SIKA builds stronger Northern America and Latin America operations while expanding into Mexico
The Board of Directors of Sika has decided to set up a new, strong region Americas. The aim is to create a more efficient supply chain and benefit from larger purchasing volumes in the closely intertwined regions of North and Latin America. This change will take effect as of March 1, 2018.
The new region will be headed by Christoph Ganz, currently Regional Manager North America. José Luis Vazquez, the present Regional Manager Latin America, will leave Group Management from March 1, 2018. He will remain in the company to support the new structure and further development of the region. José Luis Vazquez has led Latin America for many years, and the region has shown exceptional performance under his leadership. The Board of Directors wishes to thank José Luis Vazquez for his excellent work and for his many years of service as a member of Group Management.
Paul Schuler, CEO: “This change is a further step towards making the company even more efficient and gearing activities towards growth with a clear customer focus. I have no doubt that, with our new structure and the experienced Group Management team, we will strengthen the implementation of our strategic targets 2020.”
This news coincides with Sika’s acquisition of certain assets of Grupo Industrial Alce in Mexico. As a result Sika will extend its range of solutions for roofing and waterproofing customers, and further expand its manufacturing footprint in Mexico to better serve the Mexico City metropolitan area.
The addition of Grupo Industrial Alce’s well-known brands will reinforce Sika’s position in key project management and specification selling. The product offerings of the two companies are highly complementary and will allow Sika to become market leader in bituminous membranes and number two in liquid-applied membranes in the fast-growing Mexican market. Furthermore, the addition of the production facility located close to Mexico City, results in a perfect geographical fit and is fully aligned with Sika’s strategy to expand its presence and local supply chain in growing markets.
José Luis Vázquez, Regional Manager Latin America: “Already having a strong position in the distribution sales channels, the addition of the acquired highly recognized brands will increase our penetration into key projects and support our growth strategy. The added production capacity will also enable Sika Mexico to expand its portfolio of locally produced solutions for roofing and waterproofing. We welcome the new employees into the Sika team and look forward to growing our business together.”
