SIKA PRESENTS STRATEGIC “FAST FORWARD” PROGRAM FOR PROFITABLE GROWTH AND DIGITAL LEADERSHIP

SIKA PRESENTS STRATEGIC “FAST FORWARD” PROGRAM FOR PROFITABLE GROWTH AND DIGITAL LEADERSHIP

• Investments of CHF 120 to 150 million to drive digital excellence
• Non-recurring costs of CHF 80 to 100 million in 2025 for structural adjustments in China and efficiency measures in other markets
• Expected annual savings of CHF 150 to 200 million with full impact as of 2028
• Strategy 2028 confirmed. Target of 3-6% sales growth in local currencies excludes market growth element 

Sika will present “Fast Forward”, its strategic investment and efficiency program, at today’s investor and media conference. With this comprehensive package of measures, the company is accelerating its digital transformation to increase customer value, strengthen its supply chain, and enhance operational efficiency. Sika’s leading market position is built on targeted innovations, increased market penetration, and complementary acquisitions. Even in an environment of uncertainty, Sika is outgrowing markets and achieving market-leading profitability. 

Thomas Hasler, CEO: “Sika is launching its “Fast Forward” program from a position of strength. We have the highest profit margin ever and with “Fast Forward”, we are making Sika fit for the future. This includes targeted investments in digitalization and efficiency for even greater proximity to our customers around the world. Our goal is to become the digital leader in our construction markets – as a foundation for further growth and to strengthen our high profitability in the long term. At the same time, we are aligning our organization to market opportunities, especially in China, where we are strengthening our competitiveness by making targeted adjustments. The construction and automotive sectors are experiencing a transition toward increasingly digitalized processes and electrification. We are ideally positioned to benefit from this global structural trend. In addition, there is a growing pent-up demand in many market segments around the world, which will lead to increased investment in coming years.”

EFFICIENCY MEASURES
Within the framework of the “Fast Forward” program, Sika implements structural adjustments in China as well as measures to drive higher efficiency in other markets, with anticipated one-off costs of CHF 80 to 100 million incurring in 2025. The measures are aimed at optimizing the production network and streamlining the organizational structure.

INVESTMENTS IN DIGITAL EXCELLENCE AND MARKET LEADERSHIP
At the same time, Sika will invest CHF 120 to 150 million to accelerate the digital transformation of its entire value chain in order to gain a competitive edge and position itself as a digital industry leader. The investments will be spread over the entire duration of the program until 2028. Sika expects annual savings of CHF 150 to 200 million, with the full impact from 2028 onward. Around CHF 80 million of the savings are expected to take effect in 2026. The program will lay the foundation for a sustainable contribution to profitability. Sika will invest in the following key core areas as part of “Fast Forward”:

Increased customer value
To enhance customer convenience, Sika is simplifying collaboration along its entire value chain and designing processes that are data-driven, faster, and more efficient. Investments are being made in the accelerated global rollout of the Group CRM platform, the expansion of the digital lab, and high-performance data and analytics platforms. By leveraging data from all R&D centers worldwide, Sika creates regional and technological synergies to increase efficiencies and speed in the development of new solutions. This will be a key driver of long-term growth and greater customer benefits.

Strengthen the supply chainand operational efficiency
Sika is gearing its global supply chain and operations toward efficiency, speed, and service quality. This includes measures such as implementing scalable digital factory concepts with automated shop floor management as well as targeted logistics optimizations, which will increase the supply chain’s operational agility as well as its performance. Operational efficiency will be boosted by systematically digitalizing and harmonizing core business processes.

CHINA – CENTRAL TO SIKA’S GLOBAL GROWTH STRATEGY
In the medium term, China remains a central growth market for Sika. China is a maturing market with gradually rising demand for refurbishment, stricter quality standards and building codes. Sika is perfectly positioned to benefit from these developments as they lead to an increased penetration rate of Sika’s high-performance solutions.

China already plays an important role in the international construction industry and is one of the strongest drivers of global construction and infrastructure projects. Chinese companies have made investments and executed construction projects abroad totaling around USD 2.5 trillion since 2005 and are continuing along their expansion path. At the same time, China’s importance in the global automotive industry continues to grow. Chinese manufacturers are expected to reach a market share of 33% by 2030 and play a pioneering role in the area of electromobility. Sika has built strong relationships with Chinese contractors and car manufacturers in China and can provide them with the same high-quality solutions and service wherever they build or operate. The international expansion of these accounts opens up attractive opportunities for the company.

SIKA CORPORATE PROFILE
Sika is a specialty chemicals company with a globally leading position in the development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing, and protection in the building sector and industry. Sika has subsidiaries in 102 countries around the world, produces in over 400 factories, and develops innovative technologies for customers worldwide. In doing so, it plays a crucial role in enabling the transformation of the construction and transportation industries toward greater environmental compatibility. In 2024, Sika’s more than 34,000 employees generated annual sales of CHF 11.76 billion.

CONTACT
Dominik Slappnig
Corporate Communications and
Investor Relations
+41 58 436 68 21
slappnig.dominik@ch.sika.com

The media release can be downloaded from the following link:
Media Release