MANUFACTURERS choose to develop the central business lines

The first six months of this year represented a period of relative stability for the global construction market, the main trend observed in this interval consisting in the maintaining of core activities and the limitation or even renunciation to complementary fields. The focus on the central lines of business as well as the yearning for specialization and development of the large producers activating on traditional business segments have transposed recently in selling the secondary segments of activity. Examples in this direction are the acquisition of the adhesives division of AkzoNobel by Sika or the selling of the insulation systems business of BASF Group to Rockwool. Thus, the construction adhesives division of AkzoNobel will be taken over by the Swiss company Sika, according to the data released by the managers of both holdings. Last year, the turnover generated by Building Adhesives, the firm which will be taken over, stood at 185 million EUR. The transaction, which will be most certainly completed in the last quarter of 2013, after the completion of all legal proceedings, will have a value of 260 million EUR. After the completion of the acquisition, Sika will have two new production facilities in Rosendahl (Germany) and Damville (France) and an additional workforce of approximately 550 employees. Ton Buchner, the CEO of AkzoNobel, said that the businesses performed by the corporation on the paint and varnishes market are not affected by this decision and the sale of the adhesives section is part of the strategy made in order to maintain the important position occupied at present in Europe and emerging markets in Asia and South America. In turn, Jan Jenisch, CEO of Sika said that the acquisition will transform their corporation in one of the most important on the interior finishing market and will also improve their offer of products. Building Adhesives are among the top three companies in the business segment mentioned earlier on and has nine distribution centers in Europe. The division focuses on premium products and sells a great range of brands such as Schonox, Cegecol, Casco, Synteko and EriKeeper.