BAAR, Switzerland - In 2012, specialty chemicals company Sika, Baar, Switzerland, increased sales by 5.8 percent to CHF 4.82 billion. The increase was largely attributable to Sika's strong global presence, which enabled the company to offset fall-offs in demand in European markets. Growth of 10.7 percent was achieved in emerging markets, and the proportion of sales generated by Sika in emerging markets is now at 37 percent compared to 36 percent in 2011.

In local currencies, Sika posted 5.3 percent growth in sales for 2012. This figure includes an acquisition effect of 3.5 percent. The currency effect was 0.5 percent. At 17.0 percent in local currencies, the highest growth was generated in Latin America. Growth was driven by investments and the expansion of production capacity in the region. In North America, Sika improved sales by 9.0 percent in local currencies on the back of heavy demand for refurbishment projects.

In Asia/Pacific, Sika reported growth of 6.8 percent in local currencies, benefiting from a substantial expansion in sales in Southeast Asia, stable orders in Japan and a recovery in China in the second half of the year. The IMEA (India, Middle East, Africa) region saw a 7.7 percent increase in local currencies.

In Europe, the debt problem and euro crisis had a negative impact, resulting in a downward volume trend in most European markets.