Sika AG has acquired a 30 percent interest in Concria Oy, a Finnish startup whose Optimal Slab concrete floor installation and polishing technology offers a wide range of advantages to contractors, architects, and industrial or commercial property owners. The firm’s novel approach to decorative or performance slabs includes special dry shake hardeners, nanosilica agents, plus unique grinding and polishing procedures and tools.
“Our global manufacturing footprint and sales force will facilitate production and marketing of the Concria technology across the globe,” says Sika AG Head of Construction Ivo Schaedler. “At the same time, the rollout will promote additional sales of Sika products complementary to the Concria offering. We look forward to a successful collaboration with the Concria team.”
POLYCARBOXYLATE ADMIXTURE PRODUCTION CAPACITY BOOST
Sika AG has announced further investment in polymer production capacity at the Sika Corp. admixture plant in Sealy, Texas plant. The operation’s second such outlay in five years will yield higher volumes of the chemical building blocks underpinning the ViscoCrete family of admixtures for self-consolidating, high slump and cement-optimized concrete mixes.
Public construction initiatives such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs and Inflation Reduction Acts unlock business opportunities for a broad range of Sika solutions, management notes, adding: “With goals to revitalize America’s infrastructure, there will be increased investments in large-scale developments and expansion of energy and water facilities. Furthermore, reshoring efforts to relocate international manufacturing to the USA fuels the construction of new factories, particularly in the batteries and semiconductors sectors. Among developed countries, the USA’s demand for concrete additives is projected to experience the most rapid growth, maintaining a compounded annual growth rate of 3.4 percent and reaching $3.6 billion by 2026.”
Along with supporting increased ViscoCrete shipments, adds Sika AG Regional Manager Americas Mike Campion, the Sealy plant investment “aligns with the global shift towards more sustainable construction—specifically the requirements for lower embodied carbon concrete.”
Proprietary polymers enable Sika Corp. to tailor ViscoCrete admixtures for projects requiring self-consolidating concrete and other performance mixes.
One of three Concria Optimal Slab options, Deco features a namesake topping, Fast Power polishing system, Trowel Hard finishing aid and hardener, plus Shield superhydrophobic sealer.