Sika

Sika AG manufactures construction materials and offers related services. The Company produces concrete and mixtures, mortar, sealants and adhesives, tooling resins, anti-static industrial flooring, acoustic materials for automobiles, and waterproof membranes. Sika also offers specialized contracting services.

Sika is a specialty chemicals company with a leading position in the development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing, and protecting in the building sector and motor vehicle industry. It has subsidiaries in 101 countries around the world and manufactures in over 300 factories. Its more than 27,000 employees generated annual sales of CHF 9.3 billion in 2021.

1910: The company was founded by Kaspar Winkler in 1910, headquartered in Baar, Switzerland.

1911: Kaspar entered his firm, Kaspar Winkler & Co., into the Commercial Register.

1912: Subsidiary founded: In Southern Germany, a subsidiary with its own, small-scale manufacturing facility was founded.

1917: Winkler was in the red, especially during World War I. Things did not begin to pick up until this year. 

1918: The Swiss Federal Railways ran successful trials using Sika to waterproof the tunnels of the Gotthard section.

1921: A second attempt did succeed a subsidiary with its own, small-scale manufacturing facility was founded in Southern Germany.

1928: Winkler’s son-in-law, Fritz Schenker, joined the firm’s executive board and pursued worldwide expansion.

1932: The parties litigated for three years until a divestiture ruling: the Director for Foreign Operations retained ownership of the German and Italian subsidiaries as well as trademark rights in a number of other European countries.

1990: Weak Profitability hit them, the 1990s were not an easy decade for Sika AG. The solution to surviving the difficult times was achieved by withdrawing from less lucrative, non-core businesses, such as the building of robots used to restore sewer lines.

2000: Sika ViscoCrete, the concrete admixture brought to market, became a significant sales mainstay. Since this year, Sika summarizes its core competencies in bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing and protecting.

2002: Sika AG, established itself as a holding company, invested considerably in personnel and production capacities and restructured the overall management organization.

2005: In 2005 Sarna Swiss company, a specialist in membranes, became a Sika acquisition. In this context, since, the Romuald Burkard Foundation provides financial support to social and community projects in countries where Sika maintains subsidiaries.

2009: Dubai Metro’s first line: The Dubai Metro’s first line was inaugurated.

2011: The second line is scheduled to begin operating this year. 

2012: 2012: A new president for the Board of Directors and a new CEO: Paul Hälg, CEO of the Dätwyler Gruppe, is elected as president of the Board of Directors of Sika AG. Jan Jenisch takes over the CEO position from Ernst Bärtschi upon his retirement on January 1. As well, Sika was included in the Swiss Leader Index (SLI), containing the 30 largest Swiss companies.

2013: Professor Doctor Jan Vermant was appointed Professor of Soft Materials at ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) by the Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology on 25/26 September. Sika furthermore invested considerable funds in the expansion of capacity, for example in Angola, China, Colombia, Iraq, Laos, Romania, Russia South Africa, Ukraine and Vietnam. Organic growth stands at the centre of the Sika strategy. New subsidiaries were established in Belarus and Oman.

2015: Since 2005, Sika made 25 acquisitions, and opened 11 new national subsidies and 44 new plants.

2017: In May, Sika enters the Swiss Market Index (SMI), the leading index of the Swiss stock exchange, containing the top 20 Blue Chip companies of Switzerland.

2018: In May, Sika, the Burkard family and Saint-Gobain signed agreements which terminated and resolved their dispute to the common benefit of all parties involved and that of their respective shareholders and stakeholders.

2019: In May, Sika completes the acquisition of Parex, the biggest acquisition in the company’s history.

“To anticipate and meet future challenges by providing reliable, innovative, sustainable, and long-lasting solutions in the construction, building, and manufacturing industries.”

“Sika is dedicated to providing and maintaining the highest quality standards with its products and services. The commitment to innovation enables Sika to not only satisfy current demands but also anticipate future expectations.”