Sika, manufacturers of speciality chemicals for construction industry, has won two awards in the 2015 Automotive News PACE (Premier Automotive Suppliers’ Contribution to Excellence) Award recently held in Detroit, Michigan.

The renowned award competition for automotive suppliers honours game-changing innovations in product, manufacturing process, and information technology.

Sika was a product innovation award winner for its Sikaflex Ultra-High Modulus Adhesive (UHM) and also won an Innovation Partnership Award through its collaboration with BMW. The panel reviewed the collaborative efforts of all 36 PACE finalists with their respective OEMs and it recognized BMW for its unique high level of collaborative behaviour with Sika in the development of BMW i3.

Sikaflex UHM is a high modulus, fast cure adhesive material currently used to bond the CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic) Life Module to the aluminium chassis Drive Module on the BMW i3 and i8. The innovative adhesive meets the growing demand in mixed material bonding and is ideally suited for structural bonding performance.

Based on Sika’s patented i-Cure technology, Sikaflex UHM also reduces the carbon footprint in vehicle manufacturing. The innovation allows BMW to radically change the way the i3 is manufactured, away from conventional technique, and eliminates the complexity of traditional body shop welding, Sika said in a press release.

Dave Jones, head global automotive of Sika said, “We are grateful for our long term partner BMW, as they had the foresight to bring truly innovative cars to the market. The mainstream use of mixed materials in automobiles has changed our industry forever. Today’s cars require innovative products enabling OEMs to meet their manufacturing needs and performance goals. I am proud that Sika can provide the full range of technology to support our customers’ lightweighting needs.” (GK)