From Customer to Innovation

Megatrends like CO2 reduction, urbanization, e-mobility, ease of design and lightweight construction are reshaping economies, businesses, and lifestyles. Environmental changes and growing population require cleaner energy and better-functioning cities. These forces are driving the demand for intelligent construction materials and smart mobility systems to ease congestion. Technological answers include smart products which will bring digital intelligence to new places, as sensor-equipped machines become increasingly autonomous thanks to decision-making software.

Technologies for Sustainable Construction and Transportation

Sika targets the development of proprietary technology that provides key performance benefits and allows Sika’s product platforms to respond to global trends, such as resource-saving building methods, energy-efficient and low-emission construction materials, high-speed manufacturing methods, or lighter and safer vehicles.

Sika key projects focus on high-performance molecules with unique features, smart refining techniques for polymers and surfaces, and tailored laboratory equipment allowing quick scale-up to full-size production. In collaboration with technical operations, Sika engineers and researchers also aspire to tighten the comprehensive product assortment, to invest in new component technologies and to simplify processes in production, marketing, and distribution.

CO2 Reduction

Performance is the foundation of sustainability. Sika products take less from the environment and offer more in durability and longevity, which results in a smaller overall environmental footprint.

Working to create industry leading innovations that extend the product life cycle – from concrete and flooring products, to sealants and roofing systems used on buildings and parking garages, bridges and stadiums as well as dams and water treatment facilities — Sika seeks to make a difference in meeting the sustainable challenges the industry and planet face today and tomorrow.

The overall ambition for Sika is to reduce the CO2 footprint in its own operations and by its sustainable solutions. New product formulations in this context consider alternative raw materials, for example as a substitute for sand.

Exemplary technologies:
  • Supplementary Cementitious Materials
  • Waterproofing solution for concrete basement
  • High performance sustainable mortars
  • Synthesizing bio-based PCE superplasticizers
  • Protective coatings for concrete
  • Concrete Reinforcing Fibers

The World Runs Out Of Sand

The world is running out of sand. However, Sika has the solutions to solve this problem in the construction industry. Sand covers much of the earth’s surface, but sand isn’t just sand. In the industrial world, it’s an “aggregate,” a category that includes gravel, crushed stone, and various recycled materials. Natural aggregate is the world’s second most heavily exploited natural resource after water, and for many uses the right kind is scarce or inaccessible.

Saving Energy with Cool Roofs

The benefits of solar-reflective materials and colors are well known and understood, especially in warm climates around the world. With urban density increasing, the heat-island effect impacts cities at an ever increasing rate.

Basement Waterproofing: Best Performance on the Ground

Basement Waterproofing can be achieved with loosely laid membrane systems, which protect any concrete structure up to the highest requirements. Systems such as the thermoplastic Sikaplan compartment system (Sikaplan TDB) are designed for long-term durability and are easy to apply. They include accessories and special solutions up to last and complex detail.

SolaRoof®: Becoming Energy self-sufficient

The importance of rooftop solar applications was recognized early by Sika, because its Solar Reflective (SR) membranes can increase the performance of Photovoltaic (PV) panels.

Sika SmartCore Technology

High Performance Toughening Agent: The SmartCore Technology provides exceptional impact resistance designed to withstand dynamic stresses. It allows Sika to formulate SikaPower® two component cold curing epoxies. This bridges the performance gap to one component heat curing epoxy systems traditionally used to bond automotive lightweight structures and the cold curing 2C-epoxy systems used in construction. Markets: Transportation, Wind, General Industry, Agricultural and Construction Vehicles

Sika Supports Sustainable Research

Hybrid construction, combining wood with concrete and/or steel, has become a promising opportunity for sustainable architecture.

Urbanization

Urbanization is one of the most prominent megatrends. It is characterized by greater diversification, more high-rise buildings, larger building complexes, and growing demand for infrastructure services. At the same time, the quality requirements that buildings have to meet are rising in response to increased safety and sustainability reagulations, lack of space, or dense traffic. Sika provides the solutions to overcome these challenges in collaboration with customers and is set to benefit from these trends.

 

 
Exemplary technologies:
  • High performance concrete
  • Sikasil to insulate glass facade elements
  • SikaProof A+  

Sika Supports Sustainable Research

Hybrid construction, combining wood with concrete and/or steel, has become a promising opportunity for sustainable architecture.

Thermal Insulation: Minimizing carbon footprint

Thermal insulation is the key to creating a comfortable environment inside of a building. At the same time, it is also the key to saving energy. Sika provides a wide range of high performance thermal insulation specially designed and manufactured for optimal performance as part of the Sika roofing systems.

SikaProof® A - fully bonded sheet membrane system

SikaProof® A is an innovative fully bonded sheet membrane system for damp- and waterproofing in basement and below ground structures. Its highly flexible polyolefin membrane, with a special sealant grid and nonwoven fleece provide a unique, mechanical bond effect to the concrete structure and prevent any lateral water underflow between the membrane and the concrete.

Eco-Efficiency in Roof Refurbishment

Minimizing site waste in roof refurbishment

Concrete Technology

Sika develops and markets a complete range of admixtures and additives for use in concrete, cement and mortar production. These products enhance specific properties of the fresh and hardened concrete, such as workability, watertightness, durability, or early and final strength.

Lightweight Construction

Light, comfortable vehicles with more electrification components are becoming a standard in the automotive industry. Sika is helping to drive this trend with structural and heat-conductive adhesives and products for damping and reinforcing body construction.

Technologies for the Automotive Industry
E-car batteries
SikaPower® MBX  

First Body Shop adhesive able to absorb tensions caused by different thermal elongations.

Sikaflex® UHM  

First Semi Structural 1C-PUR suitable for mixed bonding in the assembly line.

SikaForce® Powerflex
(2C-UHM)  

Semi-structural 2C-PUR with unique mechanical and cure performance - under development.

SikaForce®-757x

Unique Elastic  2C-PUR products for PC and plastic bonding  (roof and tailgate) - under development.

Ease of Design and Application

The construction industry is always changing and evolving. For example, prefabrication and modular construction have both increased in popularity over the last couple of years. Both trends are energy efficient and cost-effective, which is ideal at a time when most material prices are rising. But not only. Complex requirements due to global and local construction standards require a lot of knowledge. With an overall ease of design, the actual work on the construction sites therefore has to be facilitated. Sika technologies are sophisticated in terms of performance and sustainability, but easy to apply.  

 

Optimizing Gypsum Wallboard Fabrication

Sika provides the gypsum industry with tailor-made additive solutions for a cost-effective wallboard production based on innovative technologies like ViscoCrete® and Retardan®.

SikaProof® A - fully bonded sheet membrane system

SikaProof® A is an innovative fully bonded sheet membrane system for damp- and waterproofing in basement and below ground structures. Its highly flexible polyolefin membrane, with a special sealant grid and nonwoven fleece provide a unique, mechanical bond effect to the concrete structure and prevent any lateral water underflow between the membrane and the concrete.

Concrete Technology

Sika develops and markets a complete range of admixtures and additives for use in concrete, cement and mortar production. These products enhance specific properties of the fresh and hardened concrete, such as workability, watertightness, durability, or early and final strength.

Productivity Improvement

3-D Printing

The formerly so called “brick and mortar” industry has entered the digital age. The digital push is accelerating. Processes which are digitalized from start to finish raise standards and increase construction speed. The value chain is changing fundamentally, from 3D planning to digital processes carried out on the construction site but also in the manufacturing process. Digitalization does not depend on new tools and new software; it is more about the mindset. Initially, it is all a question of the right business model – the process requirements and the essential technologies will follow, allowing the construction sector to exploit the massive potential of digitalization. It is unstoppable.

 

Highspeed 3-D Printing

Highspeed 3-D Printing has become reality: Automated technologies such as 3-D printing, extrusion, the use of artificial intelligence and virtual reality will revolutionize the construction industry - in particular 3-D printing technology is considered a driver for a paradigm shift in concrete industrialization.

Crack Evaluation by Artificial Intelligence

From SIRI to self-driving cars, artificial intelligence (AI) is progressing rapidly. AI can encompass anything from Google’s search algorithms to IBM’s Watson to artificial neuronal networks (ANN). Sika is now doing corresponding research in the domain of thermoplastic systems.

Selected Key Achievements

Application system for high-precision concrete 3D printing

Novel amine hardeners for flooring and coatings

High-end micro fibers for shotcrete/precast concrete