drymix.info Newsletter 118/2012; ISSN Number 1613-0111; 08. April 2012 

Trouble reading this e-mail? View it in your browser

1. Ms. Eva Meyer becomes Mrs. Eva Schabatin

2. admmc three, Miami, FL, May 8th, 2012: Preliminary Programme 

3. Upcoming Events

• 7th Annual SEADMA Conference, Bali, Indonesia, 06. and 07. September 2012
• Australian Drymix Mortar Meeting, Sydney, 11. September 2012
• Central and South European Drymix Mortar Conference
• cedmmc three in Istanbul, Turkey, 15. October 2012
• Outlook into 2013: Munich, Dubai, Nürnberg, Munich, Barcelona

4. CFF joins drymix.info as Industrial Partner

5. Ashland Starts Production of RDP in Nanjing, China

6. 2011: Record Year for EIFS in Germany

7. Wacker Chemie AG is Expanding its Chinese Polymer Activities

8. MEDMA General Assembly Sets Strategy, Elects New Board Members

9. Holcim with Reduced Profits 2011

10. Drymix Mortar News from India and Thailand

1. Ms. Eva Meyer becomes Mrs. Eva Schabatin

Eva Meyer, who joined drymix.info last July has married Mihail Schabatin in March. We wish the newlywed love, peace and happiness - and well-behaved children.

2. admmc three, Miami, FL, May 8th, 2012: Preliminary Programme 

The early booking phase for the Third American Drymix Mortar Conference admmc three yielded already over 100 delegate registrations from major players in the drymix mortar industry. A large group will be coming from Latin America, especially from Mexico, Puerto Rico and Brasil. admmc three takes place on May 8th at Hotel Hilton Downtown Miami, Florida (reduced delegate rate is still available, please mention drymix.info when booking your room). admmc three features an Industry Showcase with gold stands by Caltra, Dow Construction Chemicals, Elotex, Evonik, Haver Filling Systems, Kerneos, Poraver, Rotec, Sofraden and Wacker. The Drymix Mortar Yearbook 2012 (currently in print) will be published on occasion of this conference, it contains contributions from Beumer, Dow, drymix.info, Elotex, Kerneos, MIG mbH, Rotec and Sofraden.

Here are some useful informations for our delegates: Registration for our conference is available at our shop (Master or Visacard), admission fee is 460 US$ (350 €), reduced to 370 US$ (280 €) for drymix.info Member companies. Advance registration (and payment) is mandatory, other payment options exist, please enquire with us. The admission includes conference access, materials and catering during the conference as well as the Delegate Welcome. Travel, hotel, parking and transfers are not included.

Thanks to our sponsors Kerneos, Mapei and Wacker we are organising a Delegate Welcome on Monday, May 7th, 2012, 5 to 7 PM at the Hilton Miami Downtown. We will have drinks and snacks in a casual atmosphere. In order to make planning easier for us, please let us know whether you wish to join our Delegate Welcome by return e-mail. 

Early check in takes place during the Delegate Welcome, too. Our staff will be ready there with badges and other conference information for our prepaid delegates, also, delegates that have not completed their registration yet can pay up and get their materials. Please use this offer if you are already in Miami - it limits the congestion for you and us at conference check-in on Tuesday morning (8 AM).

Here is the preliminary programme (in alphabetical order by lecturers' last names; subject to change without notice):

Time Stable Reactivity for Dry Mix Mortars, Charles Alt, Kerneos

The Comparison of Various Rheological Techniques with the ISO 13007-2 Slip Test, Dr. Randall Bright, Laticrete International

Controlling Air Pore Size and -Distribution as a Means to Optimize the Surface Quality of Self-Levelling Underlayments (SLU), James Fenn, Evonik

Large Tiles - A New Challenge for Tilers, Dr. Hardy Herold, Wacker

A Total Systems Approach to Maximize Performance in Self Leveling Flooring Applications, Linda Kim-Habermehl, Dow Construction Chemicals

Greenwashing or Sustainability? First Results of the Green Mortar Study 2012, Ferdinand Leopolder, drymix.info

Measurement of Shear Resistance and Modulus of Cementitious Tile Adhesives, Neil McMurdie, Mapei

Use of a Glass-Containing Metakaolin as Active Filler in Drymix Mortars, Dr. Michael Monz, Poraver North America

Calcium Sulpho Aluminate and Amorphous Calcium Aluminate - a New Cement Technology, Ludo van Nes, Caltra

Latest Development in Tile and Stone Installation Products (TSIP), Thomas Wanke, Ardex

The Role of Tile Adhesive and Grout Mortars to Withstand Daily and Seasonal Thermal Cycles, Dr. Roger Zurbriggen, Elotex

(the lecturing topic of Parex was not final by today). 

3. Upcoming Events

7th Annual SEADMA Conference, Bali, Indonesia, 06. and 07. September 2012

The South East Asia Drymix Mortar Association SEADMA is inviting drymix mortar experts from throughout Asia to its 7th annual conference to Bali, Indonesia. This traditional highlight of the Asian drymix expert's calendar will feature technical lectures, the industry showcase and the Annual General Assembly of SEADMA. MEDMA and SEADMA will publish the new technical Bulletin 07. A Call for Papers has been issued by SEADMA and is available through drymix.info for interested parties.

Australian Drymix Mortar Meeting, Sydney, 11. September 2012

Preparations are under way for the First Australian Drymix Mortar Meeting in Sydney on Tuesday, 11. September in Sydney, New South Wales (attention sponsors: change of both date and location!). With this meeting, we hope to connect key executives of the Australian drymix mortar community and the supplying industry and offer the usual networking atmosphere. Other than with regular drymix.info conferences, this meeting will feature invited lectures (more details available at drymix.info) and a moderated discussion with industry experts. An industry showcase is accompanying the event (sponsoring is welcome). Registration will be possible from 01. May 2012 in our shop at drymix.info.

Central and South European Drymix Mortar Conference in Istanbul, Turkey, 15. October 2012

Clearly the hottest market in Europe these days, Turkey will be the location for the Third Central and South European Drymix Mortar Conference in Istanbul. For the first time, the event will feature invited lectures as well as lectures proposed by the industry (a Call for Papers is available at drymix.info). A moderated panel discussion about the drymix mortar opportunities in South and Central Europe is also included in the programme. Already now, several companies have signed up for the Industry Showcase. A Delegate welcome Tour is planned for Sunday, 14. October 2012.

The date and location have been picked in order to accomodate our international delegates, since they might be interested to also join the Global Gypsum Conference taking place in Istanbul on 16. and 17. October 2012 (organized by our friends at ProPubs/Rob McAffrey).

Outlook into 2013: Munich, Dubai, Nürnberg, Munich, Barcelona 

• Traditional Casual drymix.info meeting during BAU, Munich, Germany, 16. January 2013
• The Second Middle East Conference on Sustainable Building Materials, Dubai, UAE, 13. February 2013 (tentative date, location Burj Khalifa, Armani Hotel; organized for MEDMA by drymix.info and Sesam Business Consultants)
• The Fourth International Drymix Mortar Conference idmmc four, Nürnberg, Germany, 18. March 2013
• Traditional Casual drymix.info meeting during BAUMA, Munich, Germany, 17. April 2013 

Important note: The European Mortar Summit Barcelona, Spain, which drymix.info is organizing in cooperation with The European Drymix Mortar Industry Association EMO will take place in June 2013 (not 2012 when it was initially scheduled!). We will keep you posted.

4. CFF joins drymix.info as Industrial Partner

CFF GmbH & Co. KG of Gehren, Germany, has decided to join drymix.info as Industrial Partner. For over 30 years, CFF has specialized in the production of cellulose fibers and powders from various feedstocks. These cellulose materials are being used in many industries. Since its early beginnings, CFF also offers specially developped cellulose fibers for the formulation of drymix mortars (tradename Technocel). The qualities used in mortars are off-white and grey grades from fine to coarse.

We warmly welcome CFF to our Community. 

5. Ashland Starts Production of RDP in Nanjing, China

Ashland Specialty Ingredients, Wilmington, DE, USA has recently started up its first redispersible powder plant in Nanjing, China (RDP, tradename Aquapas). The new 20 kt/a capacity is part of the already existing Ashland complex in Nanjing Chemical Industrial Park. The powders produced will be based upon Ethylene/Vinyl Acetate (EVA), raw materials for which are available "over-the-fence" at this integrated production location. Since 2010, Ashland is already producing hydroxyethylcellulose for the paints and coatings industries there. With a combined portfolio of methyl cellulose (MC) and RDP, Ashland intends to target the drymix mortar industry in the region. Jim, O’Brien, Ashland Chairman and CEO, commented on the company’s growth strategy for China and in the Asia Pacific region: “Today, nearly half of our sales come from outside the U.S., and approximately 20 percent of sales come from the rapidly growing Asia Pacific and Latin American regions. We plan to invest approximately US$ 600 million (458 mio Euro) over the next three years to support our planned growth in key regions that include Asia Pacific.”

6. 2011: Record Year for EIFS in Germany

According to a report provided by Fachverband Wärmedämm-Verbundsysteme e.V., Baden-Baden, Germany (FV WDVS; German Association of EIFS manufacturers) for 2011, the growth of the application of EIFS has been continuing since 2010. Over 42 mio square metres of facades have been covered with External Insulation and Finishing Systems (EIFS; also called External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems ETICS), this is the highest consumption of such systems since records are being kept at FV WDVS. The continued growth has been encouraged by subsidies from the German government, which supports measures to save energy since the first oil crisis in 1973. The average thickness of insulation installed is also growing because the requirements for the heat transfer of walls are continually being reduced (so-called K or lambda values): the average board thickness using expanded poly styrene (EPS) exceeded 10 cm and can reach up to 16 cm, when retrofitting buildings with thin walls from the fifites and sixties of the last century.

7. Wacker Chemie AG is Expanding its Chinese Polymer Activities

Wacker Chemie AG, Munich, Germany has announced to invest 40 mio Euro for two new production facilities at its Nanjing, China production location. The investments will go into a production of vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer dispersions (VAE) by adding a new reactor with an annual capacity of 60 kt/a, thus doubling Wacker's VAE dispersion capacity at Nanjing, making the complex one of the biggest of its kind in China. The new reactor is scheduled to come on stream in mid-2013. At the same location, Wacker is already producing RDP and is also building a new plant to produce polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) solid resins (20 kt/a).

8. MEDMA General Assembly Sets Strategy, Elects New Board Members

The Middle East Drymix Mortar Association held its Annual General Assembly in Dubai, UAE during the Middle East Coatings Show in March. President Laith Haboubi outlined the future strategy of MEDMA: the key project for 2012 is the establishing of a fully equipped laboratory for the testing of Cementitious Tile Adhesives (CTA) at and in cooperation with Dubai Central Laboratories in Al Karama, Dubai. This lab will offer tests according to international standards for the entire industry, members of MEDMA can use the lab for their own testing at greatly reduced rates. Eventually, it is expected that Dubai Municipality will establish mandatory testing for CTA. "The regional focus of MEDMA will again be Saudi Arabia", said Ferdinand Leopolder, Secretary General of MEDMA, "together with our many members there, we are planning a Road Show on Drymix Mortars."

The General Assembly elected Mr. Ali Ammar (Dow Construction Chemicals, Dubai) and Eng. Naif Al Rakheis (DMC-Mix, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) to join the Executive Committee. All other members remained in office.

4. Holcim with Reduced Profits 2011

Holcim AG of Holderbank, Switzerland has sold more cement, aggregates and concrete, however the company had to report reduced earnings for 2011: while the tonnage rose by 7,5 %, the turnover fell by 4,2 % when compared with 2010 (21.000 mio SFR; approx. 17.000 mio Euro). Due to write-downs amounting to 775 mio SFR (630 mio Euro) net earnings fell to 275 mio SFR (229 mio Euro), down from 1.200 mio SFR (997 mio Euro) in 2010.

10. Drymix Mortar News from India and Thailand

During the Second Indian Drymix Mortar Conference, a moderated discussion led to the formation of the Alliance of Indian Drymix Mortar Producers. This new panel will see to the promotion of drymix mortars throughout India as well as to the addressing of the most serious issues hindering the spreading of drymix mortar technology in India: apart from machinery and logistical issues, namely the taxation of mixed mortars (as opposed ot the non-taxation of jobsite mixes) and the sourcing of natural aggregates have been mentioned as the main obstructions. More information about the Alliance of Indian Drymix Mortar Producers is available at drymix.info

Already in February, the Thai Chapter of The South East Asia Drymix Mortar Association SEADMA has been formed. The Thai Capter of SEADMA sees its foremost task in supporting the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) in revising existing standards for renders and establishing new ones for important applications such as CTA. The delegates to the round table signed the official "Resolution for High Quality Drymix Mortars in Thailand". Signatories include Fast-Mix, Sika, Siam City Cement, Siam Modified Starch, Ubau/BeeMortar, the signatures of Siam Mortar and Bostik are still pending but confirmed. All quality oriented manufacturers of drymix mortars in Thailand are invited to join this quality initiative, the resolution is available as .pdf from drymix.info, or from www.seadma.org.

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.

Should you want to discontinue your subscription, please return this newsletter with the reference UNSUBSCRIBE to info (at) drymix. info. All information © 2003 - 2012 by drymix. info, Ferdinand Leopolder, Tegernseer Landstrasse 26, D-81541 München.

Sincerely Yours, Ferdinand Leopolder