drymix.info News 124/2012

drymix.info Newsletter 124/2012; ISSN Number 1613-0111; 04. September 2012

1. Drymix Meeting, Sydney, 11.09.2012: Confirm Attendance at Delegate Welcome!
2.a. Üçüncü Güney ve Merkezi Avrupa Kuru Harç Konferansı cedmmc three, 15. Ekim 2012, İstanbul, Türkiye
2.b. cedmmc three, Istanbul, 15. October 2012
3. SEADMA Conference, Jakarta, Indonesia, 20.11. 2012: Programme
4. MEDMA Grants Seal of Quality to DMC-Mix, Riyadh, KSA
5. Home Depot Announces Acquisition of U.S. Home Systems
6. Jabal Omar to Build 10 Hotel Towers for Pilgrims in Maccah, Saudi Arabia

1. Drymix Meeting, Sydney, 11.09.2012: Confirm Attendance at Delegate Welcome!

The Australian Drymix Mortar Meeting takes place in Syndey, New South Wales on 11. September 2012, from 09:00 until 16:30. Our Conference hotel is Novotel Sydney Manly Pacific, directly on the ocean. The programme has been published in our last newsletter and is also available on www.drymix.info. To our surprise, over 80 drymix mortar experts from Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Europe have already registered.

We urgently ask all registered guests to confirm (or decline) their attendance at the Delegate Welcome. This casual event takes place on Monday evening, 10. September, we meet in the lobby of Novotel Sydney Manly Pacific at 18:00. Thanks to our Sponsors Construction Technology Australia and IMCD Australia drinks and snacks are free of charge! Seating is limited, advance confirmation of attendance is mandatory by e-mail to info@drymix.info.

Registration to the conference is still possible via our website drymix.info/shop (Visa or Mastercard required). Admission is 190 Euro/240 AU$, drymix.info members pay only 150 Euro / 190 AU$. Admission includes the Delegate Welcome, full access to all lectures and the Industry Showcase, an extensive information package as well as all food and drink on the day of the meeting.

2.a. Konferansı cedmmc three, 15 Ekim 2012, İstanbul, Türkiye

Üçüncü Güney ve Merkezi Avrupa Kuru Harç Konferansı cedmmc three
Pazartesi, 15 Ekim 2012, İstanbul, Türkiye (Delegelerin Karşılanması Pazar, 14 Ekim, 18:00). Güney ve merkezi Avrupa’nın kuru-karışım harç endüstrisinin en önemli oyuncuları 3. kez biraraya geliyorlar. Bu ayrıcalıklı konferansta konusunu çok iyi bilen uzmanlar sunum yapacaktır. Bir endüstri vitrini, konferansa eşlik ediyor olacaktır (sponsorlara kapımız açıktır). Konferans drymix.info başkanı Ferdinand Leopolder tarafından yönetilecektir.
The conference is being simultaneously translated from Turkish to English and back, many lectures will be held in Turkish language.

2.b. cedmmc three, Istanbul, 15. October 2012

The Central European Drymix Mortar Conference and Industry Showcase cedmmc three takes place in Istanbul, Turkey on 15. October 2012, from 09:00 until 16:30. A Delegate Welcome event is planned for Sunday, 14. October evening (festive dinner at the Golden Horn), we meet in the lobby at 18:00 (seating is limited, please reserve).

The programme has been finalized now and is available for download on our website. The conference is being simultaneously translated from Turkish to English and back, many lectures will be held in Turkish language.

Admission fee for regular Delegates is 245 Euro. Members or partners of drymix.info (or their guests) pay only 195 Euro. The admission includes the Delegate Welcome (planned for Sunday, 14. October 2012, 18:00, location tbd.), an extensive information package as well as all food and drink on the day of the meeting. Registration has started already via our website drymix.info/shop (Visa or Mastercard required). There are still some sponsoring options available, if you are interested, please enquire at info@drymix.info.

Conference Hotel: Celal Ağa Konaği Hotel is a cosy boutique hotel. We definitely recommend to place your reservation early, October is a busy month in Istanbul. We have negotiated a rate of 130 Euro for a double room, including breakfast. Please mention drymix.info when booking in order to obtain this rate. The phone number of the hotel is + 90 212 519 09 09, our contact person is Mr. Firat Keskin.

3. SEADMA Conference, Jakarta, Indonesia, 20.11. 2012: Programme

Over the Past 7 years, the South East Asia Drymix Mortar Association’s Annual Conference has become the anchor event for the drymix mortar Community throughout South East Asia, India and China. SEADMA welcomes all drymix mortar experts to its 7th annual conference on 20. November in Jakarta, Indonesia. Conference Hotel is Hotel Pullman Jakarta Central Park. Special rates for Delegates are available, rooms should be reserved soon. Remember the traffic! We really recommend out-of-towners to stay in or around the conference location.

A Delegate Welcome event is being planned on Monday night, 19. November 2012 at a fabulous outdoor beer bar right next to our venue. Please tell us if you wish to join, sponsoring for this is highly appreciated.

Here is our programme (subject to change without notice):
Pairat Pipattanaboon, Ashland: New Cellulose Ethers for Improved Overall Performance in High Temperature Applications
Dr. Claus-Jochen Häcker, SE Tylose: Basic Investigations on the Open Time of Tile Adhesives
tbd. (William Li, Dr. Liang Zhang), Dow: Study of Vertical Length Change of Cement Based Grout with Noncontact Testing Method
Lionel Bertrand, Kerneos S.A: A New Technology to Improve Shelf-life Stability of Calcium Aluminate Cement Based drymix Mortars
Armin Zöller, M-tec: How to Gain Mortar Performance and how to Keep it Constant - Simple and Reliable Methods for Raw Materials and Finished Products
Malik Jamal, Wacker Chemie AG: Polymer Modified Mineral Plasters, Thin Bed Mortar and Skim Coat for Long Lasting Masonry Protection
Sonia Shi, AkzoNobel, Functional Chemicals Elotex AG: A New Generation Cement Based Color Mortar
Jean Christophe Champier, Sofraden: Additive Station with Mobile Dosing Systems
Mark van der Merwe, Billerud: Selecting the Correct Packaging for Drymix Mortars
Engelbert Köß, Haver & Boecker: State-of-the-Art Bagging Solutions for Construction Products
tbd. (Tim Tan), Laticrete Singapore Pte. Ltd.: Self-Leveling Floor Topping from Truckmount Unit - A Case Study

Admission fee for this Meeting is 273 SG$ (2,0 Mio INR). An early booking rebate of 27 SG$ (200.000 INR) is available until 30. September 2012. Admission includes the Delegate Welcome, an extensive information package as well as all food and drink on the day of the meeting. Registration has started already via our website drymix.info/shop (Visa or Mastercard required).

4. MEDMA Grants Seal of Quality to DMC-Mix, Riyadh, KSA

The Middle East Drymix Mortar Association MEDMA had issued the quality assurance programme for its members in late 2010. Now, The MEDMA Seal of Quality had been applied for and granted to over 20 Products of DMC-Mix, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. DMC-Mix, member of MEDMA since 2009 produces mainly masonry mortars, cementitious and gypsum-based renders and skim coats with different properties. The company has focussed also upon the use of jobsite automation (silos, pumps, mixers) and has built up a portfolio of 20 different products, all of which have been tested against the relevant European and International Standards. It is the intention of DMC-Mix to document and openly promote quality awareness amongst its customers in an otherwise not yet quality-driven market. Therefore, the application for MEDMA's Seal of Quality was turned in in May of 2012, the Executive Committee and the Technical Chairman of MEDMA, Mohammed Sanaobar examined and approved the application and granted the seal in July 2012.

5. Jabal Omar to Build 10 Hotel Towers for Pilgrims in Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Jabal Omar Development Co. (Jomar), Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, plans to open 10 hotel towers in Mecca next year to accommodate Islamic pilgrims, the Saudi Arabian company’s Executive General Director Sameer Al- Quraishi said. Jabal Omar is developing 2.2 mio sq. m. of land near the Grand Mosque. The site development will eventually include 38 hotel towers with a total of 13.500 rooms and the country’s largest shopping mall. Over the next five years, spending on this project's five phases is estimated to be 4.200 mio Euro (5.300 mio US$). According to Al-Quraishi, "...the government’s goal to allow more pilgrims to Mecca coupled with rising wealth in Islamic countries is fueling demand for higher-end accommodation in the holy city". More than 10 million people come to Mecca throughout the year and about 3 million pilgrims attend the annual Hajj, the Islamic journey every able-bodied Muslim is obligated to make once in his lifetime.

6. Home Depot Agrees To Acquire U.S. Home Systems

The Home Depot Inc., Atlanta, GA, USA announced a definitive merger agreement to acquire U.S. Home Systems, Inc. ("USHS"). USHS, based in Irving, TX, USA is a major provider of kitchen and bath refacing products and services as well as closet and garage organizational systems to Home Depot. USHS's board of directors has unanimously approved the deal. Under the terms of the agreement, Home Depot will acquire USHS for 12,50 US$ (9,92 Europer share in cash which represents an approximately 38% premium over USHS' closing price on the NASDAQ Global Market Index on August 6, 2012. The acquisition is still subject to approval by USHS stockholders, applicable regulatory approval and customary closing conditions. The completion of the merger is planned for the end of 2012.

Home Depot also has announced a positive business development for the first part of 2012. Management reports a "surprising raise in profit" for the 2nd Quarter (Q2/2012): profit went up by 100 mio US$ (80,6 mio Euro) to reach 1.500 mio US$ ( 1.209 mio Euro). The turnover slightly increased by 1,7 % to 20.600 mio US$ (16.601 mio Euro). For the entire year 2012, Frank Blake, managing director of The Home Depot, is expecting an increase in turnover of 4,6%.

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