Following the expansion of Sika’s new production facilities in Gauteng, Paul Adams, Managing Director Sika South Africa, is highly optimistic by the encouraging results. A new state-of-the-art, dustless powder plant has been installed at the Sika premises in Isando, quadrupling the output of the current plant in Durban. Sika acquired this Isando site early in 2013; its location being fundamental to ensure the smooth continuity of business and distribution to their local and regional customers.
“Having produced both liquids and powders exclusively in our Westmead, Durban operation, it was imperative that we expand our facilities closer to the Gauteng market,” says Adams. “The new technology employed in this plant overcomes the issues of segregation of aggregates that were used with some of the older designs from the past.
The plant is also virtually fully automatic, being fed by two cement silos and four sand silos, which can clearly be seen from the R21/OR Tambo airport and the Gautrain when leaving OR Tambo. We have also expanded our admixture production facilities in the new plant with a 20 000Lt mixing vessel, necessitated by the substantial growth of our concrete admixture business in Gauteng over the past few years,“ he enthuses.
The new Gauteng offices were officially opened in August 2013; its facilities including a 250 seat auditorium for presentations, three designated training rooms for practical training and demos with Contractors, Architects and Engineers, and a fully functioning concrete laboratory for in house and external testing.
An additional feature is a conference room set up with conference tables, separate desks, a lounge area with a coffee bistro, and Wi-Fi facilities. Sika is offering all this at no cost to their customers who may require off-site meetings with clients near the airport – literally a five minute drive from OR Tambo.
Adams continues: “Over the past two years we have grown Sika’s footprint in South Africa, with new offices in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein and Gauteng, including production facilities, and in most cases we have doubled the size of our office and warehouse space, and some have trippled in size.”
“2013 was a great year for Sika SA, having grown by over 27% on 2012, and the first quarter of 2014 is showing the same momentum having grown by 15% over the first quarter of 2013.” He attributes this to the motivated staff that they employ. “It begins at Sika AG in Switzerland where the motto, “Sika Spirit” has been our slogan for many years and which is most definitely lived over here in SA. Our economy is going through tough times at present, but it is people who make the business, and that’s why Sika only employs the best people, treats them well and retains them.” Adams concludes.
Sika AG, is a globally active specialty chemicals company, whose South African Head Office is based in Durban, along with branches in all major SA cities.
Sika AG, located in Baar, Switzerland, supplies the building and construction industry as well as manufacturing industries (automotive, bus, truck, rail, solar and wind power plants, facades). Sika is a leader in processing materials used in sealing, bonding, damping, reinforcing and protecting load-bearing structures. Sika’s product lines feature high-quality concrete admixtures, specialty mortars, sealants and adhesives, damping and reinforcing materials, structural strengthening systems, industrial flooring as well as roofing and waterproofing systems. Worldwide local presence in 80 countries and some 15 200 employees link customers directly to Sika and guarantee the success of all partners. Sika generated annual sales of CHF 5.14 billion in 2013.
