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drymix.info Newsletter 285/2023; ISSN Number 1613-0111; 26. April 2023

1. Announcing: The 16th Annual MEDMA Conference in Sharjah, 11. October 2023 (New Date!)
2. Call for Papers Expires soon: 7th India Drymix Mortar Conference, 17. October 2023
3. admmc7/ScalingUp3D 2023, Richmond, VA, June 8+9, 2023: Already 50 Registered!
4. ladmmc7, São Paulo, 7. August 2023: Delegate Registration Started
5. Construction Began at Europe's Largest 3D Mortar Print Job in Heidelberg, Germany
6. Münzing Inaugurates Polymer and Wax Plant in Malaysia
7. Sika finds New Buyer for MBCC-Spin-Off
8. Henkel Sells its Operations in Russia

1. Announcing: The 16th Annual MEDMA Conference in Sharjah, 11. October 2023 (New Date!)

The Middle East Drymix Mortar Association MEDMA is announcing its Drymix Mortar in the Middle East Conference (16th Annual MEDMA Conference) on 11. October 2023 at Sharjah Expo, United Arab Emirates (this event was initially planned for December 23). The organizers of Gulf Coatings Show (9OCT23 to 11OCT23), Vincentz Network and NürnbergMesse have invited MEDMA to hold its conference there. A Call for Papers (expiring 12JUN23) has been issued and potential supporters can obtain it form drymix.info. “The fact that Drymix Mortars in the Middle East is being hosted at Gulf Coatings Show gives MEDMA members and interested new-comers an excellent chance to also review products and services offered at the industry fair itself before and after our event”, says Ferdinand Leopolder, Secretary General of MEDMA.

MEDMA members and partners are invited to join the festive MEDMA Annual General Assembly on Thursday, 12. October 2023 in the evening (details to be announced in our next Newsletter.

Admission is free of charge, however seating and audio support is limited and delegate registration is mandatory by e-mail to info@drymix.info.

2. Call for Papers Expires soon: 7th India Drymix Mortar Conference, 17. October 2023

The 7th India Drymix Mortar Conference takes place on Tuesday, 17. October 2023 in Mumbai at the Orchid Ecotel Vile Parle (near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport). A number of exciting topics have already been submitted, the Call for Papers is still running until 31. May 2023, so get in touch with us soon to join the show! Sponsors are of course welcome, too.

Registration of delegates has already started at www.drymix.info. If you are sure you will be joining, check out our Early-Bird Discounts before 31. July 2023!

3. admmc7/ScalingUp3D 2023, Richmond, VA, June 8+9, 2023: Already 50 Registered!

The 7th American Drymix Mortar Conference admmc7 and ScalingUp3D 2023 take place on Thursday, June 8, 2023 (Richmond, VA) and Friday, June 9, 2023 (Newport News, VA, USA). The exciting program includes technical lectures and product presentations with particular focus on 3D Mortar Printing. We are planning a casual evening get-together (more like a lawn party, if the weather is good!) on Fulton Hill on Thursday, June 8, partially sponsored by Imerys (thanks a lot!), we are still looking for another sponsor (please enquire with us).

On June 8, 2023, we gather in the historic Byrd (-Movie) Theatre in Richmond's Fan district, the assembly moves by coach to Newport News on June 9, 2023. Our lectures there take place at Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center, then we visit 2 brand new 3D Mortar Printing projects executed by Black Buffalo 3D and MAPEI USA (thanks a lot for the sponsoring!).  As this housing development is a project of Habitat for Humanity Peninsula & Greater Williamsburg, drymix.info will donate 1,000 USD to Habitat for Humanity on this occasion. Check out the entire program on our website - there have been quite a few changes since we published the program here.

Over 50 delegates have registered already at drymix.info, admission to admmc7 and ScalingUp3D 2023 is USD 695, reduced to USD 580 for drymix.info members and partners; drymix mortar manufacturers pay only USD 360*. Admissions include all conference materials, breaks and lunch on both days as well as the bus transfer to and from Newport News on June 9, 2023. FYI: there are no single day passes available, sorry.

* Attention drymix mortar manufacturers from outside the US (especially but not limited to Canada and México): there is a USD 100 travel rebate to get from us: please register by e-mail at info (at) drymix.info.

4. ladmmc7, São Paulo, 7. August 2023: Delegate Registration Started

On Monday, 7. August 2023, the 7th Latin American Drymix Mortar Conference ladmmc7 takes place at Espaço Escandinavo, Morumbi, São Paolo, Brasil. ladmmc7 is the place to be for drymix mortar and construction chemical producers from Brasil and South America. Here, you can meet with international building materials experts. Enjoy our comprehensive lecturing program (the list of topics can be found online already) and to meet your friends and peers in person (after such a long pause!).

Admission to ladmmc7 is 450 €, reduced to 350 € for drymix.info members or partners. Drymix mortar manufacturers pay only 190 €. There is still an Early Bird Special for drymix mortar manufacturers until 30. April 2023: 150 € p.p., so be quick and register now if you are already sure you will be joining us! Our shop at www.drymix.info is open 24/7 (Visa or Mastercard only).

5. Construction Began at Europe's Largest 3D Mortar Print Job in Heidelberg, Germany

Real estate developer Kraus Immobilien GmbH (KrausGruppe) of Heidelberg, Germany, recently started the printing of a large 3D Mortar Printed Building at the former Campbell Barracks (US Military compound, bought by the City of Heidelberg about 10 years ago). The building will be 54 m long, 11 m wide and in parts over 9 m high, it will host a commercial unit (server-farm). It has a sculptural shape and organic design, which comes from Mense + Korte, the builders of the Beckum House (we reported earlier, also in Drymix Mortar Yearbook 2021) in cooperation with SSV Architects, Heidelberg. The construction is executed in three segments using a Cobod printer, m-tec mixer and Peri technology, the material (450 tons) is being delivered in silos by Heidelberg Materials (tradename i.tech 3D). Completion of the building is expected in July 2023.

6. Münzing Inaugurates Polymer and Wax Plant in Malaysia

In March, Münzing Chemie GmbH of Abstatt, Germany („Munzing“) has officially inaugurated its production plant for wax and polymer emulsions in Bukit Selambau, Kedah, Northern Malaysia. The new facility is conveniently located close to ports to the Andaman Sea, from which the entire ASEAN region can easily be reached. More than 50 mio Euro have been invested for the building of the plant on a plot of more than 18.000 m². The plant is capable to produce water-based wax emulsions and other specialty additives such as liquid defoamers mainly for the construction industry and architectural paints. The plant's process design is geared to low CO₂ emissions, 70% of the process energy can be re-used in future batches. Production had already started in October 2022 and is supposed to operate at full capacity in October 2023. Ribbons were cut by Dr. Michael Münzing, Owner and CEO of Munzing, together with his team in Malaysia and representatives of Invest Kedah, the local governments' industrial zoning office.

7. Sika Finds New Buyer for MBCC-Spin-Off

Sika AG of Baar, Switzerland, is under obligation due to national anti-trust rulings to spin off parts of the recently acquired MBCC Group's assets (Mannheim, Germany), mainly in the concrete admixtures field (MBCC Admixtures in Great Britain, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, the turnover was 916 mio Euro in 2022, 1.600 employees at 35 locations are involved, we reported earlier). Initially, Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos Group, London, Great Britain (by way of its subsidiary Ineos Enterprises, Rolle, Switzerland) had confirmed the acquisition, but the deal did not go through due to concerns of the British Anti-Trust Authority CMA: after a critical preliminary evaluation, Ineos pulled out. Now, Sika reached an agreement with Cinven Group, Ltd., London, Great Britain, to take over this MBCC activity. Cinven has already made several acquisitions in the construction chemicals field in the past, such as Chryso and Arxada (former Lonza, Troy, we reported earlier). According to Thomas Hasler, CEO of Sika, the deal with Cinven shows “no significant changes” when compared with the one with Ineos. A transaction value was not disclosed.

8. Henkel Sells its Operations in Russia

Henkel AG & Co. KGaA of Düsseldorf, Germany, has finally sold all its operations in Russia. After a long search, in a climate of permanent changes of requirements by the authorities, a final agreement has been established with a consortium of Russian companies consisting of Kismet Capital Group, Augment Investments and Elbrus Services (the websites of the companies were not reachable, so we can not research more details at this point in time, sorry). Henkel Russia, represented by its subsidiary Lab Industries, had a turnover of about  1.000 mio Euro in 2021 and employed 2.500 people in Russia at 19 locations. Henkel was active in products for consumers as well as in the industrial adhesives sector including drymix mortars (Ceresit, Thomsit brands) in Russia. Henkel sold its entire activity for 600 mio Euro, which is only 60% of one annual turnover. The transaction has already been approved by Russian Authorities.


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Editor-in-Chief: Ferdinand Leopolder. 


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