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drymix.info Newsletter 216/2018; ISSN Number 1613-0111; 22.Nov 2018

drymix.info is getting serious

After more than 15 years, drymix.info is finally becoming a “real” company. We have decided to form a German “GmbH”, which corresponds to a “Ltd.” or “Inc.” in other regions of the world.

So, effective 1. December 2018, drymix.info GmbH, Munich, will be responsible for all membership services related to our website, our publications and our individual consulting worldwide, while Micro-Conference Pte. Ltd., Singapore will be handling the sponsoring and contributions to our many events on a global level.

In the past few years, we have already prepared this split. As a courtesy to our members and partners in Germany and some Nations of Western Europe, we still had invoiced them from Munich, Germany, also for sponsoring services. We will have to change that now. For some of you, unfortunately, this means you have to create a new debitor, while correcting the old one to drymix.info GmbH. We will inform you in a formal mailing about the changes.

If you have any questions, please call us.

Gabriele Hartenberger, Lee Ming Ying, Ferdinand Leopolder

1. Second MEDMA Contractor/Consultant Workshop on Renders at Sharjah Research Academy, UAE, 9.12.2018 (New Date!)
2. MEDMA Open Members Assembly, Sharjah, 9. December 2018
3. SEADMA Malaysia: MDMMA renamed to “PPM”, Meeting in Subang on 12.12.2018
4. Casual drymix.info Evening during Bau 2019 in Munich: Wednesday, 16. January 2019
5. The Seventh International Drymix Mortar Conference idmmc7, 18.3.19: Program
6. CHT has Decided to Join drymix.info as an Industrial Partner
7. Semen Indonesia Acquires LafargeHolcim Assets
8. MC-Bauchemie Opens new Plant in Brasil
9. Sika Opens new HQ and Plant in Lima
10. BASF Plans to Divest of its Construction Chemicals Business

1. Second MEDMA Contractor/Consultant Workshop on Renders at Sharjah Research Academy, UAE, 9.12.2018 (New Date!)

After the successful first consultant/contractor workshop on Tile Adhesives and ISO13007 implementation in September, the Middle East Drymix Mortar Association MEDMA e.V. is announcing the second one: participating MEDMA members will meet with consultants, architects, contractors, researchers and developers during this half-day meeting taking place on Sunday, 9. December 2018 at magnificent Sharjah Research Academy (in front of University City, when coming from the Airport Road Entrance) from 10:00 to 13:00.

Our topic is the industrial application of renders (plasters) in the United Arab Emirates, from mortar formulation over the standard situation (EN 998 and others) to practical application advice for using mobile silos and automated mixers, pumps and application tools efficiently at the jobsites throughout the UAE. Confirmed support comes already from Conmix, JK Cement, m-tec and Terraco.

Special: Sharjah Research Academy has invite ALL MEDMA members (not only the supporters) to exhibit with a display and a table top in their beautiful foyer – please enquire with us about the conditions.

Admission is free of charge for MEDMA members (mortar manufacturers) and their guests, but pre-registration is absolutely mandatory, please contact drymix.info immediately. Industry observers (raw material and/or equipment suppliers) are admitted at a fee, they pay 350 Euro, reduced for members of drymix.info or MEDMA e.V. to 270 Euro.

2. MEDMA Open Members Assembly, Sharjah, 9. December 2018

The Middle East Drymix Mortar Association MEDMA e.V. is preparing important changes in its organisation and reaches out into the markets. Therefore an Open General Assembly will be held at Sharjah Research Academy on Sunday. 9. December 2018, from 13:30 to 17:00 (right after our second MEDMA workshop, see item 1 above). Topics on the Agenda include the formation of an entity (not for profit professional association) in the UAE, the re-orientation of MEDMA in terms of strategy and member services as well as organizational details for 2019.

All members and partners of MEDMA are warmly invited and encouraged to voice their opinions and ideas. Admission is free of charge, advance reservation is however mandatory.

3. SEADMA Malaysia (MDMMA): Strategy Meeting in Subang on 13.12.2018

During the course of 2018, drymix mortar manufacturers of Malaysia united to form a SEADMA Chapter (then called Malaysia Drymix Mortar Manufacturers Association MDMMA). Due to regulations of Malaysia Registry of Societies (MROS), the name had to be changed. The SEADMA Executive Committee met on 7.11.2018 and decided on this issue. The new name is Drymix Mortar Producers Professional Association PPM (in Malaysian: Pertubuhan Pengilang Mortar PPM).

PPM is now calling all its members for a meeting at Dorsett Grand Hotel Subang on 13. December 2018 from 10:00 to 13:00. Apart from formalities for the new MROS application, the Agenda consists of the following topics:
Strategies for 2019 and beyond
Authorities Marketing and Promotion (changes after the elections in May 2018)
New Drymix Mortar Applications – is Malaysia ready for them?

Currently, PPM consists of AffordableAbodes, Durabuilt, Ezi Mortartech, Greencast Technologies, Lafarge Drymix, Parex Malaysia, Pye Products and S3 Technologies, acting President is Kenny Wong (S3, JB), we will elect a Vice President from KL Metro Area (any volunteers?) during our meeting. New mortar producers are always welcome to join our meeting (and eventually become a member?).

Admission is free of charge for PPM and SEADMA members (2 delegates per company admitted, additional delegates: 150 Euro/MYR 700 per person) but pre-registration is absolutely mandatory, please contact drymix.info immediately. Industry observers (raw material and/or equipment suppliers) are admitted at a fee, they pay 350 Euro/MYR 1.700, reduced for members of drymix.info or SEADMA Ltd. to 270 Euro/MYR 1.300.

4. Casual drymix.info Evening during Bau 2019 in Munich, 16. January 2019

The casual (and traditional) drymix.info Evening during BAU takes place on Wednesday,16. January 2019, 19:00 at Hofbräukeller, Munich, Innere Wiener Straße 19, 81667 München (see www.hofbraeukeller.de; the next subway station is Max Weber Platz on either U4 or U5). This no-tie event has become an excellent chance to relax for tired showgoers on "BAU-Wednesday". After a hard day at the fair there is time to network, chat, have dinner with friends and just have a good time. We already have some international guests registered.

The event is (so far!) sponsored by Calucem (thanks a lot!) and drymix.info, we are looking for at least one more sponsor, so please contact us if you wish to pay out drinks & food. Admission is free of charge, of course, but seating is limited, so advance registration is absolutely mandatory, please e-mail us to info@drymix.info.

5. The Seventh International Drymix Mortar Conference idmmc7, 18.3.19: Program

The Seventh International Drymix Mortar Conference and Industry Showcase idmmc7 takes place in Nürnberg, Germany, on 18. March 2019. There is a traditional Delegate Welcome at Barfüsser im Mautkeller the day before (Sunday, 17.3.19, 19:00) to which all delegates are invited (pre-registration mandatory), this event is being sponsored by Wacker Chemie, IMCD and Calucem, thanks a lot!

The Technical Chairman, Prof. Dr. Johann Plank of Technische Universität München (TUM) has chosen the topics for lecturing, we are proud to announce the preliminary program (sorted alphabetically by lecturer name, subject to change without notice):
Klaus Bonin, Wacker Chemie: Polymer-Modified Self-Filling Concrete Compounds – a Concept for Dry-Mix Concrete
Andreas Eisenreich, Imerys Aluminates: Possibilities to Mitigate Cracking in Building Material with Calcium Aluminate Technologies
Alexandra Gerz, Calucem: Re-engineered CACs for Tile Adhesives Applications
Markus Greim, Schleibinger Geräte: Determination of Shrinkage and Swelling of Screeds in EN13892-9: Apparatus, Procedure and Status of Normation
Dr. Tobias Gutberlet, Poraver: Optimising Cementitious Waterproofing Slurries by Using Expanded Glass Beads
Scott Jones, National Institute of Science and Technology NIST: working title (Towards the Formulation of Robust and Sustainable Cementitious Binders for 3-D Additive Construction by Extrusion)
Dr. Tomoki Katagiri, UBE Construction Materials: A Rapid and Simple Electrochemical Testing Method to Evaluate Chloride Ion Diffusion Efficiency for High Durability Polymer-modified Cement Mortars
Jean-Paul Lecomte, Dow: Combined Utilisation of Silicone Hydrophobic Powders and Cellulose Ethers in Cement Based Mortars
Dr. Eerik Maandi, Laticrete: Research Development in 3D construction printing (3DCP): Cured-on-Demand with Adhesion Enhancement Delivery System
Andrew Marsden, Blackburn Chemicals: Foam Control Agents and Shrinkage Reducing Agents, Critical Additives in Construction
Matteo Monaco, Mapei: Cement Quality Influence in Cementitious Tile Adhesive Formulations
Dr. Markus Müller, Sika: Application Oriented Adjustment of the Processing Time of Gypsum Based Drymix Mortars
Dr. Jean-Yves Petit, Organik Kimya: Effect of Redispersible Polymer Powder Design on the Properties of Self Leveling Underlayments
Melike Suçu, Çimsa: Design of High Performance Ternary System & Tile Adhesive for extra large Size Tiles
Dr. Roger Zurbriggen, Akzo Nobel Chemicals AG: Material Science behind Flexible Cementitious Waterproofing Membranes

Admission to idmmc7 is 550 Euro, reduced to 420 Euro for drymix.info, SEADMA and MEDMA members. There is a special admission for mortar manufacturers which is only 280 Euro (no further eductions applicable to this special offer). Registration has already started on www.drymix.info, please note that these prices include 19% German VAT.

6. CHT has Decided to Join drymix.info as an Industrial Partner

CHT Group,Tübingen, Germany (CHT Germany GmbH) has decided to join drymix.infoa s an Industrial Partner. CHT was founded in 1953 by Reinhold Beitlich (former names: CHT Beitlich, Bezema), the company produces additives for the building materials, paints, coatings, paper and agriculture industries. İn the drymix mortar industry, CHT is known for their rheological additives based on various raw materials (guar ethers, starch ethers, poly acryl amides, and poly saccharides). The CHT Group is represented by 29 companies worldwide, some with production and sales locations.

We warmly welcome the team of CHT Group to our community.

7. Semen Indonesia Acquires LafargeHolcim Assets

PT Semen Indonesia, Jakarta, has announced it will acquire Lafarge Holcim's local business. This business consists of four cement plants, 33 ready-mix (concrete) plants and two aggregate quarries owned by PT Holcim Indonesia. The transaction value was said to be 1.545 mio Euro (US$ 1.750 mio). According to Bloomberg News, Francis Yeoh’s Malaysia based YTL Corp. and Chinese cement producer Hongshi Holding Group Co. were also interested in the purchase. According to Jan Jenisch, Chief Executive Officer of LafargeHolcim, the company is committed to global divestments amounting to at least 1.755 mio Euro (CHF 2.000 mio) as part of a five-year turnaround plan announced in March to increase sales and cash flow.

8. MC-Bauchemie Opens new Plant in Brasil

MC-Bauchemie Müller GmbH & Co. KG, Bottrop, Germany has recently celebrated the opening of its new plant in Vargem Grande Paulista (near and to the West of São Paulo, Brasil). MC-Bauchemie threw a party for more than 130 customers, suppliers, partners and representatives of building associations on this occasion. Jaques Pinto, Managing Director of MC-Bauchemie Brasil and Regional Director of MC in Latin America and Nicolaus Müller, Managing Director of MC-Bauchemie Germany gave the guests a tour of the new facility with particular focus on the drymix mortar plant. The fully automated tower plant with a height of more than 47 m has a nameplate capacity of more than 150.000 tons per year. At the same location, MC-Bauchemie also runs a large warehousing and logistics operation as well as offices, laboratories and training facilities.

9. Sika Opens new HQ and Plant in Lima

Sika AG, Baar, Switzerland, has recently opened its new facilities in Lucumo, to the East of downtown Lima, Peru. Apart from consolidating its offices and creating warehousing facilities at the new location, Sika also built plants for concrete admixtures, drymix mortars and liquid acrylic membranes (LAM; relocated from the old Lurín plant). Modern laboratories for technical support and training facilities complete the investment in Lucumo.

10. BASF Plans to Divest of its Construction Chemicals Business

10. BASF Plans to Divest of its Construction Chemicals Business (corrected)
BASF SE of Ludwigshafen, Germany is reportedly considering to sell its construction chemicals business or to find an external partner for a merger or JV. Reuters cites BASF CEO Martin Brudermüller from a recent conference call: “Neither are we satisfied with the (group) business development nor with our share price development (...) (Our construction chemicals) unit has a very low degree of integration into the rest of the BASF network.” CFO Hans-Ulrich Engel added: “The unit (...) does not fully meet our expectations regarding profitability.” BASF's construction chemicals division comprises admixture systems and construction systems including concrete admixtures and cement additives.

The construction additives business for drymix mortar applications as well as for gypsum wallboards and prefabricated products is not part of the evaluation of strategic options for the construction chemicals business. BASF's Dispersion and Pigments division will continue supporting customers in the construction chemicals industry with raw materials such as binders and additives. The product range includes organic binders, such as acrylic dispersions and powders, as well as a broad variety of powder and liquid additives for the applications sealants, flooring adhesives, water-proofing, flexible flat roof coatings, mastic ceramic tile adhesives and primers. Furthermore, BASF offers construction additives for flowable and non-sag drymix mortar applications as well as for gypsum wallboards and prefabricated products.



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Editor-in-Chief: Ferdinand Leopolder.

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Sincerely Yours, Ferdinand Leopolder