Sika drives growth in tunneling and mining through IndustryOS partnership

Digitalization is a key element of Sika’s Fast Forward program. The company is accelerating the digital transformation of its value chain to increase customer benefits and improve operational efficiency. The IndustryOS partnership supports this strategy by extending Sika’s digital product offering into underground applications.

Sika is a leader in concrete admixtures and sprayed concrete solutions for tunneling and mining, with over 100 years’ experience in providing solutions for the largest and most technically complex projects. The tunneling and mining markets offer attractive long-term growth opportunities for Sika. According to GlobalData, the worldwide tunnel construction project pipeline stands at USD 1.25 trillion. Continued urbanization and investments in metro systems, high-speed rail, and broader transport infrastructure are expected to drive sustained construction activity in the tunneling sector. At the same time, growing demand for critical raw materials, driven by the rapid expansion of AI and digital infrastructure, as well as the global energy transition and electrification, is accelerating investment in the mining sector. 

Through its partnership with IndustryOS, Sika will offer the Safecrete and Safewall product lines to customers specializing in tunneling and mining worldwide.The Safecrete Qube solution uses embedded sensors to monitor the curing process and strength development of sprayed concrete (shotcrete) in real time. Underground teams can therefore base re-entry decisions on measured in-place performance rather than fixed waiting periods.

Safewall is a digital monitoring system for paste barricades in mining operations. The solution tracks strength development in real time and indicates when barricades have achieved the required load-bearing capacity to safely withstand the pressure of backfill material. This allows filling operations to resume based on measured performance rather than predetermined waiting times.

Combined with Sika’s expertise in concrete, admixtures, and sprayed concrete, the technologies will support safer re-entry, better quality control, and more efficient development and fill cycles.