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drymix.info Newsletter 192/2017; ISSN Number 1613-0111; 7. April 2017

1. SEADMA EC Meeting and Picnic in Singapore, 21. April 2017
2. Second Central American Drymix Mortar Meeting, Mexico City, 27. June 2017: Change of Location
3. Second Iran Drymix Mortar Meeting, Tehran, 9. October 2017
4. Announcing The Second Asia Mortar Summit in Dubai, UAE, on 26. November 2017
5. Baumit Takes over Building Materials Business of Wietersdorfer
6. Remmers Opens Subsidiary in Switzerland
7. 
Wacker Increases Prices Dispersions and Redispersible Powders in the Americas and Europe
8. Cirkel Builds new Aerated Lightweight Blocks Plant in Germany
9. AkzoNobel Refuses Second Takeover Bid by PPG Industries
10. Sika Opens New Plant in Mexico

Opening remark: Our bi-annual industry gathering in Nürnberg this week was wonderful: we started with a casual affair in a gothic cellar on Sunday (idmmc six Delegate Welcome at Barfüßer im Mautkeller, close to 100 friends came!), followed on Monday by idmmc six, where we could welcome a truly international crowd of over 150 drymix mortar afficionadoes. The next day, at European Coatings Congress, Andreas Gerdes and I led the Construction Chemical Sessions I and II, which were also well attended. And of course there was European Coatings Show where all convened Tuesday through Thursday (according to Vincentz they straddled the 30.000 visitors mark this year, congratulations).

On behalf of drymix.info, I want to thank all delegates to our events for coming and especially the overwhelming support and content our sponsors and lecturers brought in.

Leo

1. SEADMA EC Meeting and Picnic in Singapore, 21. April 2017

The Executive Committee (EC) of the South East Asia Drymix Mortar Association SEADMA will hold its next meeting in Singapore at Changi Sailing Club on 21.4.17. The SEADMA EC also invites all SEADMA members and friends to its Second Family Picnic & Grill in the evening from 18:00 (this time WITH rain shelter ;-). The picnic is free of charge for SEADMA members. Contributions in terms of food & drink, or just plain sponsoring is welcome and appreciated. Pre registration is absolutely mandatory to info@drymix.info.

The main topics for the SEADMA EC meeting are the formation of an ASEAN Task Force for the Standardization of Drymix Mortars which will homogenize the norms throughout SEA with the help of the SEADMA chapters in Thailand, The Philippines, Indonesia and (soon) Malaysia. Another important issue is the intensification of the activities of SEADMA Mortar College both in Singapore as well as internationally (e.g. Event on Machine use in Bangkok in January). The preparations to form The Malaysia Drymix Mortar Manufacturer's Association are well under way and the SEADMA EC will discuss its support for the Core Team entrusted with this task.

2. Second Central American Drymix Mortar Meeting, Mexico City, 27. June 2017: Change of Location

As recommended by Melíza, we haver changed the location of our event to Holiday Inn Insurgentes Sur. Reason: ongoing construction in the Insurgentes Sur area, where our planned location was.

For the second time, mortar experts from throughout Central America and the Carribbean meet in Mexico City for our Central American Drymix Mortar Meeting. We are proud to say that we can offer an interesting and comprehensive program as well as ample networking time at this full-day event. The meeting takes place at Holiday Inn Insurgentes Sur on 27.6.17. The registration of the delegates has already started, industry expert Meliza Benítez Toledo and her husband Carlos Carbajal are supporting us in Mexico City (and in Spanish!).

Here is a preliminary list of sponsors (sorted alphabetically, subject to change without notice): Actemium, Allgaier, Crest, Dow Construction Chemicals, Evonik, Haver&Boecker, J. Rettenmaier & Söhne (JRS), Kerneos, Laticrete, Mapei, Poraver and Wacker Chemie.

Admission to the Second Central American Drymix Mortar Meeting is 335 Euro (MXN 7.500), reduced admission for members of drymix.info is 275 Euro (MXN 6.000). Drymix mortar manufacturers pay only 180 Euro (MXN 4.000).

3. Second Iran Drymix Mortar Meeting, Tehran, 9. October 2017

The Iran Construction Chemicals Association ICCA (President is Akbar Motazedi), the Iran Mortar Association IMA (President is Hamzeh Goudarzi) and drymix.info, The International Community for Drymix Mortars invite to the Second Iran Drymix Mortar Meeting. Iran Construction Clinic (Mr. Kaiwan Raminfar, Ms. Narges Rabiee) is again suporting drymix.info in the preparation and (local) registration for this important event (thanks a lot!). A Call for Papers to submit scientific lectures has been issued recently, submission deadline is 10. May 2017 (available from drymix.info).

Admission to the Iran Drymix Mortar Meeting is 350 Euro, reduced admission for members of drymix.info is 270 Euro. Drymix mortar manufacturers pay only 140 Euro.

4. Announcing The Second Asia Mortar Summit in Dubai, UAE, on 26. November 2017

drymix.info will stage its Second Asia Mortar Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Sunday, 26. November 2017. The location for the event has not yet been determined, the date however was carefully picked: the next day Big 5 opens at Dubai World Trade Centre. The Middle East Drymix Mortar Association is endorsing and supporting the summit. The 2nd Asia Mortar Summit will focus on the production and formulation of all types of drymix mortars, raw materials, environmentally compatible construction technology, efficiency increase on and around the jobsite and consistent standardisation of drymix mortars in all of Asia. Mortar experts from throughout Asia, Africa and Europe are expected to this summit. Similary to the First Asia Mortar Summit in Mumbai, India back in 2015, practical demonstrations are also encouraged. A Call for Papers is available for this event from drymix.info, it expires on 30. June 2017. Attention supporters: there will be special and exclusive sponsoring options (Platinum, Diamond) available for this particular event only. These options are not featured in our common List of Services. They are being offered strictly on a first-come, first-serve basis only (also applies for lanyard and conference bag as usual).

Admission to the Second Asia Mortar Summit is 350 Euro, reduced admission for members of drymix.info, SEADMA or MEDMA is 270 Euro. Drymix mortar manufacturers pay only 200 Euro. In order to encourage mortar manufacturers coming from Europe, South-East or Eastern Asia, we are preparing special travel packages with our sponsors, please enquire with us.

5. Baumit Takes over Building Materials Business of Wietersdorfer

Baumit Beteiligungen GmbH, Wopfing, Austria (a daughter company of Schmid Industrieholding) is taking over the building materials activities of WIG Wietersdorfer Holding GmbH, Klagenfurt, Austria. This business is bundled in the daughter company w&p Baustoffe GmbH, Klagenfurt, Austria (the abbreviation stands for Wietersdorfer und Peggauer). w&p Baustoffe GmbH contains all building materials activities of Wietersdorfer Group and has 650 employees in over 20 Nations. The product portfolio consists of masonry mortars, screeds, renders as well as specialty mortars for applications such as tiling, EIFS and concrete renovation. The deal includes all existing locations of w&p and the entire brands "Baumit" and "Kema" (specialty mortars). A transaction value was not disclosed, the deal is still subject to the necessary approvals by the authorities.

"By selling the building materials division we can (now) entirely focus on the B2B markets and create financial latitude for growth in (other) divisions", says Michael Junghans, General Manager of WIG Wietersdorfer Holding GmbH. According to WIG sources, focus lays on pipe systems, the cement, concrete and lime business as well as on international cooperations.

6. Remmers Opens Subsidiary in Switzerland

The German concrete renovation, flooring and wood protection specialist Remmers GmbH (Remmers-Gruppe), Löningen, has recently formed a new subsidiary in Switzerland. Remmers AG, Tuggen (Schwyz), Switzerland, is focussed initially on wood protection technologies for the Swiss market as well as building materials protection and concrete renovation. According to Münir Toprak, General Manager of Remmers AG, the company was active with partners in Switzerland since over 20 years, the new company is also intended to intensify the cooperation with those partners.

7. 
Wacker Increases Prices Dispersions and Redispersible Powders in the Americas and Europe

Wacker Polymes, a division of Wacker Chemie AG, Munich Germany has announced a price increase for its vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer dispersions (tradename Vinnapas) in the Americas. In Europe, the prices for vinyl acetate based homo-, co- and terploymers dispersions are to be raised from 15. April 2017 by up to 80 Euro per ton and those for acrylic acid based copolymer dispersions by up to 125 Euro per ton. For redispersible powders the price increase is up to 5%. The price increase comes into effect in mid-April or as customer contracts allow. According to Wacker, this measure became necessary due to the ongoing price increase of various monomers needed for the production of dispersions and in turn redispersible powders.

8. Cirkel Builds new Aerated Lightweight Blocks Plant in Germany

Cirkel GmbH & Co. KG, Haltern am See, Germany, is building a new plant for the production of aerated lightweight blocks (ALC blocks) in Neuenkirchen-Vörden, Lower Saxony, Germany. The new plant will feature a completely new design and layout, minimizing the area needed as well as maximising the re-use of energies in the process. For its environmental innovativity, Cirkel succeeded in securing government aid amounting to 1,8 mio Euro. The entire investment cost was not disclosed.

9. AkzoNobel Refuses Second Takeover Bid by PPG Industries

AkzoNobel N.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, has recently rejected a second proposal by PPG Industries Ohio, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA, USA to take over all its issued and outstanding shares. At current share values the proposal is worth 22.700 mio Euro (this reflects an increase of about 5% over the one submitted in February, we reported earlier) and contains a larger portion of PPG stock than the initial offer. As a reason for its refusal of the unsolicited offer, AkzoNobel cited (amongst others) divestments to meet the requirements of anti-trust legislation, substantial job cuts and the incompatibilty of company cultures (community contributions). In the meantime, strategic investors (so called hedge funds) such as Paul Singer's Elliott Management Corporation, New York City, NY, USA, and Ameriprise's Threadneedle Asset Management Holdings Limited ("Columbia Threadneedle"), London, Great Britain, want to cash in on their short-term investments and are pushing the advisory board of AkzoNobel to enter into negotiations with PPG.

10. Sika Opens New Plant in Mexico

Sika AG, Baar, Switzerland has recently opened a new drymix mortar plant in the harbor city of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, South Eastern Mexico. The new location will also take over the preparation of concrete admixtures from Sika's Villahermosa plant, located about 170 km to the east of Coatzacoalcos. Quoting José Luis Vázquez, Head of Sika's Region Latin America: "(...) with our new plant in Coatzacoalcos we are reinforcing our position in (South Eastern) Mexico and can also reach construction projects in Mexico City megalopolis as well as the touristic projects at the Gulf of Mexico. Sika now operates plants in five locations in Mexico.

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