Sika (Baar / Switzerland; www.sika.com) is aiming to take over the Romanian manufacturer of EPS insulating sheets and dry mortars, Adeplast (Ploiești / Romania; www.adeplast.ro), for an undisclosed sum. According to a company spokesperson, the transaction would expand Sika’s geographical presence and strengthen its market position. The deal is awaiting the usual stamp of approval from the cartel authorities.

“Adeplast was the life’s work of our father, Marcel Bărbuț, and has been a Romanian success story,” says Alexander Bărbuț, the company’s owner. The firm is headquartered in Ploiești, around 70 km to the north of Bucharest, and was founded in 1993. It currently operates four production plants – in Oradea, Ploiești, Roman and Isalnita – with a workforce of around 480. It supplies customers in Romania and the neighbouring countries and has annual sales of around EUR 110m.

Sika foresees synergies in logistics and warehousing and advantages through the faster supply to local customers. The Swiss company, which employs 24,000 people worldwide, is expecting sales of over CHF 8 bn (EUR 7.3 bn) in 2019.