's annual reporting described 49 material portfolio companies within seven segments: Polyols & Derivatives, Surfactants & Derivatives, Chlorine & Derivatives, Silicon & Derivatives, Trading & Services, Logistics, and Holding & Projects. The group reported 2024 consolidated revenue of EUR 960.0 million, EBITDA of EUR 88.0 million and earnings before taxes of negative EUR 29.5 million. PCC SE also maintains a visible civic and sustainability profile. It is the naming sponsor of PCC Stadium in Duisburg and supports local relief and children's-rights organizations, as well as an orphan-support initiative in Tanzania. PCC Rokita and PCC Exol have received EcoVadis sustainability ratings, and PCC Rokita was included in the Warsaw Stock Exchange's Respect Index between 2016 and 2019. Waldemar Preussner remains the sole shareholder of the group's parent and holding company and chairs its supervisory board.
- 2024
PCC reports annual operating results
[2]The group reports EUR 960.0 million in consolidated revenue, EUR 88.0 million in EBITDA and negative EUR 29.5 million in earnings before taxes.
- 2023
Malaysia oxyalkylates facility is commissioned
[1]PCC and Petronas Chemicals Group commission a joint-venture oxyalkylates plant in Malaysia.
- 2018
Icelandic silicon plant is commissioned
[1]PCC brings its Húsavík silicon-metal facility into operation using electricity from renewable sources.
- 2018
PCC Intermodal is delisted
[1]PCC Intermodal leaves the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
- 2014
PCC Rokita conducts an initial public offering
[1]PCC Rokita SA lists a minority stake on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
- 2012
PCC Exol conducts an initial public offering
[1]PCC Exol SA places a minority stake on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
- 2010
PCC takes over PCC Rokita
[1]PCC completes the acquisition of the Polish chemical producer that becomes PCC Rokita SA.
- 2009
PCC Logistics is sold and PCC Intermodal lists
[1]PCC sells PCC Logistics to Deutsche Bahn and PCC Intermodal becomes publicly traded in Warsaw.
- 2007
Conversion to a Societas Europaea
[1]PCC AG is converted into PCC SE in February.
- 1998
PCC AG is established
[1]PCC AG is formed as a spin-off, while the group develops direct corporate-bond financing as an alternative to bank-centered funding.
Products and positioning
A privately controlled, diversified industrial group combining chemical manufacturing with silicon production, intermodal logistics and project investments. PCC emphasizes vertically connected production, acquisitions and industrial development in Europe and selected international markets.
Chemical intermediates
Polyether polyols
Polyether polyols are key feedstocks for polyurethane manufacture. PCC's polyol activities, centered on PCC Rokita and related international operations, supply materials used in flexible and rigid foams and other polyurethane applications, including mattresses and industrial products.
Specialty chemicals
Surfactants
PCC Exol produces surfactants and related derivatives for industrial and consumer-oriented formulations. Surfactants can provide wetting, emulsifying, dispersing, foaming or cleaning functions and are used across sectors such as detergents, personal care, agriculture and industrial processing.
Basic chemicals
Chlorine and derivatives
PCC Rokita's chlorine business forms part of the group's largest chemical platform. Chlorine and derivative products serve as industrial building blocks in chemical synthesis and manufacturing, complementing PCC's polyols and other downstream chemical activities.
Metallurgical and chemical materials · 2018
Silicon metal
PCC produces silicon metal at its Húsavík facility in Iceland. The plant uses renewable electricity and quartzite sourced from a PCC quarry in Poland, giving the business an integrated raw-material and energy profile.
Logistics services
Intermodal logistics
PCC Intermodal combines road transport, rail freight and container-terminal operations. Its network connects inland terminals in Poland and Germany with seaports and destinations in Germany, the Benelux and other parts of Europe.
Chemical intermediates · 2023
Oxyalkylates
PCC participates with Petronas Chemicals Group in an oxyalkylates production project in Malaysia. The facility, commissioned in 2023, extends PCC's specialty-chemical and polyurethane-related capabilities in Asia.
Marketing campaigns
- PCC Stadium naming sponsorship
Duisburg, Germany
PCC SE is the naming sponsor of PCC Stadium in Duisburg, a venue used by local football teams. The sponsorship links the group with its home city and regional community.
Outcome. The stadium continues to operate under the PCC name.
- Community and social-support program
Duisburg, Germany · Tanzania
PCC supports Gemeinsam gegen Kälte Duisburg e.V., the Duisburg branch of the German Child Protection Association and Amani Orphans' Home Mbigili in Tanzania.
Outcome. The supported organizations provide homeless relief, children's-rights assistance and care for AIDS orphans.
Brand decisions
2023
Malaysia oxyalkylates joint ventureStrategyBackground
PCC pursued international growth in specialty chemicals and polyurethane-related intermediates.
Action taken
PCC and Petronas Chemicals Group commissioned an oxyalkylates plant in Malaysia.
Aftermath
The project strengthened PCC's manufacturing presence in Asia and added to its specialty-chemical portfolio.
2018
Commissioning of Húsavík silicon facilityProduct launchBackground
PCC expanded beyond conventional chemical products into silicon metal and sought an energy profile based on renewable electricity.
Action taken
The group commissioned a silicon-metal plant in Húsavík, Iceland.
Aftermath
Silicon and derivatives became a distinct PCC business segment, supplied with quartzite from Poland and electricity from renewable sources.
2010
Acquisition of PCC RokitaM&ABackground
PCC sought to build a larger chemical-manufacturing platform in Central and Eastern Europe.
Action taken
PCC completed the takeover of the Polish producer that became PCC Rokita SA.
Aftermath
PCC Rokita became the group's largest subsidiary and a core producer of polyols, chlorine and derivatives.
2009
Divestment of PCC LogisticsM&ABackground
PCC reviewed its logistics portfolio while developing PCC Intermodal as a separate intermodal transport platform.
Action taken
The group sold its Polish subgroup PCC Logistics to Deutsche Bahn.
Aftermath
The business became associated with Deutsche Bahn's Polish freight operations, while PCC retained its intermodal logistics activities.
Recent events
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