Sika Automotive Earns Accolades from Frost & Sullivan for its Range of Next-generation Automotive Adhesives

Sika's client-oriented approach to product development helps it impart true value to customers' operations by reducing vehicle weight while enhancing comfort and safety

SANTA CLARA,California,Aug. 15,2018 -- Based on its recent analysis of the North America automotive adhesives and sealants market,Frost & Sullivan recognizes Sika Automotive (Sika) with the 2018 North America Product Leadership Award for its best-in-class range of automotive adhesives. The extensive portfolio is comprised of SikaPower®,SikaSeal®,SikaDamp®,SikaBaffle®,SikaFlex®,and SikaReinforcer®,which improve vehicles' stiffness,crash durability,assembly efficiency,and fatigue performance. Sika's portfolio also includes SikaForce®,SikaMelt®,SikaTherm®,SikaSense®,and Sikasil®,which help resolve a variety of assembly challenges. In addition to this spectrum of products,the company also offers outstanding value through its exceptional customer service.

2018 North American Automotive Adhesives and Sealants Product Leadership Award

Sika's vast line of bonding,sealing,damping,and reinforcing products serve both automotive original equipment manufacturers and component suppliers. Its application scope covers the installation of glass to vehicles,seam seals in the paint shop,crash,structural and assembly adhesives,reinforcement technologies,acoustic technology,dural and non-dural damping patches,additional adhesives and sealants for interior lamination,glass roof assembly,and tailgate bonding.

"Sika offers value-added innovations focused on addressing specific customer needs,such as comfort and safety,while reducing weight,improving fuel efficiency,and lowering emissions," said Soundarya Gowrishankar,Industry Analyst at Frost & Sullivan. "Its solutions for lightweighting can help achieve up to 40% weight reduction in the car body in white while saving 400,000 tons of steel each year through SikaPower® and SikaSeal®. Globally,nearly 25 million vehicles per year are lighter,stronger,and safer due to Sika's BIW products. Additionally more than 50% of vehicles manufactured each year use Sika products."

The company's powerful adhesives in the extensive SikaPower® product portfolio enable lighter weight,high-performance structures,and help create a new generation of car body concepts,including strengths in multi-material bonding. Similarly,SikaSeal® has a unique and special performance property that prevents bond line read through; the primary use of this product is for mastic and anti-flutter applications. The adhesive allows the usage of thinner metals,thus providing significant weight savings for a vehicle.

Sika's versatile Sikaflex® portfolio is consistently innovated and includes new products not only for glass bonding but also for general assembly. The diversification of the range is extensive and fulfills an ever changing field of requirements; Ultra-High modulus materials satisfying rigid bondline requirements and Ultra-Low modulus materials providing unique read through property resolution.

Acknowledging the intensifying demand for vehicle safety,Sika launched and continues to innovate the unrivaled SikaReinforcer®,a heat-reactive material that combines with proprietary SikaStructure® to reinforce vehicle body structures. It lowers noise vibration harshness,enhances local stiffness,and improves crash performance while enabling overall weight reduction and potentially saving 50,000 tons of steel annually. Sika also strives to maximize comfort for vehicle users by blocking out noise using its SikaBaffle®,a heat-reactive thermoplastic designed to seal body cavities,and damping tuned frequency vibrations with SikaDamp® to eliminate structure borne noise intrusion.

"Sika's market and technology leadership is a result of aligning its remarkable capabilities and resources to provide competitive,tailored solutions that generate sustainable business value for its customers," noted Gowrishankar. "As the product range serves much deeper applications than vehicle assembly,Sika is well positioned to make the most of upcoming trends in the automotive industry."

Each year,Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that develops a product with innovative features and functionality that is gaining rapid market acceptance. The award recognizes the quality of the solution and the customer value enhancements it enables.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership,technological innovation,customer service,and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews,analysis,and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

About Sika Automotive

SIKA CORPORATE PROFILE

Sika is a specialty chemicals company with a leading position in the development and production of systems and products for bonding,reinforcing and protecting in the building sector and motor vehicle industry. Sika has subsidiaries in 101 countries around the world and manufactures in over 200 factories. Its more than 18,000 employees generated annual sales of CHF 6.25 billion in 2017.

SIKA AUTOMOTIVE is a leader in the development and the production of high performance acoustic,bonding,reinforcing and sealing systems that contribute to Lighter,Stronger,Safer,Quieter,Greener and more sustainable approaches to vehicle assembly. Sika Automotive provides automotive manufacturers and suppliers with proven materials,application engineering and validation expertise to enhance interior sound quality,improve occupant comfort and increase structural and safety performance in vehicles worldwide. A proud recipient of the 2015 Automotive News PACE Award for mixed material bonding technology,a 2018 recipient of a Best Practices Award in Body Shop Adhesives from Frost and Sullivan,and recipient of a 2018 Altair Enlighten award,Sika Automotive leverages development of new solutions from our 20 Global Technology Centers plus 18 Regional Technology Centers,allowing for global reach with local presence. For more information,visit www.sikaautomotive.com.

About Frost & Sullivan

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Claudia Toscano

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