What Does Watson Bowman Acme Do?
A Q&A with Vice President, Gary Moore
What is Watson Bowman Acme and how does it differ from the rest of
Sika US businesses?
Since 1950, Watson Bowman Acme has designed and supplied expansion joint solutions into a diverse set of markets. As a trusted partner, we collaborate with Owners, Specifiers, and Contractors to develop and implement solutions accommodating structure design movements ranging from one inch to over eight feet. Our materials, including foam-supported Silicone, extruded Neoprene and Silicone seals, pour-in-place Silicone technology, molded rubber segmental systems, and custom Engineer to Order structural steel welded assemblies, are selected based on project criteria. Although we differ in some ways with respect to our solutions and processes, we use many technologies Sika has expertise in. Our technology portfolio has expanded since the acquisition by Sika through access to polyester and epoxy concrete technologies, and additional foam supported Silicone products from Emseal.
What is the purpose of expansion joints?
Structures face various external factors like temperature changes, wind, water, snow, seismic events, and loads from traffic. Expansion joints work with adjacent construction to accommodate movements and support loads while sealing expansion joint openings throughout the movement cycle. In addition, our products and solutions play a vital role in Sustainability by enhancing service life and reducing operating costs to name a few, and supporting resilience against hazards, such as seismic events, through proactive design work with Owners, Engineers, and Specifiers to avoid recovery.
Where is Watson Bowman Acme located?
Buffalo, New York
What markets does WBA sell into?
We are the leaders in supplying expansion joint solutions into the Bridge market, and our Wabo® brand is the most recognized in this space. The historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) will be a primary focus for us moving forward in not only the traditional Bridge environment, but investigating application of our technologies in Transit and Tunnel verticals where significant IIJA funding is also being applied.
How does this fit with the rest of Sika in cross-selling?
We have some early successes in cross selling expansion joints and Sika products with the Infrastructure team. Our team identified certain Sika overlay products as having the potential to also be used as expansion joint header material. Our Grow 24 initiatives and overall strategy is in place to build on these early wins. In many cases our experts are one of the first contacts made by Owners and Specifiers on large new construction and restoration projects to develop expansion joint solutions. This early access opens the door for the collective Transportation and Infrastructure team to increase sales.
VISIT WATSON BOWMAN ACME'S WEBSITE TO LEARN MORE
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