SIKA LAUNCHES ITS NEW PURFORM® POLYURETHANE TECHNOLOGY AND INVESTS IN PRODUCTION FACILITIES IN DÜDINGEN

SIKA LAUNCHES ITS NEW PURFORM® POLYURETHANE TECHNOLOGY AND INVESTS IN PRODUCTION FACILITIES IN DÜDINGEN

Sika, the world's biggest manufacturer of adhesives and sealants for the building sector and automotive industry, has developed a new polyurethane technology, which it is launching onto the market under the PURFORM® brand. The new polymers will first be integrated into Sika's top seller Sikaflex®, as well as into liquid applied membranes. This innovation brings important benefits for customers: the products have an improved performance profile, are even more enduring, and have a strong sustainability profile. Investments in the associated production facilities were recently made at the Düdingen site.

Polyurethanes have many different applications in the construction sector and automotive industry. For example, polyurethane-based joints are used in the weather-resistant sealing of facade elements on buildings, or to affix building components in infrastructure expansion or interior finishings with adhesives. These high-performance solutions are also used in the bonding of body components and battery systems for electric vehicles.

Thanks to its new PURFORM® technology, from 2021 on Sika will be supplying customers with products that not only satisfy the highest standards in terms of performance, but that are also in line with the upcoming stricter REACH regulations for enhanced health and safety safeguards for users.

INCREASED PERFORMANCE WITH MORE BENEFITS FOR CUSTOMERS
Sika products that use PURFORM® can offer customers major advantages. These include the process efficiency brought by less surface preparation with a simultaneous improvement in adhesive properties. The new technology also makes reliable, stress cracking-free bonding of plastics possible, and delivers the best compatibility with sensitive surfaces such as natural stone. Products using the new technology can be extremely weather-resistant and can withstand exposure to UV light outdoors for considerably longer. Thanks to their high durability, they are also significantly more sustainable.

EXPANSION INVESTMENT IN SWITZERLAND
The next generation of polyurethanes will be produced at the Düdingen site, which is home to one of Sika's largest manufacturing plants in Europe. By investing in this expansion, Sika is securing jobs in Switzerland over the long term.

Frank Höfflin, Chief Technology Officer: "With the development of the new PURFORM® technology, our experts have created a further growth platform for Sika, with which we can expand our leading position. In line with our principle 'more performance, more sustainability,' we are rigorously implementing our Strategy 2023 from the viewpoint of sustainable, high-performance innovations. With our future-oriented solutions, we are the market leader and enable sustainable construction and transportation."

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

SIKA AG CORPORATE PROFILE
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. Sika has subsidiaries in 100 countries around the world and manufactures in over 300 factories. Its 25,000 employees generated annual sales of CHF 8.1 billion in 2019. At the end of 2019, Sika won the Swiss Technology Award for an innovative new adhesive technology.

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