Product category:
Adhesives, threadlockers and other consumables
News Release from: Sika
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 11 October 2005
Adhesives and abrasives come together
Sika has joined forces with sia Abrasives (GB) to form the sia Sika Alliance, a strategic partnership offering a complete innovative solution for the automotive repair industry.
Sika has joined forces with sia Abrasives (GB) to form the sia Sika Alliance, a strategic partnership offering a complete innovative solution for the automotive repair industry With effect from 1st January 2006, Sika's joint venture with sia Abrasives, one of the world's largest abrasives manufacturers, brings together two traditional, yet highly dynamic global Swiss companies, bringing significant benefits for customers and employees, as well as exciting opportunities for growth within both businesses
Through this alliance, customers can access a broader portfolio combining leading and differentiated abrasive technology with a comprehensive range of high performance adhesives, sealants and sealers backed with professional expertise, unified customer application and technical support.
Welcoming the move, Tony Buchan, Sika's General Manager, Industry Division says the multi-million-pound alliance with sia Abrasives is aimed at business growth with a doubling of turnover envisaged within three years.
"This alliance is taking place to significantly grow and develop the marketplace to the benefit of customers, employees and the businesses, with each company retaining its separate manufacturing operations".
"We do not envisage any adverse effect on jobs".
"The focus is on business growth, combined with increased resources, opportunities and support for our customers across the UK".
"We are responding directly to our customers' needs with complementary product portfolios which will be developed even further as the alliance moves forward in the future".
"The crash body repair market is a growing, yet changing marketplace that is becomingly increasingly complex due to modern vehicle design, higher safety specifications, greater use of different materials in vehicle construction and legislative changes", continues Buchan.
"Hence the formation of the sia Sika Alliance to ensure a first-class advantaged service providing a higher level of customer support over our competitors in the marketplace".
"We recognise that as the job of the crash body repairer has become more challenging and highly specialised, the need for more practical product application advice and support is more critical than ever".
"Through the sia Sika alliance, we can offer a real alternative in the marketplace with a product range covering everything from sanders, sealers and adhesives to surface finishers", adds Buchan.
Commenting on the alliance, General Manager of sia Abrasives (GB), Kevin Lyons says: "sia Abrasives is delighted with this exciting development and is convinced that it will generate great benefits all round".
"The coming together of two well-established quality Swiss brands will bring real added value to our customers in this fiercely competitive marketplace".
With approximately 30 million cars on the UK's increasingly congested roads, the multi-million-pound crash body repair industry is rapidly evolving as modern vehicle design and technological advances makes crash repairs a more demanding and complicated process.
According to statistics from leading European insurance companies, the average cost of a vehicle repair is now GBP 1500.
With new legislation requiring the repaired vehicle to be returned to its original design and safety specification, the job of the repairer has become more specialised than ever before.
The synergy created by the sia Sika Alliance offers crash body repairers the complete product and technical solution to meet the specific requirements of the industry.
In the automotive aftermarket, Sika specialises in innovative customer-oriented solutions for AGR (after glass repair) and CBR (crash body repair) sectors based on products that meet or even exceed the car manufacturer's original specification.
Sika's AGR and CBR adhesives and sealants are characterised by outstanding working properties and mechanical strengths ensuring repaired vehicles are returned to their original build specification.
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