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drymix.info Newsletter 173/2015; ISSN Number 1613-0111; 17. December 2015

1. Russian Mortar Days 2016 on 27. January 2016 in Moscow
2. The Third Australia Drymix Mortar Meeting, Sydney, NSW, 18. February 2016
3. admmc five, Philadelphia, PA, May 3, 2016: Location, Programme
4. Germany: New Regulations to Protect ETICS from Fire come into Effect
5. Wacker to Build Pilot Reactor for Pressure Copolymerization in China
6. Parex Acquired Skalflex
7. Sika Opens new Mortar Plant in Philadelphia, PA, USA
8. Ashland Separates itself into Two Independent Companies

To all Friends and Supporters of drymix.info thanks a lot for 2015 and a wonderful 2016!

1. Russian Mortar Days 2016 on 27. January 2016 in Moscow

For the fourth time, the scientific conference Russian Mortar Days takes place in Moscow, Russia on 27. January 2016. The event, hosted by the leading Technical University of Russia, the Moscow State University of Civil Engineering (MCU), is being organized in cooperation of MCU with The Association of Russian Mortar Producers SPSSS. The Technical Chairman is Prof. Dr. Andrey Pustovgar, head of the drymix mortar laboratory at MCU and also Vice Rector of MCU. Like the previous events at MCU, Russian Mortar Days 2016 will feature a Technical Conference with 12 academic lectures and an Industry Showcase. Sponsoring is still available and welcome.

Admission is 215 Euro, reduced to 170 Euro for mortar manufacturers. Students and Faculty are admitted free of charge upon proof of faculty membership (advance registration is however absolutely mandatory!). Delegate registration for international visitors is available on the drymix.info website, for payments in Rubles within Russia, it is better to register  with SPSSS at baltimix.ru. A suitable nearby hotel is Hotel Cosmos.

2. The Third Australia Drymix Mortar Meeting, Sydney, NSW, 18. February 2016

The Third Australia Drymix Mortar Meeting takes place on Thursday, 18. February 2016 at Novotel Sydney Brighton Beach (at Brighton Le Sands, not far from Sydney International Airport). The evening before, on Wednesday, 17. February 2016, 19:00 a Delegate Welcome takes place along with the pre-check-in. This evening is sponsored in part by Wacker Chemie and Construction Technologies Australia (CTA), thanks a lot! For a detailed programme and registration as delegate, please refer to www.drymix.info.

Hotel Accommodation: Novotel Sydney Brighton Beach has granted us a group rate, which is AU$ 229 for single occupancy (breakfast not included). Please book soon, this offer is only based upon room availability. When booking the room (by phone 02 9556 5111 or online at www.novotelbrightonbeach.com.au), please mention the following Promotional Code: INT020216.

Admission for the meeting is 210 €, reduced for drymix.info members to 180 €. The specially reduced admission for drymix mortar manufacturers is only 110 €. Online registration is available through our drymix.info shop (Visa or Mastercard required). Invoicing is also possible, please contact us. Please note that the Delegate Welcome on 17. 2. 2016 is free of charge for registered delegates, but we need to know up-front if you are coming (in order to have enough drinks in the freezer ;-).

3. admmc five, Philadelphia, PA, May 3, 2016: Location, Programme

drymix.info is proud to announce that The Fifth American Drymix Mortar Conference admmc five will take place at a very special location: we succeeded in convincing the management of The Wagner Free Institute of Science (a historic site near Temple University) to host our event. The Wagner Free Institute was founded in 1847, their Natural History Museum, our lecturing hall and the premises remained in their original state since then. We will set up tents outside in the gardens for our Industry Showcase and the breaks, also, we rented the Museum so our delegates can stroll through this fascinating, historic exhibition with its beautiful wooden display cases.

In early December, Prof. Dr. Johann Plank has decided upon the acceptance of lectures and we are happy to present the following (preliminary) programme, subject to change without notice, sorted be lecturer name:
Charles Alt et al., Kerneos: Improving the Properties of Portland Cement with Calcium Aluminate Technology
Steve Bechtel, George Tessier, Wacker Chemie: Flexibility of CTA Beyond Standards
Randall P. Bright, Laticrete: Challenges when Setting Large-Format and Low-Absorption Tiles
Torsten Busch, Ashland: (working title) Next Generation Cellulose Ethers with Low Impact on Cement Hydration
Stefano Carrá, Mapei: Rheological and Setting Behaviour of Self-levelling Underlayment: the Influence of Mixing Procedures and Tools
Guillaume Lafay, Actemium (former Sofraden): A New Concept for a Mixing Plant of Dry Mortars and other Dry Products
Marcus R. Meier, Johann Plank et al., Technische Universität München (TUM): Cement Hydration Under Zero Gravity – What Can We Learn From It?
Ludo van Nes, Caltra: (working title) Ultra-Fast-Setting Shrinkage-Compensated High-Early-Strength Cement Based on Amorphous Calcium Aluminate Cement Technology
Jerry E. Rademan, Mark A. Shand, Premier Magnesia: Magnesium-Based Cement Technologies for Achieving Unique Dry Mix Mortar Properties
Kristen Sherman, J. Rettenmaier & Söhne: Self-Compacting Concrete and Coated Natural Cellulose Fibers
Michael Stenger, Ferro (former Nubiola): Mortar Coloration - Options for New Designs and Cool Façades
Melike Sucu, Tuğhan Delibaş, Çimsa Çimento: The Investigation of Fineness Effect on Calcium Aluminate Cement Based Mortars
Roger Zurbriggen, Akzo Nobel Chemicals: High Performing Self-Leveling Underlayments – Learnings from Material Science Studies

Admission for the admmc five is 420 €, reduced for drymix.info members to 365 €. The specially reduced admission for drymix mortar manufacturers is only 255 €. Online registration is available through our drymix.info shop (Visa or Mastercard required).

4. Germany: New Regulations to Protect ETICS from Fire come into Effect

The German Institute for Construction Technology (DIBt, Berlin) is the certification and approval body for non-regulated construction materials and technologies. DIBt has recently announced changes to the requirements for flame-resistant External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS, EIFS) with expanded poly-styrene (EPS) boards as insulation medium which come into effect on 1. January 2016. This measure is a reaction on the recent (and not very scientific) debate about the fire rating of such facades, of which DIBt stated that they are save overall.

DIBt improved the technical requirement with focus on external fires on the ground floor as well as window and door flash-overs. It adapted the common practice of installing fire barriers of non-flammable material (e.g. mineral wool) in the critical areas on the bottom of the ETICS and on each second floor of the new building up until the roof. These fire breakers (width 20 cm) are to run uninterrupted around the entire building. Special areas such as driveways under a building have to be protected in a similar manner.

5. Wacker to Build Pilot Reactor for Pressure Copolymerization in China

Wacker Chemie AG, Munich, Germany has announced the construction of a new pilot reactor for the development of vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer (VAE) dispersions (Tradenemae: Vinnapas) at its existing site in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. VAE dispersions are the basis for various construction products including redispersible powders. According to Wacker, the cost for the new pilot reactor is about 2,4 mio Euro and it will be completed and ready to start up in the second half of 2016.

6. Parex Acquired Skalflex

Parexgroup SA, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France, has recently acquired the Danish facade specialist Skalflex A/S, Voborg. The company, founded in 1975 focusses on new construction and renovation, it also offers products in construction materials outlets (Do-It-Yourself markets, DIY). In a statement concerning the acquisition, Eric Bergé, CEO of Parexgroup noted that he is fond of Skalflex' focus on facades and sees a chance for Parex to grow in Northern Europe (and also in Northern Germany). The transaction value was not disclosed.

7. Sika Opens New Mortar Plant in Philadelphia, PA, USA

Sika AG, Baar, Switzerland has recently inaugurated its new drymix mortar plant in Philadelphia, PA, USA. The new plant is an extension of an existing concrete admixture plant, the capacity of which has also been increased. According to Christoph Ganz, regional manager of Sika for North America, forecasts for the US construction market predict an annual growth rate of 8% for 2015 and 10% for 2016. Therefore, Sika is planning to open another two plants in the US in the near future.

8. Ashland Separates itself into Two Independent Companies

Ashland Inc., Covington, KY, USA has announced plans to form two independently traded business entities in the near future. For that reason, Ashland will combine its specialty ingredients and performance materials divisions into one unit which reached sales of US$ 3.600 mio (3.280 mio Euro) in the year ended 30. June 2015. The other company will mainly consist of lubricants and related services (Valvoline), which yielded US$ 2.000 mio (1.820 mio Euro) of sales in the specified period. William A. Wulfsohn, Ashland chairman and chief executive officer said: "We believe that separating into two (...) public companies - one focused on specialty chemicals and the other focused on (...) lubricants - will generate significant value for shareholders by enabling each company to focus on its specific business and strategic priorities".

The re-structuring at Ashland is only one in a series of such actions in the US chemical industry this year. Air Products is spinning off its materials business, too (we reported earlier) and only recently Dow Chemicals and Dupont have announced their intention to merge as equals and then split this new entity into three operative units again (we will report in more detail in our next Newsletter).

The drymix.info Newsletter is being sent exclusively to registered subscribers and all members of drymix.info. Editor-in-Chief: Ferdinand Leopolder. Back issues will be published on www.drymix.info. Please also check our Chinese Edition on www.drymix.info.

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Sincerely Yours, Ferdinand Leopolder