Sika Celebrates 100 Years

Sika Milestones

• 1910 Kaspar Winkler strikes out on his own for the second time and invents “Sika" (Sika-1), a substance which when added to mortar makes it waterproof and causes it to harden rapidly.
• 1911 Kaspar Winkler & Co. is entered into the commercial register.
• 1918 The Swiss National Railways carry out tests to waterproof tunnels of the Gotthard section with “Sika” (Sika®-1). This represents an entrepreneurial breakthrough for Kaspar Winkler & Co. Between 1918 and 1922, 67 tunnels along the Gotthard section are waterproofed with Sika.
• 1921 The first subsidiary: in Southern Germany.
• 1932 In an out-of-court settlement, Winkler had to relinquish the trademark rights for Germany, Italy and other European countries to his former director of foreign operations.
• 1932 Ownership of its first overseas subsidiary: in Japan. During World War II, this subsidiary had to be liquidated. Sika returned to Japan and began its Asian activities in 1952.
• 1932 Plastiment®, first water reducer and retarding densitier for concrete in the market, based on “polyhydroxycarbonicacid”.
• 1934 First South American subsidiary: in Brazil.
• 1949 Transfer of the company from Kaspar Winkler (+1951) to Fritz Schenker.
• 1959 Subsidiary in New Zealand; now for the first time Sika is represented on all the continents.
• 1968 Founding of Sika Finanz AG (today Sika AG).
• 1968 Invention of Sikaflex®.
• 1971 Restructuring: Sika Finanz AG becomes the holding company of the Group. From this point forward there is a genuine Group structure. For the first time the Group is led by a non-family member.
• 1974 Quotation of Sika Finanz AG on the Stock Market.
• 1975 Market launch Sikadur®, Sikagard®, Sikafloor® epoxy mortars, coats and industrial floors.
• 1983 Decision to build up Sika Industry as a second division.
• 1990 Retirement of Romuald Burkard as Chairman of the Board of Directors; from then on, the Executive Board is controlled by non-family members.
• 1996 Distribution becomes a strategic business domain.
• 2000 Market launch of Sika ViscoCrete® SCC self compacting concrete technology.
• 2002 The name of Sika Finanz AG is changed to Sika AG. The functions which Sika (Schweiz) AG had performed for the entire Group, are delegated to its subsidiaries: Sika Technology AG, Sika Services AG.
• 2005 Sika takes over Sarna Kunststoff Holding AG (Number of employees +12%, turnover +14%).
• 2006 Matrix-Structure with four Business Units: “Concrete, Contractors, Distribution, Industry“.
• 2008 Start-up of the ultra-modern Kapaflex production facility for elastic adhesives in Düdingen, Fribourg.