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drymix.info Newsletter 323/2026; ISSN Number 1613-0111; 16. April 2026

1. POSTPONED to 12. October 2026: Second Egypt Drymix Mortar Meeting
2. The 2nd UK and Ireland Drymix Mortar Meeting on 8. June 2026, Coventry: Program
3. The Second Southern Africa Drymix Mortar Meeting, Johannesburg, 20. August 2026
4. Dr. Warawudh Priknant to Become SEADMA's New Technical Chairman
5. Rudolf Chemie Joins drymix.info as Industrial Partner
6. Saint-Gobain Acquires Majority Stake in Morteros de Europa and Buys Grouttech
7. Rohrdorfer Forms New Drymix Mortar Division
8. Ashland Construction Division is Increasing Prices

1. POSTPONED to 12. October 2026: Second Egypt Drymix Mortar Meeting

Unfortunately we here at drymix.info had to make a difficult decision: we have to postpone our Second Egypt Drymix Mortar Meeting, initially scheduled next month, to 12. October 2026. Although both Prof. Dr. Ghada Bassioni of Saxony Egypt University for Applied Science and Technology (SEU) and I are convinced, that Egypt would have provided a wonderful, peaceful atmosphere in May, we have to react to existing corporate travel restrictions due to the situation on the Gulf, which has led to 4 cancellations of important lectures. We thank the contributors and supporters, and hope they will join us in October: Blackburn Chemicals, Creative DOT Holdings, Hassan Allam Construction, Imerys, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), NFLG, Poraver, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Thrakon and Wacker Chemie. Delegate Registrations already completed will be moved to the new date or refunded (90% of the total, according to our policy). We apologize for any inconvenience caused.

2. The 2nd UK and Ireland Drymix Mortar Meeting on 8. June 2026, Coventry: Program

Registrations are running strongly for our meeting in Coventry in June. Today, we are excited to present to you the program to our Second UK & Ireland Drymix Mortar Meeting  in Coventry on 08. June 2026. There are lectures and presentations by renowned industry experts. Of course, there will also be ample time to network during coffee breaks and lunch. Additionally, we will be treated to a Drymix Pub Quiz brought to you by Blackburn Chemicals at the rustic Abbeygate hall (former stables and servant's quarters). Don’t miss this special occasion!

List of accepted topics for lecturing/presenting (listed alphabetically by company/institution, subject to change without notice):
Actemium | Nicolas Genevrier | From Masonry Mortars to Complex Leveling Mortars: how to Produce your Portfolio with a Single Mixing Line (PP)
Atlas | Dr. Bartosz Michałowski | Environmental Assessment of Construction Products: Will the Sustainability Assessment under the New Construction Products Regulation (CPR) Effectively Support the EU Industry?
Beumer Group | Andreas Herzog | BEUMER - Solutions for the Building Material Industry (PP)
Bischof + Klein | Clive Rumble | What Makes Players in the Drymix Mortar Industry Change from Paper Bags to Plastic Bags? (PP)
Blackburn Chemicals | Edward Rushworth | Moving away from Mineral Oil Based Foam Control Agents in the Drymix Mortar Industry
Bocedi | Riccardo Costi | Sustainable Load Securing: Advancing Decarbonization in Drymix and Mortar Logistics (PP)
Calucem | Dr. Florian Hartmann | Optimizing Building Chemistry Products with Calcium Aluminate Cement (PP)
Celotech | Gary Xu | How to Prolong the Open Time and Workability of Your Tile Adhesive (PP)
Çimsa | Ahmet Selin Engim | Lowering Carbon Emissions Through Advanced Calcium Aluminate Technology in Construction (PP)
Dow | Dr. Eduardo Cruz | Cellulose Ether (CE) and Low Clinker Cement (LCC): How can CE Contribute to the Decarbonization Strategy of Drymix Mortar Producers? (PP)
Ecocem | Mohamed Elkarim Bouarroudj | Ecocem New Low Carbon High Performance Technology for the Drymix Mortars
Haver & Boecker | Daniel Salhotra | Fascinating Engineering. AS ONE. (PP)
Imerys | Frank Mertes | Metakaolin: Beyond the Pozzolanicity
Mapei | Stefano Carrà | Tile Adhesives Performances as a Function of Portland Cement Properties and Composition
Omya | David Gonzalez Amago | Innovating Mortars with Lightweight Microspheres for Greater Yield and Lower CO₂ Impact
Organik Kimya | Dr. Jean-Yves Petit | Are New RDP for Decreased Clinker CTA Formulations Needed?
Oyak Cement | Metehan Severoğlu | A New Generation of Eco-Friendly White Cement for Drymix Mortar Applications (PP)
Poraver | Federico Milani | Improving Physical Properties, Health and Safety and Sustainability of Drymix Mortars and Coatings by the Use of Lightweight Aggregates
Synthomer | Dr. Malin Schulz | Expanding Binder Options in Drymix Mortars: Performance Profiling of XSBR Based RDPs versus Conventional VAE Systems (PP)

Admission to our 2nd UK and Ireland Drymix Mortar Meeting is GBP 580 | 650 Euro per delegate, reduced to GBP 480 | 550 Euro for drymix.info members and partners. Drymix mortar manufacturers pay only GBP 170 | 190 Euro p.p.. A special travel rebate is available for drymix mortar manufacturers coming from Ireland (incl. Northern Ireland), and from the continent, please inquire with us. Registration is open at www.drymix.info (Visa or Mastercard), you can request a paypal invoice.

3. The Second Southern Africa Drymix Mortar Meeting, Johannesburg, 20. August 2026

For the second time, the drymix mortar community of Southern Africa meets in Johannesburg, South Africa: The meeting takes place on 20. August 2026, the exact location remains to be determined. It will be led and moderated by Celeste Bo Sung Kim. The Call for Papers expires on 31. May 2026 and we urge all supporters to hand in their lecturing proposals immediately since there is quite a rush for the precious slots.

Delegate registration has already started on www.drymix.info. Admission to The Second Southern Africa Drymix Mortar Meeting is ZAR 12.500 | 650 Euro per delegate, reduced to ZAR 10.500 | 550 Euro for drymix.info members and partners. Drymix mortar manufacturers pay only ZAR 3.800 | 190 Euro p.p.. A special travel rebate is available for drymix mortar manufacturers coming from outside the Gauteng and Free State Provinces, please inquire with us. Registration is open at www.drymix.info (Visa or Mastercard), you can request a paypal invoice.

4. Dr. Warawudh Priknant to Become SEADMA's New Technical Chairman

The Executive Committee of the South East Asia Drymix Mortar Association SEADMA Ltd., Singapore, is proud to welcome Dr. Warawudh Priknant as new Technical Chairman replacing. He follows in the footsteps of Dr. Rüdiger Oberste-Padtberg, who had been heading our Technical Committee since June of 2008 until his retirement from Ardex GmbH, Witten, Germany. The EC of SEADMA is delighted having Dr. Warawudh Priknant on board as a local SEA based expert bringing 30 years' coatings & construction experience for companies such as Henkel, GE Silicone, Bayer, Evonik, and currently being responsible for APAC Technical Development, Coating and Construction Additives (CCA) at Münzing Chemie GmbH, Abstatt, Germany.

Dr. Warawudh Priknants first tasks for 2026 are to kick-off together with Tim Tan the discussions with HDB and BCA in Singapore as most standards in the mortar industry have not been revised for 12 years and the preparation of the 19th Annual SEADMA Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, on 19. November 2026.

5. Rudolf Chemie Joins drymix.info as Industrial Partner

Rudolf GmbH & Co. KG, Chemische Fabrik in Geretsried, Germany has recently joined drymix.info as Industrial Partner. The company, founded in 1922, was initially focussed on additives for the textile industry, but has expanded into the consumer care, car care and industrial laundry industries after WW II. Last but not least, Rudolf Chemie produces and markets hydrophobic additives in paste and powder form, which are being used to modify drymix mortars as well as to protect concrete.

We warmly welcome Rudolf Chemie to our Community.

6. Saint-Gobain Acquires Majority Stake in Morteros de Europa and Buys Grouttech

Saint‑Gobain, Courbevoie, France, has recently acquired a majority stake in Morteros de Europa, Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. The company offers a wide range of drymix mortars, including tile adhesives and renders for façades. Morteros de Europa operates three production plants in the country and employs approximately 340 people, the turnover reached 30 mio Euro in 2025. The transaction is still subject to the approval of the relevant authorities, it is expected to be completed in the first half of 2026.

Also, Saint-Gobain acquired Grouttech, Nunspeet, Netherlands, which produces a specialty portfolio for infrastructure and buildings maintenance and repair in the Netherlands and Belgium: concrete repair systems, grouting, injection resins and technical flooring. The completion of the transaction is expected by the end of the first quarter of 2026.

7. Rohrdorfer Forms New Drymix Mortar Division

Südbayerisches Portland – Zementwerk Gebr. Wiesböck & Co. GmbH (Rohrdorfer Zement), Rohrdorf, Germany, has expanded its product range. On 1. January 2026 the building materials manufacturer announced that it will establish a sixth division, “Dry Construction Materials“. The new division will be headed by Christian Etz. The Rohrdorfer dry construction materials product range includes drymix mortar, thermal insulation systems (ETICS/EIFS), tile adhesives and grouts, gardening and landscaping, concrete repair, and technical mortars. Rohrdorfer holds the Sakret license for southern Bavaria since 2021. With the acquisition of Büechl Baustoff-Beteiligungen KG, Regensburg, Germany, the Sakret licenses for Saxony, Hungary, and Slovakia were added, as well as a minority stake in Rygol Baustoffwerk GmbH & Co. KG, Painten, Germany. The activities of these five license areas will be bundled a new division. The individual companies will remain independent under their existing regional brands and management structures, but coordinated by the new division.

8. Ashland Construction Division is Increasing Prices

Ashland Construction Group Ltd., Vaughn, Ontario, Canada, is implementing price increases across its life sciences, intermediates, personal care and specialty additives product portfolios. The company attributes these measures to the volatility in energy markets, raw material costs and logistics conditions, mainly caused by the crisis in the Middle East. An exact percentage of increase or timing of it was not announced by Ashland (quote): „Pricing will be amended globally and vary by product and region.“

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This Newsletter is being researched using Analog Intellect (AI) - we personally apologize for any mistakes. Editor-in-Chief: Ferdinand Leopolder. All information is © 2003 - 2026 by Micro-Conference Pte. Ltd., 80 South Bridge Road, #03-01, Singapore, 058710, ACRA Reg. Nr. 201202876N.
Sincerely Yours, Ferdinand Leopolder