Sika Expands Asian Presence

Swiss construction chemicals company Sika has expanded its presence in Asia with the opening of two new production plants.

The first facility is located in Myanmar, near Yangon, and makes Sika the country’s first supplier of construction chemicals. Heinz Gisel, Sika’s regional manager Asia-Pacific, said customers would benefit from short production and delivery times as well as concrete admixture compositions that are tailored to local raw materials.

To date, Sika’s additives for high-performance concrete have been used in major construction projects such as Hanthawaddy International Airport and the Friendship bridge connecting Myanmar and Laos. The latest project using Sika products is the Lake Suites hotel, office and apartment complex being built in Yangon.

The second plant, which produces concrete admixtures, is in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Sika said this facility consolidates its leading market position in the country as well as allowing it to participate in Cambodia’s booming construction industry which grew by 20% last year.

According to Sika, the whole of Cambodia lacks infrastructure and this is prompting investments from countries including China, South Korea and Japan.

Under its Strategy 2018 growth program, the Swiss company intends to expand by entering new markets and opening six to eight factories each year.