Sika, the Swiss manufacturer of construction chemicals, sees distinct growth avenues in China and the United States, CEO Thomas Hasler said in an interview with Finanz und Wirtschaft published on Friday.
Hasler described a deliberate reorganisation of Sika's China footprint to reflect variations within the market. Rather than operating under a single, unified approach, the company has fragmented its business there to suit regional differences. That adjustment includes a stronger emphasis on renovation work in addition to the new-build projects that historically dominated the company's China strategy. The move toward refurbishment is particularly targeted at nearly saturated urban markets such as Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.
On automotive demand in China, Hasler indicated the company continues to see sustained growth in that segment. That development persists even after the removal of subsidies for electric vehicles, according to his remarks.
Turning to the U.S., Hasler said Sika identifies growth potential in traditional infrastructure construction. He noted that expansion in roads and bridges is largely proceeding independently of political debates over renewable energy, referencing the context of President Donald Trump’s opposition to renewables. Within the U.S. construction market, Sika is increasing its market share in those established infrastructure projects, while the commercial construction sector has shown a decline. Hasler linked the earlier commercial construction uplift to reshoring activity, which had been a growth driver until tariff escalation intervened.
Data centers emerged as a pronounced area of opportunity in Hasler’s comments. He called data centers "a definite growth driver," noting operators’ preference for highly secure buildings to minimise operational disruptions. He added that Sika's pipeline for data-center work is full and that the sector is experiencing strong activity in Europe and Asia as well as other regions.
Across parts of Europe, Hasler said Sika detects signs of cautious optimism among customers. In markets such as Germany and France, rising building-permit figures have generated hope for improvement, even though weakness in those markets persists.
The CEO's observations outline a strategic shift in geographic and segment focus for Sika: tailoring the China approach toward renovation in dense urban centres, capitalising on traditional U.S. infrastructure projects, maintaining momentum in automotive interiors and components in China despite subsidy changes, and pursuing robust demand from the fast-growing data-center sector. The comments were delivered in the interview published on Friday.