SAO PAULO, Brazil — Specialty chemicals manufacturer Sika Corp. said it is tapping into the future potential of the automotive sector in Latin America by opening a new factory for adhesives and acoustic products in Sao Paulo.
The company claims that “more than 25 million vehicles produced worldwide are made stronger and safer” with Sika Automotive's structural adhesives, “while its acoustic systems reduce interior noise by more than 30 percent.”
The new Sao Paolo factory and its adjoining Technology Center will manufacture adhesives and a wide range of acoustic products for the automotive market in Latin America. According to the company, its high-performance technologies are used in various applications — including acoustic and sealing applications — to reduce the noise level in cars, or to structurally bond vehicle body shells.
Bonding technology has “huge advantages over welding and helps the automotive industry respond to current trends in modern vehicle construction, such as crash resistance, lightweight construction and mixed material design,” Sika said.
In 2011 Sika A.G. acquired Antioquia, Colombia-based Colauto Adesivos e Massas Ltda., a manufacturer of adhesives and sealants as well as acoustic damping and damping and structural reinforcement elements for Latin America's expanding automotive and transportation industry.
Dave Jones, Sika's head of global automotive, said that following the Colauto acquisition, “we remain strongly committed to the region's automotive industry and are investing further in the expansion of our product portfolio and production capacities.”
He added that Sika is “devoted to locally serve our customers and offer them our full range of innovative products. We are proud to be able to provide our global product range in Brazil to international car makers such as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford, General Motors, Volkswagen and Toyota.”
Sika has subsidiaries in 93 countries worldwide with more than 170 manufacturing facilities and approximately 17,000 employees. In 2015 the firm generated annual sales of 5.49 billion Swiss francs (CHF).