Sika, a Swiss headquartered, global chemical company renowned for its innovative solutions in construction and industrial manufacturing, sought to revamp its HR and payroll systems in the UK market, aiming to achieve enhanced efficiency and control by bringing HR and payroll provision in-house, empowering staff to oversee every process end-to-end. The company aimed to migrate its entire UK payroll and HRIS provision onto an SAP cloud platform, setting the stage for future growth and acquisitions.
Zalaris reinvents payroll for Sika, a global specialty chemical company
Strategic Objective/ Value Driver
- consulting
- support
- outsourcing
Role of Zalaris
Zalaris partnered with Sika to implement SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll (ECP) for its UK operations, marking a significant shift towards modernised HR and payroll processes. With a focus on collaboration and trust-building, Zalaris worked closely with Sika’s teams to navigate the complexities of the migration, ensuring a seamless transition and successful go-live.
End-to-end testing, conducted over a week, involved setting up a mission control-like center where Sika’s HR and payroll teams, corporate digital executives, and IT engineers collaborated closely with the Zalaris team. This rigorous testing process not only ensured the successful go-live of Employee Central Payroll for Sika UK but also strengthened relationships and laid the groundwork for future collaboration and success.
” ‘Building trust’ is Sika’s motto, our team were razor-focused on doing just that. You can only do this if you deliver on all fronts — people, processes and product”. says Stephen Burr, Executive Vice President & Managing Director, Zalaris UK & Ireland

Outcomes achieved
Sika experienced profound benefits from the implementation of SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll (ECP), revolutionising its HR and payroll operations. The integration of ECP with SuccessFactors Employee Central, coupled with Zalaris’s expertise, ensured a seamless transition and provided a robust, unified solution. By leveraging the extensive functionality of ECP and Zalaris’s support, Sika achieved a high level of integrity and efficiency in its payroll processing. Integration with external systems was seamlessly executed, facilitating cross-system internal business processes without data loss. The implementation of ECP also introduced integrated SAP logic, effectively preventing errors in payroll processing and significantly improving the stability of operations.
Furthermore, Zalaris’s commitment to post-implementation support has been instrumental in sustaining Sika’s success. Continuous support services for SuccessFactors modules, ensure ongoing optimisation and enhancement of Sika’s HR processes. Additionally, Zalaris’s dedicated BPO team handles monthly payroll processing for a recently acquired business unit, providing reliable and efficient payroll management services. This ongoing partnership with Zalaris underscores Sika’s commitment to operational excellence and continuous improvement in its HR and payroll functions.
HR and Payroll summit 2024
