Sika AG names Schuler to succeed LafargeHolcim-bound CEO Jenisch

A 20-year Sika AG veteran and chief executive officer since 2012, Jan Jenisch will transition in the same capacity to Swiss peer, LafargeHolcim Ltd., in mid-October. LafargeHolcim Chairman Beat Hess calls Jenisch “a CEO widely respected for consistently delivering strong business results [who] comes with a deep understanding of the building materials sector. His agile leadership style and personal skills will be a good fit with our company culture and management team.”

Jan Jenisch

While at the helm of the parent company of New Jersey-based Sika Corp., Jenisch has overseen entry into new markets beyond core concrete admixture, building material and automotives finish businesses. During his CEO tenure, Sika AG market capitalization has tripled, to about $15 billion, and the company has joined the Swiss Market Index.

“[LafargeHolcim] is an iconic company and global leader in the building materials industry with enormous future potential,” notes Jenisch, who will succeed LafargeHolcim’s charter CEO Eric Olsen.

Promptly responding to the Jenisch departure, Baar, Switzerland-based Sika AG has named as successor Paul Schuler. The 29-year company veteran will step into the chief executive post July 1 after 10 years as regional manager, first for North America and presently Europe Middle East Africa. Company officials credit Schuler with playing “a key role in developing and executing successful strategy. His contributions include high growth rates, significant improvements in efficiency and profitability as well as responsibility for major acquisitions.”

Paul Schuler

“[Paul Schuler] has been a member of the Group Management for more than 10 years and has a highly successful track record in his leadership of two out of four Sika regions. His competent and energetic leadership style will ensure the continuation of Sika’s growth strategy,” says Chairman Paul Hälg, who separately recognizes Jenisch for “outstanding leadership and accomplishments over the past 20 years [and leading] Sika to a new performance level.”

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LAFARGEHOLCIM’S PNEUMATIC TANKER HATCH NABS SAFETY AWARD

Kent Korf, maintenance technician at LafargeHolcim’s Valley City, N.D., plant poses here with the pneumatic hatch control panel.

LafargeHolcim was recognized by the Portland Cement Association for its pneumatic hatch program during the PCA 2017 Spring Board Meeting and Fly-In in Washington, D.C. The company received the Safety Innovation Award for the system, which was designed through a collaboration between Bismarck, N.D.-based Pivotal Edge and LafargeHolcim Territory Sales Manager – Dakotas Brad Beyer.

“In 2015, the cement industry experienced two safety incidents related to tanker trucks that LafargeHolcim was determined to avoid in the future,” explains Rob Innis, director, Transportation Operations at LafargeHolcim. “In the U.S., we took a two-pronged approach to truck safety, looking at pneumatic hatches as well as safety racks for trucks.”

Installing pneumatic hatches on tanker trucks is an important safety feature because it eliminates the need for drivers to climb on equipment, decreasing risks of falls and reducing loading time. The pneumatic system is packaged into a neat and simple unit comprising of a control panel; a swing lid hatch with pivots; an inflatable bladder ring used to seal the hatch lid for trailer pressurization; a main air cylinder used for hatch opening and closing; and, an air line used to transfer air from the control box to the top of the trailer for hatch operation. The system requires air provided by one of the trailer air storage supply tanks and is DOT-approved with air system protection from other trailer air functions.

Since safety is the company’s top priority, LafargeHolcim requires fall protection for hatch installation due to working on top of a pneumatic trailer. A trained maintenance technician at a LafargeHolcim facility is able to install the pneumatic hatch or it can be done by the hatch vendor at a customer site. The process can be accomplished with basic tools and available instructions.

LafargeHolcim also led an initiative to have the pneumatic hatches installed in the tankers used by the company’s third-party carriers. “Through the LafargeHolcim pneumatic hatch program, we’ve offered incentives to our contractors, provided informational videos and even approached insurance companies,” says Innis. “LafargeHolcim is proud of our ongoing commitment to safety, which drives us to find innovative solutions wherever needed.”

Since its launch, a total of 614 hatches have been installed through the U.S.-based pneumatic hatch program, including 115 hatches by 26 of LafargeHolcim’s customers.