Quality

Sika is commited to a comprehensive quality and service culture.
"Quality First" is the standard by which every production process, every workplace and every member of staff is measured.
So it comes as no surprise to learn that the quality systems of all established Sika companies are certified with the ISO 9001:2000 series of international standards. Our understanding of quality of service means meeting the needs and wishes of our customers as promptly and efficiently as possible.

Trust in Sika products creates the bond with customers
The customer is king. For Sika employees it is thus imperative to attain the highest quality in their work. Manufacturing and business processes in all business units are continuously improved and further developed to produce more quickly, better and more cost effectively for our customers.

Quality and customer satisfaction are for Sika always and everywhere the measure of all things. All over the world on construction sites and in industry, the Group’s specialty chemicals are put to work. With these products, load-bearing structures are sealed, bonded, damped, protected and reinforced. The quality of the products is decisive in securing the trust of customers. Sika’s quality concept comprises three aspects: the individual product quality, the quality of the relationship to customers and partners, and the quality of service. Comprehensive service and competent advice is especially important in customer relationships because Sika products are process materials that undergo changes in use. The damping material SikaBaffle’ for example foams when an auto body is heated. The epoxy adhesive Sikadur? becomes rock hard upon application, thereby durably bonding concrete components weighing tons. Sika? ViscoCrete? enables the user to control the consistency and curing time of concrete precisely, adjusting it optimally to specific requirements.

Integrating product and advice
Sika understands itself not just as a product supplier, but rather offers the customer complete solutions that consist of products, advice and onsite service. Customer consultants begin by analyzing the customer’s needs precisely and suggesting a solution that best suits the application area. The company places great value on product documentation that is readily understandable for the user. Sales representatives in the field, usually chemical or construction engineers, support customers on a construction site or in a production facility to ensure trouble-free application of process materials. Through an instrument for Customer Relationship Management, now introduced internationally, Sika records customer relationship assessments quantitatively in order to derive continuous improvements.

Long-standing development partnerships in the automobile industry or the implementation of innovative Sika solutions for prestigious construction projects throughout the world, for example the SutongBridge in China or the Letzigrund Stadium in Switzerland, bear testimony to the trust that customers worldwide place in Sika.

Global quality standards
Ceaselessly high product quality at competitive prices – this is the goal of all Sika production plants. In order to attain this Sika sets obligatory standards for raw materials, formulations and processes as well as in equipment and quality requirements. Business area related expert teams ensure at local and also at Group level that standards are upheld, offering the necessary support to this end. These interdisciplinary teams are made up of Sika specialists from research and development, engineering and quality assurance as well as marketing.

Highest quality is a Group obligation. Sika products are therefore only released for market entry after their properties both in application as well as in durability have been examined comprehensively and tested under realistic conditions according to defined procedures. Internal and external standards and audits thereby assure a uniformly high quality of testing.

Audits and certifications
In 2007 Sika passed all repeat audits: 14 in accordance with ISO 9001:2000 (quality) and 14 in conformance with ISO 14001 (environment). Of the 62 (55) producing companies (acquisitions and reorganizations included), 55 (51) received a quality certification and 47 (46) an environmental certification by the end of the year under review. It is our goal to have two further companies ISO 9001-certified and at least two others obtain the environmental certification by the end of 2008.

Sika’s management system for optimization of process cycles and product quality also conforms to the detailed guidelines of the automobile industry. The six locations that supply the automobile industry passed their annual monitoring audits for certification according to the process-oriented TS 16949 of the automobile industry as well as numerous demanding customer audits. Certification and successful customer audit completion are prerequisites for Class A supplier status, which Sika holds with all leading automobile manufacturers.

Learning from the best
The company continuously optimizes its manufacturing processes with the objective of producing faster, better and more cost-effectively for our customers. To do this, engineers and economists simplify and make the existing processes more flexible. Oftentimes small adjustments lead to significant improvements. In addition Sika pursues new technical solutions that advance productivity and quality still further. External and internal comparisons and process analyses demonstrate further potential for improvement. Sika also takes unconventional paths. We try to learn from industries that at first glance do not have much in common with our own. For example, Sika analyzes procedures and processes in the food industry, which mixes, kneads, fills and packs, just as Sika does.

Learning from the best also holds true internally. Internal communication measures promote the exchange of know-how and see to it that success stories and experiences are made available as far as possible to all Sika employees.

The “Sounding Board” is also a great success, at which specific themes can be discussed and experiences exchanged between the best employees and decision makers in the Group. In addition, selected leading indicators for each company help to compare the individual Sika units and the efficiency of manufacturing facilities at different production locations in order to align with the best in the Group.