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drymix.info Newsletter 230/2019; ISSN Number 1613-0111; 12. December 2019

Holiday Greetings
1. Russian Mortar Days 2020, 30. and 31. January 2020, Moscow: Register Now!
2. The 5th Australian Drymix Mortar Meeting, 5. March 2020: Program
3. Drymix Mortar Yearbook 3D Special: the Ideal Present for a Drymix Mortar Expert ;-)
4. The Sales Process of BASF's Construction Chemicals Division Takes a New Turn
5. Krusemark Edelputz Becomes Part of Baumit Germany
6. Sika Takes over Adeplast
7. Thermal Insulation Maker Isobouw is being Integrated into Hirsch Porozell

Holiday Greetings

A busy year comes to an end and it is time to rest and rejoice. drymix.info wishes all its friends a festive holiday season and a wonderful start into the year 2020.

1. Russian Mortar Days 2020, 30. and 31. January 2020, Moscow: Register Now!

The Russian Mortar Days 2020 take place on 30. and 31. January 2020, hosted again by Moscow State Technical University MGSU. Our Technical Chairman is Prof. Dr. Andrej Pustovgar of MCU, the event is co-organized by Quintet, Saint Petersburg, Russia. Like in 2018, our event will stretch over two days, with technical lectures and an industry showcase on 30.1. and a lab workshop on Friday, 31. 1. 2020 (limited to 20 delegates; separate application is mandatory, please send us an e-mail if you wish to participate). Our sopnsors and contributors are: AML, Almatis, Calucem, Cedrus, Imerys Aluminates, Lahti Precision, Lafarge Holcim, LB Technology, Nouryon, Omya, Podolsk Cement, Polyplast and Testing Bluhm & Feuerherdt.

Attention international delegates: Russia requires entry visa from many foreign nationals. It is better to apply now, since the holidays are coming.

Delegate registration has already started on www.drymix.info, here you can also find our detailed and extensive program. Our standard pricing applies for the Russian Mortar Days: admission is 390 Euro, reduced to 290 Euro for members of drymix.info, drymix mortar producers pay only 190 Euro. When booking your admission online, a 30 Euro bonus gets deducted from the prices above.

2. The 5th Australian Drymix Mortar Meeting, 5. March 2020: Program

Our 5th Australian Drymix Mortar Meeting takes place on Thursday, 5. March 2020 at Rydges Hotel Parramatta, Western Sydney, NSW, Australia. Drymix mortar experts from throughout the ANZPAC region and beyond gather here to discuss recent developments in drymix mortar technology. We will host a Delegate welcome on Wednesday, 4.March 2020 for those who have already arrived (still looking for a sponsor for this!). On Thursday delegates can join a casual evening event at a splendid location in Rose Hill. One of our generous sponsors is still working on the details. We will announce it next year (in the next newsletter).

Our Call for Papers has recently expired and we are proud to announce the preliminary list of lectures now, please note that an additional 3 lectures have been confirmed, however their topic/title still remains to be determined (this list is subject to change without notice, sorted alphabetically by company name):
(Presentation and Discussion), moderated by David Hood, Ardex Australia: The Requirements and Regulations for Silica Dust on Jobsites in Australia
Actemium, Nicolas Genevrier: (working title) Fast and Flexible Plants Follow the Market Trend
Ardex Australia, Dr. Ralf Offerhaus, Steve Wood: The Need for Proper Surface Preparation – how to avoid a Costly Failure
Haver & Boecker, Martin Mersemann: Bag to the Future
Imerys Aluminates, Laure Martin: Ultra-reactive Calcium Aluminates: an Efficient Way to Produce High-performance Mortars with Reduced Binder Content
LB Technology, (lecturer tbd.): LB Technology for Drymix Mortar
RLA Polymers, Andrew Constantinou: (working title) Concrete Repair and Renovation: Formulation and Application
Rockcote, Bob Cameron: The Functions of Lightweight Aggregate in Drymix Mortars (Renders)
Wacker Chemie, Malik Jamal: Tensile Adhesion Strength of Porcelain Tiles

Admission to the 5th Australian Drymix Mortar Meeting is 390 Euro, reduced to 290 Euro for members of drymix.info, drymix mortar producers pay only 190 Euro. When booking your admission online, a 30 Euro bonus gets deducted from the prices above.

3. Drymix Mortar Yearbook 3D Special: the Ideal Present for a Drymix Mortar Expert ;-)

Get your copy by sending us an e-mail or order online in our shop. The new Drymix Mortar Yearbook 3D Special features contributions by BauMinator / 3 D Druck Baumit GmbH, Cobod International A/S, GDCh Fachgruppe Bauchemie/Division of the Chemistry of Construction Materials of the German Chemical Society, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule ETH, m-tec mathis technik GmbH, Laticrete International, National Institute of Standards and Technology NIST, PrintStones GmbH, Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin), Technische Universität Braunschweig, UltraTest GmbH and Wacker Chemie AG.

The Drymix Mortar Yearbook 3D Special is available for purchase on our website (Visa, Mastercard) for 20 Euro incl. 7% German VAT and shipping and handling) or by e-mail to us (25 Euro PLUS 7% German VAT +costs for shipping and handling).

4. The Sales Process of BASF's Construction Chemicals Division Takes a New Turn

BASF SE of Ludwigshafen, Germany had announced the sale of its construction chemicals division via several channels in late 2018 (we reported earlier). According to  the news agency Bloomberg, New York City, NY, USA, BASF has narrowed down the circle of bidders to Lone Star Funds, Dallas, TX, USA. BASF's construction chemicals division includes additives for cement and concrete, waterproofing materials and sealants (Master Builders Construction Systems) as well as drymix mortar activities (tile adhesives, self levelling flooring screeds and specialty mortars, PCI). Experts estimate the transaction value to be up to 2.700 mio Euro. Former bidders apparently included LafargeHolcim, Holderbank, Switzerland, Cinven, London, United Kingdom and Bain Capital LP, Boston, MA, USA.

According to Baustoffmarkt Online, BASF had confirmed talking to a single bidder in November, but neither BASF nor Lone Star commented on their exclusive negotiations. Martin Brudermueller, BASF's Chairman of the board said in October: “We received confirmatory bids and are now progressing with a smaller number of interested parties”. Initial target was to complete the sale by the end of this year.

5. Krusemark Edelputz Becomes Part of Baumit

Effective 1. January 2020, Krusemark Edelputz GmbH & Co. KG, Mühlheim/Main, becomes part of Baumit GmbH, Vorderhindelang, both Germany. Krusemark, founded in 1929, specializes on mineral and decorative renders as well as special facade renovation products such as thermal insulation renders. Earlier this year Baumit had already integrated Schaefer Krusemark, Diez, Germany, the sales division of Krusemark, which offers external insulation and finishing systems (EIFS), wall paints, lime renders and masonry mortars in addition to Krusemark's wall portfolio. According to Baumit the production location in Mühlheim am Main will be expanded. Schaefer Kalk, Diez, Germany will also continue to produce drymix mortars at its Hahnstätten site for Baumit. A transaction value was not disclosed by either party.

6. Sika Takes over Adeplast

Sika AG of Baar, Switzerland has recently taken over all shares of Adeplast SA, Ploiești (North of Bucharest), Romania. Adeplast produces the full portfolio of drymix mortars including EIFS and has its own expanded poly styrene (EPS) and mineral wool insulation panel plant. The company also produces liquid systems such as primers, coatings, varnishes and sealants. Adeplast had a turnover of 109 mio Euro and employed 460 people in 2018. A transaction value was not disclosed by either party. The deal is still subject to the approval of the anti-trust authorities.

7. Thermal Insulation Maker Isobouw is being Integrated into Hirsch Porozell

In 2018, Hirsch Servo AG, Glanegg, Austria had taken over 3 production plants for thermal insulation panels (based on EPS) in Germany from Saint Gobain, Paris, France and acquired 66 % of the capital of Isobouw GmbH, Abstatt, Germany (with 4 EPS plants). Hirsch Servo is now merging its activities in Germany under its existing subsidiary Hirsch Porozell GmbH, Rheda-Wiedenbrück, Germany. Thus, Hirsch Porozell produces EPS panels in Germany at six strategic locations: Abstatt, Bad Waldsee, Ebrach, Grombach, Micheln and Rheda-Wiedenbrück


Editor-in-Chief: Ferdinand Leopolder.

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Sincerely Yours, Ferdinand Leopolder