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drymix.info Newsletter 307/2024; ISSN Number 1613-0111; 4. December 2024

1. Post Event Reports
1.1 The 17th Annual SEADMA Conference, Vietnam, 14NOV24: Over 125 Delegates!
1.2 The 17th Annual MEDMA Conference, Abu Dhabi, 19NOV24: Cooperation with Abu Dhabi University to be Continued
1.3. MEDMA and Dubai Municipality Launch Firm Introduction of ISO 13007 Today
2. Traditional drymix.info Evening during BAU 2025, Munich, Germany, 15. January 2025
3. Update and NEW DATE for the East Asia Dymix Mortar Meeting in South Korea: 03JUL25
4. The 5th Philippine Drymix Mortar Meeting, Manila, 27FEB25: Program
5. Nürnberg in March 2025: drymix.info Jubilee, idmmcX Conference and ECS Congress
6. The 8th India Drymix Mortar Conference, 29MAY25, Call for Papers Expires 15DEC24
7. Heidelberg Materials Acquires Giant Cement Holding
8. H.B. Fuller Divests of its Floor Coverings Business, Forms Building & Construction Division

1. Post Event Reports

1.1 The 17th Annual SEADMA Conference, Vietnam, 14NOV24: Over 125 Delegates!

The South East Asia Drymix Mortar Association SEADMA held its 17th Annual Conference in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The Vietnam Institute for Building Materials VIBM was co-host of the event and gave a welcome note to all delegates. SEADMA celebrated coming back to HCMC, where the organization was founded 18 years ago, on 12. April 2006. More than 125 delegates had gathered at the New World Saigon Hotel enjoy the highly professional contributions from drymix mortar experts from Vietnam as well as ASEAN and beyond. Thank you very much to our supporters and speakers from Actemium, Avebe, Bumatech, Celotech, Connell Caldic, Haver & Boecker, Insee Vietnam, Imerys, Münzing Chemie, NFLG, Organic Kimia, Sông Đà Cao Cường (SCL), Testing Bluhm & Feuerherdt, VIBM and Wacker Chemie. Photos can be found on www.drymix.info.

1.2 The 17th Annual MEDMA Conference, Abu Dhabi, 19NOV24: Cooperation with Abu Dhabi University to be Continued

The Middle East  Drymix Mortar Association MEDMA hosted its 17th Annual Conference  in close cooperation with the College of Engineering at Abu Dhabi University (ADU). Chancellor Prof. Dr. Ghassan Aouad welcomed the assembly on behalf of ADU, MEDMA President Laith Haboubi thanked ADU for hosting this important event. Drymix Mortar experts gathered in the Grand Hall main foyer of ADU to discuss the latest news. Technical lectures and presentations made up the core of the speeches, a visit of ADUs 3D Construction Printing (3DCP) Lab was conducted in the tea break. Very special thanks go to, Dr. Reem Sabouni and Dr. Samer Al Martini as well as their students for the excellent cooperation, thanks also to Wacker Chemie for sponsoring the Gala Dinner at Marriott Al Forsan Hotel after our conference!

Thank you to all our supporters and speakers from Acmon, Actemium, Abu Dhabi University, Thrakon, Blackburn Chemicals, Bocedi, Cimsa, Elementis, Haver & Boecker, Imerys, m-tec, NFLG, Organic Kimia and Pidilite Puma. Photos can be found on www.drymix.info.

1.3. MEDMA and Dubai Municipality Launch Firm Introduction of ISO 13007 Today

In cooperation with Dubai Municipality, the Middle East Drymix Mortar Association MEDMA had invited to a Government hearing today. Eng. Ahmed Abdulla Solaiman Obaid Al Salami, Building Permit Department of Dubai Municipality and MEDMA Technical Chairman Mohammed Sanaobar presented their progress in implementing ISO 13007 for tile adhesives in the UAE in accordance with the ruling of Gulf Standardization Organization GSO and the harmonization with the current Al Sa'fat (Dubai Green Building System). At DMX (Dubai Municipality Academy in Al Jaddaf), Laith Haboubi, President of MEDMA gave a short review of 17 years worth of work between MEDMA and DM Central Labs (DCL). Mohammed gave a detailed presentation on why and how ISO 13007 can be integrated into the acceptance and certification process of construction materials and the building permit process in the UAE. Eng. Al Salami and his team as well as MEDMA then moderated a detailed discussion about topics such as certification schemes, mandatory requirements and consultant and contractor information (and education) and application advice, either in accordance with CSTB or UNE standards. The entire drymix mortar industry on the gulf joined in a vivid discussion, namely Asian Paints, Conmix, Fosroc, Laticrete, Mapei, Pidilite Puma, Saint Gobain Weber, Saveto, Sika and Terraco. All agreed that this day marks a cornerstone for quality cementitious tile adhesives (CTA) in the Middle East, assuming Dubai Municipality's lighthouse function in the entire area.

2. Traditional drymix.info Evening at Hofbräuhaus, Munich, Germany, 15. January 2025

Reminder for all visitors to BAU at Messe München (13 to 17JAN25). drymix.info again invites tired showgoers to join our traditional, extremely casual drymix.info evening to the famous Hofbräuhaus on Wednesday, 15. January 2025 at 19:00. This is not a real event but a lot of fun. RSVP is absolutely mandatory: we will be in the Schwemme on Ground Level - not easy to keep places reserved there. Everybody pays on her/his own, unless we find a sponsor.

Remark: we are planning a similar evening during BAUMA 2025 on Wednesday, 9. April 2025. Sponsors wanted for food and drink!

3. Update and NEW DATE for the East Asia Dymix Mortar Meeting in South Korea: 3. July 2025

The resonance to our proposed East Asia Drymix Mortar Meeting in Seoul, South Korea was extremely positive: We have firmed up and got the confirmation from well-known players of the drymix mortar industry such as Actemium, Blackburn Chemicals, DK Finechem, Haver & Boecker, Imerys, Münzing, Poraver, Rudolf Chemie, Sika and Wacker Chemie. And we found a wonderful location: Hotel Mondrian in Itaewon. But we have strong indications that scientific institutions such as the Korean Institute for Construction Technology, the Korean Cement Association as well as drymix mortar manufacturers from Vietnam, Japan and Taiwan will actively support us, too.Topic-wise, we have included 3D Construction Printing (3DCP) and we have contacted several companies in this field.

Having such a wonderful and comprehensive program not yet fully confirmed (and it is December already!) we have decided to move the date for our East Asia Drymix Mortar Meeting, Seoul, South Korea to Thursday, 3. July 2025. We will publish our tentative List of Topics in the next Newsletter.

Delegate Admission to the East Asia Drymix Mortar Meeting remains at 550 EUR per Person, reduced to 450 EUR p.P. for drymix.info Partners. Drymix mortar manufacturers pay only 190 EUR p.P. Drymix mortar manufacturers from abroad enjoy an additional travel discount of 90 Euro - please enquire with us.

4. The 5th Philippine Drymix Mortar Meeting, Manila, 27FEB25: Program

Registration of Delegates for the  5th Philippine Drymix Mortar Meeting, taking place in Manila on Thursday, 27. February 2025 (location tbd.), has started. The Philippine Drymix Mortar Manufacturers Association PhilDMMA, the local Chapter of SEADMA is inviting construction materials experts from the ASEAN Region to enjoy a comprehensive list of topics (sorted in alphabetical order by company, subject to change without notice):

ABC/PhilDMMA + Philippines Paints and Coatings Association PAPM | Axel Brandner + tbd. | The Recent Ban on Additional Substances by the Philippine FDA and its Possible Implications for the Philippine Drymix Mortar Industry
Blackburn Chemicals | Jack Lamb | Development of Foam Control and Shrinkage Reducing Agents for Drymix Building Products (PP)
Celotech | Wenshan Kang | (WT) Improved Cellulose Ethers for Tile Adhesives (PP)
FLSmidth | Marco Cometti | The One-Source Supplier from the Packing to the Dispatch of Your Products (PP)
Grand Aces | Eli Campilla | (WT) Case Study with Examples: Application Showcase of Drymix Mortar Applications in the Philippines
Haver & Boecker | tbd. | More Efficient and Sustainable Solutions for Your Packaging Process (PP)
Imerys | Hongfang Chen | (WT) Calcium Aluminates as Performance Enhancer for Low Carbon Cements
Omyaspheres | Prexy Longasa | (WT) Lightweight Functional Fillers for Increased-Yield Drymix Mortars (PP)
Omya | Pascal Gonnon | Reducing Dry Mortar Carbon Footprint with a Pure Ultrafine Mineral Accelerator (PP)
PhilDMMA | tbd. | The Current Situation of Standardization of Drymix Mortars in The Philippines
Rudolf Chemie | Dr. Meinhardt Roth | Overview of Rudolf’s Dry-Mix Portfolio: Advanced Solutions for Hydrophobization Beyond Powder Defoamers and Antishrinkage Agents (PP)
SEADMA | Philippe Russo | New Applications Popular in ASEAN and Ready to Be Introduced in The Philippines
Sika Philippines | Christophe Lejeune | (topic tbd.)
Thrakon | tbd. (Dr. Konstantinos Aspiotis) | Integrated Construction Solutions with the Thrakon Licensing Model (PP)
Wacker Chemie | Jayne Ramos | How Will we Tile Tomorrow? The Impact of Modern Times On Tiling Techniques

Registration is open at www.drymix.info. Delegate Admission to the 5th Philippine Drymix Mortar Meeting is 550 EUR per Person, reduced to 450 EUR p.P. for drymix.info Partners. Drymix mortar manufacturers pay only 190 EUR p.P. Drymix mortar manufacturers from abroad enjoy an additional travel discount of 90 Euro - please enquire with us.

5. Nürnberg in March 2025: drymix.info Jubilee, idmmcX Conference and ECS Congress

Here is a short summary on drymix mortar activities before and during European Coatings Show in March 2025:
drymix.info Jubilee on Sunday, 23. March 2025, 18:00, Ofenwerk, Nürnberg: celebrating 23 Years of drymix.info with friends from all continents in historic surroundings (because we could not celebrate 20 years due to the pandemic). Sponsors wanted, RSVP now so we can judge the amount of people (and sausages needed), please!
The 10th international Drymix Mortar Conference idmmcX and Industry Showcase on Monday, 24. March 2024, 08:00, Kleine Meistersingerhalle, Nürnberg: our flagship conference promises to become the largest live event ever for the drymix mortar industry. Registration is already possible at www.drymix.info, the preliminary program will be announced in our January Newsletter.
The European Coatings Congress, Construction Chemicals Sessions I and II take please on Tuesday, 25. March 2024 at Nürnberg Messe's Congress Center (Entrance East). The Technical Chairmen Prof. Dr. Andreas Gerdes (KIT) and Ferdinand Leopolder (drymix.info) have chosen 12 excellent lectures for presentation and discussions.

6. The 8th India Drymix Mortar Conference, 29MAY25, Call for Papers Expires 15DEC24

The Call for Papers for The 8th India Drymix Mortar Conference on Thursday, 29. May 2025 in Mumbai is expiring on 15. December 2024, to present a scientific lecture or a product presentation, please submit your topic to info@drymix.info. We are particularly looking forward to seeing drymix mortar experts from the entire region again, more details and registration is available on www.drymix.info

7. Heidelberg Materials Acquires Giant Cement Holding

Heidelberg Materials North America of Irving, Texas, USA, has entered into a definitive purchase agreement to acquire Giant Cement Holding Inc. of Summerville, South Carolina, USA and its three subsidiaries. Giant Cement was owned by a consortium of the Fortaleza, Uniland and Trituradora groups. The company produces about 800.000 tons of cement at its Harleyville, SC plant, using mainly waste-derived fuels. The value of the transaction was 571 mio Euroe (USD 600 mio) and is still subject to the usual regulatory approvals, it is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025.

8. H.B. Fuller Divests of its Floor Coverings Business, Forms Building & Construction Division

H.B. Fuller Company, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, founded in 1887, has recently divested of its floor covering business to  Pacific Avenue Capital Partners, Los Angeles, California, USA. The transaction value was 74 mio Euro (approx. USD 78 mio). In 2024, H,.B. Fuller has reported a strong growth in volume and profitability of its construction adhesives business and now decided to combine it with other construction related activities (e.g. architectural and infrastructure products) to a new business unit called Building Adhesive Solutions (BAS). The individual businesses combined now in BAS have a turnover of 784 mio Euro (approx. USD 825) in 2024.

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Editor-in-Chief: Ferdinand Leopolder. 
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Sincerely Yours, Ferdinand Leopolder