Sika plans competencies center in Romania to serve Central Eastern European markets

Sika Romania, which produces chemical materials for constructions, will invest in a new competencies center in Brasov, which will serve the local market, as well as the Central and Eastern European markets. The center will cover 1,200 sqm and will comprise labs were products will be developed and tested, as well as conference halls to train Sika's employees, and the existing competencies center for facades, which has been active since 2011. All these will be close to Sika's headquarters and its factory in Brasov, and should become functional in 2014. A showroom will also be incorporated for clients to test Sika's products, according to Ileana Nicolae, general manager of Sika Romania (in picture). This is the second investment Sika makes locally this year, after taking over a production hall and equipment from Deutek, which should become Sika's dry mortars factory this fall. Sika, based in Switzerland, has subsidiaries in 80 countries and 15,200 employees world wide. In Romania, it has been active since 2002, and has been running its Brasov factory since 2008. It plans to open its second factory in Romania, at Căpuşu Mare in Cluj county this year. In the first half of this year, the company posted net sales of some EUR 1.9 billion world wide, and a profit after tax of some EUR 114 million (converted from CHF). editor@romania-insider.com (photo source: Sika Romania)