Thomas Hasler already listed
Introduction
Sika AG is a global chemicals company for the construction and automotive sectors, headquartered in Baar, Switzerland. Sika is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, has more than 34,000 employees in more than 101 countries, and in 2024 had total sales of 11,763 million Swiss Francs.[1].
For both construction and manufacturing, Sika develops and markets chemical specialties to waterproof, adhere, cushion, reinforce and protect structures.
In 2019, Sika acquired the PAREX Group, a global construction chemicals company headquartered in France,[2] with 4,500 employees and annual sales of €1,034 million.[3].
History
In 1910 the company Kaspar Winkler & Co. of Zurich was founded – which would later become Sika, the company that would develop a successful waterproofing system consisting of:.
In 1911 the company “Kaspar Winkler & Co.” was already advertised in the “Swiss Construction Sheet”.
In 1919 the company moved to Geerenweg, Zurich-Altsetten where it achieved sensational success with its products for the waterproofing of the Gotthard railway tunnel, a fact that would make electrification possible safely.
In 1921 the first Sika factory was founded in Germany.
In 1930 Kaspar Winkler (founder of the company) retired and moved to Lugano. From then on Dr. Fritz. A. Schenker, husband of his daughter Klara, runs the company and invents the first plasticizing and setting retardant additive for concrete called Plastiment.
In 1953 Francisca, Schenker's daughter, married Romuald Burkard, who 3 years later was named President and CEO of the Sika Group.
In 1968, Sikaflex, a waterproof sealant, was launched on the market, opening the doors of the automotive industry to Sika technology in the 80s.
In the 90s, Sika is already a cosmopolitan group that has “conquered” markets in the Far East, Türkiye, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland; Shortly after, he also arrived in Lebanon and Costa Rica, participating in a long list of projects around the world.
The quality of its products and constant innovation have become the determining qualities for the growth of the Swiss group, which in 2010 celebrates its 100th anniversary with subsidiaries in 72 countries and more than 12,000 employees worldwide.