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drymix.info Newsletter 177/2016; ISSN Number 1613-0111; 3. April 2016
1. Casual drymix.info Meeting on BAUMA 2016, Munich, Wednesday, 13. April 2016, 17:30 to 19:00
2. NEW LOCATION: admmc five at DoubleTree Philadelphia Center City, May 3, 2016
3. Date Changed to 30. May 2016 for The First Saudi Workshop on EIFS, Al Waseel, Riyadh
4. Argentina Drymix Mortar Meeting: 30. June 2016, Buenos Aires: Program
5. Testing Bluhm & Feuerherdt Joins drymix.info as Industrial Partner
6. Evonik: Interest in Air Products Materials Div. and Akzo Nobel's Specialty Chemicals?
7. Synthomer Acquires Hexion PAC
8. Sakret expands to Israel
9. Sika Opens plant in Vancouver, BC, Canada
10. Germany Reports reduced volumes for EIFS on Existing Building 2010 to 2014
1. Casual drymix.info Meeting on BAUMA 2016, Munich, Wednesday, 13. April 2016, 17:30 to 19:00
Mortar Masters meet in Munich: the casual drymix.info Evening during BAUMA takes place again on 13. April 2016, 17:30 until 19:00. This time our casual meeting it is sponsored by Wacker and hosted by Haver & Boecker directly on BAUMA, Hall B2, stand 149 (B2.149). This event has become a traditional vanishing point for tired showgoers on "BAUMA-Wednesday". After a hard day at the fair there is time to chat, snack and drink with friends and just have a good time. we thank Wacker and Haver&Boecker for their generous support.
Participation for this meeting is free of charge, however advance registration is absolutely mandatory by e-mail to info@drymix.info.
Please note, that this year we are INSIDE BAUMA, so you will need to have a visitor pass for this fair in order to get to us (we can arrange for vouchers from Haver & Boecker). BAUMA, the largest exhibition in the world, begins on Monday, 11. April and runs through to Sunday, 17. April.
2. NEW LOCATION: admmc five at DoubleTree Philadelphia Center City, May 3, 2016
Due to unforeseen technical and organizational problems at The Wagner Free Institute of Science, drymix.info has changed the location to a more conventional one.
The Fifth American Drymix Mortar Conference admmc five will now take place at DoubleTree Hotel Philadelphia Center City, 237 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19107. DoubleTree is currently working on a delegate room rate, which we will publish to all participants. Attention sponsors: new instructions for the shipping of materials will come out this week.
drymix.info regrets the change of location and thanks the staff at The Wagner for their work in the during the past months. We apologize to our delegates and sponsors for any inconvenience caused by this change of location. We are sure that DoubleTree Philadelphia Center City will provide us with a professionally catered event at an excellent location, but it just won't have the style of The Wagner of course.
Admission for 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, please make sure your card is enabled for purchases in Europe, which is where our shop is).
3. The First Saudi Workshop on EIFS, Al Waseel, Riyadh, date change to 30. May 2016
The Middle East Drymix Mortar Association MEDMA has invited sponsors to support a hands-on workshop on External Insulation and Finishing Systems (EIFS) in Riyadh (we reported earlier). So far, BASF, DMC-Mix, Tecon and wacker have confirmed their support. The date was changed to 30. May 2016. In the early morning, we will have a practical demonstration at Al Waseel villa complex, the largest thermal insulation project throughout the Middle East Region.The theoretical part will take place at nearby Burj Rafal Kempinski Hotel, followed by a lunch reception for the delegates.
The program is being determined by the recently formed project team, which consists of representatives of the sponsoring companies. The project team decided that the event will be conducted on a by invitation only basis, where the supporting companies propose and invite the delegates. Thus, the admission information given in our drymix.info News 176/2016 is obsolete. Supporting of this event is only possible by MEDMA members.
4. Argentina Drymix Mortar Meeting: 30. June 2016, Buenos Aires: Preliminary Program
Drymix mortar experts from throughout South America are invited to join the first drymix.info meeting in Buenos Aires. Our event will take place at Sheraton Libertador Hotel, Buenos Aires, on Thursday, 30. June 2016. The lectures will be held in Spanish. This event is specifically geared towards drymix mortar experts from Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Chile, Uruguay and of course Argentina, the second largest market for drymix mortars in South America.
Here is a preliminary glimpse at the programm, as of today (subject to change without notice; in alphabetical order by lecturer's name):
Diego Gonzalez, Tolsa: (working title) Rheological Modifications of Drymix Mortars
Marcelo Borba Guimaraes, Wacker: Flexibility of CTA beyond Standards
(Engelbert Koess, tbd.), Haver & Boecker : A Technical Determination of Correct Packaging for Drymix Mortars
Guillaume Lafay, Actemium : (working title) Automated Plants for Drymix Mortar Production
Everton Luis Marion, Dow Corning: New silicone resin-based hydrophobic powder for the dry mix market
Daniel Nascimento, Evonik: Organomodified Siloxanes for Air Void Control in Gypsum Based Mortars
(tbd.), Kerneos: (working title) Binders’ Interactions and Hydration Mechanisms in HAC-based Mortars
Admission for this event is 350 € for Industry observers, reduced to 290 € per person for drymix.info members. Drymix mortar manufacturers pay only 190 €. Online registration is already possible at www.drymix.info (Visa or Mastercard required).
5. Testing Bluhm & Feuerherdt Joins drymix.info as Industrial Partner
Testing Bluhm & Feuerherdt GmbH, Berlin, Germany, has joined drymix.info as Industrial Partner. The company, well known for its testing equipment for construction materials was founded in 1978. The first product was an air entrainment meter for the determination of the air (pore) content of concrete. This unit is still sold worldwide almost unchanged. Over the years, Testing completed its product portfolio and offers today the full range of equipment for construction materials labs. Especially for drymix mortars, Testing offers automated mixers, molds for the preparation of specimens and all necessary testing and research apparatus. Since 2008, Testing occupies its own 3.000 sq.m. building in Berlin-Marienfelde.
We warmly welcome Testing Bluhm & Feuerherdt to our community!
6. Evonik: Interest in Air Products Materials Div. and Akzo Nobel's Specialty Chemicals?
According to various sources such as the Wall Street Journal and Reuters, both New York, NY, USA and subsequently European Media such as Wirtschaftswoche-online, Berlin, Germany, Evonik, Essen, Germany has entered into talks about the acquisition of the Materials Business of Air Products, Allentown, PA. This business was recently spun off by Air Products (we reported earlier, the business was re-named Versum Performance Materials in December of 2015) and is valued at around 3.000 mio Euro. Other sources have it that Evonik is also talking to Akzo Nobel, Arnhem, The Netherlands about a take-over of Akzo's Specialty Chemicals Business (annual sales amount to 1.200 mio Euro).
Above all speculation it is clear, that Evonik has recently intensified the lookout for additional businesses complimentary to the existing portfolio. Evonik also has the cash to do so immediately without tapping into third-party equity. EBITDA in the last business year was over 2.000 mio Euro, let alone the net cash reserves estimated to be around 950 mio Euro. Both acquisitions include consumer-oriented businesses but also production lines and businesses clearly focussed on building and construction (paints, additives, polymers).
7. Synthomer acquires Hexion Performance Adhesives & Coatings
Synthomer plc., Harow, Essex, Great Britain, has announced the acquisition of Hexion Performance Adhesives & Coatings (Hexion PAC), a business of Hexion Inc, Columbus, OH, USA. Hexion PAC manufactures and markets dispersions, additives, powder coatings and speciality monomers for the coatings, adhesives and building & construction applications (e.g. redispersible powders tradenamed Axilat). The transcation value is 200 mio Euro (US$ 226 mio). Hexion PAC employs 750 people at 7 locations in Europe, the US and Asia. The acquisition is expected to complete during summer of 2016 and still needs necessary regulatory approvals and as well as the fullfilment of other closing conditions.
8. Termokir Obtains Sakret-License for Israel
Long-standing drymix.info member Termokir Industries, has recently announced that it has obtained the license to produce mortars under the Sakret Brand for Israel (the Sakret Holding is located in Berlin, Germany). Termokir is producing over 100.000 t/a of cementitious renders, tile adhesives, grouts and waterproofing products fot the Israeli market and is one of the leaders of the drymix mortar industry there. „In cooperation with Sakret expect to continuously expand our product portfolio (...) and thus to strengthen our position in Israel altogether“, said Elie Cohen, CEO of Termokir Industries.
9. Sika Opens Plant Vancouver, BC, Canada
Sika AG of Baar, Switzerland, has recently inaugurated a plant for concrete admixtures and drymix mortars in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The new facility features a mortar plant and liquids dosing & blending equipment for the production of a wide range of concrete admixtures. In addition to the production area, the new building also houses a quality control laboratory, a warehouse and staff office space. The new plant is Sika's fourth in Canada and is also expected to deliver into US's Pacific Northwest region with the major cities of Portland, OR and Seattle, WA.
10. Germany Reports Reduced Volumes for EIFS on Existing Building 2010 to 2014
The German Federal Office for the Research of Building in Cities and Regions (Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung) BBSR, Bonn, Germany has recently published a study on the renovation and refurbishing of buildings. It could be detected that while this type of investing increased (to 170.000 mio Euro in 2014), spending on External Insulation and Finishing Systems (EIFS, also called ETICS) was reduced in the observed timeframe (from 41.000 mio Euro in 2010 to 35.000 mio Euro in 2014).
BBSR names several possible reasons for this decrease in energetic refurbishment: "Since 2012, the subsidies for photo-voltaic (energy generation) systems were reduced. Thus, investments in this field collapsed," said Stefan Rein, the lead author of the BBSR study. "(...) also the energy prices decreased dramatically, so energy saving measures do not yield fast return on investment any more." Over 40% of the homeowners starting a refurbishment give "repair and maintenance" as a reason for their activity in order to increase the living quality. Saving energy does not play a major role in their decisions. Available Government subsidies are often not even applied for.
Remark by Ferdinand Leopolder: when observing the market in 2015, we saw indications that EIFS in particular will suffer another blow from an unexpected side: unsubstantiated claims and allegations about the flammability of EIF systems using expanded polystyrene boards as insulation medium have further irritated the owners of individual homes. It is unfortunate that such reports end up on TV and in mass media always with a negative touch (we reported earlier).
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.
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Sincerely Yours, Ferdinand Leopolder