drymix.info News 138/2013

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drymix.info Newsletter 138/2013; ISSN Number 1613-0111; 3. August 2013

1. SEADMA: Forum at and with CIDB, in Kuala Lumpur on 28. August 2013
2. Events Overview
3. Retail Chain Praktiker Files for Bankruptcy
4. Altana Agrees to Acquire Rockwood's  Rheology Business
5. Soudal takes over TKK Srpenica, Slovenia
6. BASF to Intends to Sell German Subsidiary for Wall Systems to Rockwool

1. SEADMA: Forum at and with CIDB, in Kuala Lumpur on 28. August 2013

The Second Malaysia Executive Forum on Drymix Mortars is being organized by The South East Asia Drymix Mortar Association SEADMA in cooperation with The Malaysia Construction Industry Development Board CIDB. It takes place at Putra World Trade Center in Kuala Lumpur, on 28. August 2013, from 09:00 until 14:00. This Technical Symposium has been prepared for construction experts from developers, consultants and contractors. The correct specifying, execution and assessment of drymix mortar applications, the jobsite efficiency and the sustainability of mortar installations are the governing topics of this event. CIDB has agreed to award 5 Continuous Contractor Development Points (CCD) also currently determines the amount of Continuous Professional Development points (CPD) to be awarded for consultants attending the event.

Dato‘ Seri Ir Dr Judin Abd Karim, Chief Executive Officer of CIDB has agreed to welcome the delegates and speak the opening words. The programme is moderated by Ferdinand Leopolder, we thank our sponsors for their contributions:
Lafarge, Si-Main Loo: Cementitious skim-coat: the good, the bad and everything in between
Laticrete Supercap, Tim Tan: The Exterior Application of Tiles on High-Rise Buildings – Specifying a Safe, Durable and Nice-Looking Facade
MC Bauchemie, Estee Yap: Preservation: Principles & Methods of Repair & Protection of Concrete Structures
Baumann China, Klaus Swoboda: Sky-High to Underground - how Mechanized Mortar Application Changes the Jobsites in Asia
Pye Products, Terence Yong, M. Berry (partly in Bahasa Malaysia): Skim Coats: the Greener Solution for the Interior
SEADMA, Ferdinand Leopolder: to Improve the Quality of Drymix Mortar Performance and the Durability of the Application
A Panel discussion led by renowned sustainability expert Matthias Gelber concludes the event, panel members will come from throughout the industry as well as from Government institutions such as CIDB and the Malaysia Standardisation Institute SIRIM.

Advance registration is mandatory, please contact us under info@drymix.info. Admission for Developers, Contractors, Architects and Consultants is free of charge if registered by 21. August 2013, after this date it is 800 MYR. Admission for Drymix Mortar Producers is 800 MYR (reduced to 500 MYR, If they are member of SEADMA). Admission for all other industry observers is 1.500 MYR (reduced to 1.000 MYR for SEADMA Partners).

2. Events Overview

28. August 2013, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:
The Second Malaysia Executive Forum on Drymix Mortars
(details see above)

7. - 9. October 2013, Berlin, Germany:
First International Conference on the Chemistry of Construction Materials
International scientific event reporting on recent research on building chemistry, organized by Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker GDCh, Fachgruppe Bauchemie. Supported by many drymix.info members such as BASF, Calucem, Dow, Evonik, Poraver, Rotec, Schleibinger and Wacker.

8. November 2013, São Paulo, Brasil:
The Third Latin American Drymix Mortar Conference
For the 3rd time the South and Central American Drymix Mortar Industry will meet in São Paulo, Brasil. This conference unites the drymix mortar experts of Latin America with delegates from Europe and elsewhere. Being the only event in Latin America focused only on drymix mortars, this conference always guarantees to be a very informative and important networking event for the whole industry in this region. The programme was published in our last Newsletter.

25. November 2013, Dubai, United Arab Emirates:
The MEDMA General Meeting
MEDMA invites all its members, partners and friends to its General Meeting (AGM) in Dubai, UAE. The Executive Committee will present the on the achievements during this year as well as the future of MEDMA. Focus will be on an update of the successful start of the drymix mortar lab at Dubai Central Laboratories. Also, elections for MEDMA's new Executive Committee will be part of this meeting. The meeting is planned as an evening event, starting 18:00 at fantastic Al Badia Golf Club, a festive dinner will conclude the meeting. Exclusive sponsoring is still possible and welcome. The event is free of charge for MEDMA members (up to two representatives of each company), all others pay 650 AED per person. Note: Big 5 takes place in Dubai from 25.11. until 28.11.2013.

28. November 2013, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:
The 8th Annual SEADMA Conference
The ideal chance to meet and network for mortar industry experts from South East Asia, India, China and beyond. The Call for Papers has recently expired, the programme will be published in our next Newsletter (ca. 20. August 2013). Sponsoring is still welcome, registration of delegates started on our website. The SEADMA/MEDMA Technical Bulletin 08 will be published on occasion of this event. The SEADMA Annual General Meeting (AGM) with elections for SEADMA's new Executive Committee will also be held during this conference.

29. January 2014, Moscow, Russia:
Russian Mortar Days 2014
A cooperation of The Russian Federation for Factory Made Mortars SPSSS and drymix.info with Moscow Technical University MGSU (MCU). The lecturing programme has almost been completed and was handled by personal invitation this time by Technical Chairman Prof. Andrey Pustovgar (MGSU). The Russian Mortar Yearbook 2014 will be published on occasion of this event (contributions are welcome until 30. September 2013). A delegate welcome event will take place on 28. January 2014 from 19:00 in downtown Moscow (location tbd.). Sponsoring is welcome, delegate registration starts at and after Baltimix (Vologda, 20.-22- August 2013).

28. February 2014, Mumbai, India:
Third Indian Drymix Mortar Conference
This is the key networking event for drymix mortar experts in one of the most dynamic markets for drymix mortars worldwide. Technical Contributions as well as sponsoring is welcome, a Call for Papers is available from drymix.info, it expires on 30. September 2013.

8. April 2014, Atlanta, Georgia, USA:
The Fourth American Drymix Mortar Conference admmc four
This full day bi-annual event unites the entire Northern and Central American drymix mortar industry and is the place to be for mortar experts. A Call for Papers is already running, it has been extended until September 15th, 2013 (definite and final deadline). The Drymix Mortar Yearbook 2014 will pe presented during admmc four, contributions are already welcome, deadline for those is 1. December 2013. Note: The American Coatings Show takes place in Atlanta from April 8th to April 10th, 2014

11. September 2014, Istanbul, Turkey:
The Fourth Central and South European Drymix Mortar Conference cedmmc four
Coming back to Istanbul, cedmmc four features technical lectures, an industry showcase and (hopefully, sponsoring needed!) a fantastic night-cruise and party on the Bosporus on 10. September 2014. The Call for Papers is not yet available, but we are open for lecturing suggestions already.

3. Retail Chain Praktiker Files for Bankruptcy

Praktiker AG, headquartered in Kirkel, Germany, filed for bankruptcy at the district court of Hamburg. The step became necessary after alternative models for financing did not work out. Reportedly, Praktiker's discount strategy since 2006 cut back their profit margin too much and thus debt kept rising. In 2011 attempts were made to change the strategy but customer response was too slow. In early 2013 an attempt was made to create liquidity by further discounting campaigns but the slow business on gardening and outdoor tools because of the bad weather in spring 2013 turned the balance.

Praktiker was spun off the Metro Group in 2005 and acted independently since then. The company operates 440 hardware markets in Europe, 240 alone in Germany. 12.000 people work for Praktiker in Germany alone. In spite of the bankruptcy, business will continue in the German Praktiker outlets as well as the Hobby+Garten markets. The bankruptcy filing initially did not affect sister company Max Bahr (132 hardware stores in Germany) but recently, this retail chain also had to file for bankruptcy due to reduced supplier trust in the wake of the turbulence at Praktiker.

4. Altana Agrees to Acquire Rockwood's Rheology Business

Altana AG, headquartered in Wesel, Germany, has agreed to take over the rheological additives business from Rockwood Holdings, Inc., Princeton, NJ, USA. The business, part of Rockwood's Performance Additives division, operates 4 production sites in the US, the UK and Germany. It will become part of Altana's Byk Additives & Instruments Division. Altana states that the rheology business ideally fits with the company's focus on specialty chemistry and opens up possibilities to expand them. The transaction value is said to be 479 mio Euro. The merger still requires the approval by the relevant anti-trust authorities. Providing this, it shall be finalized in the 4th quarter of 2013.

Rockwood Clay Additives, a founding member of drymix.info via former Südchemie AG, Moosburg, Germany, employs 340 people worldwide and had sales of 144 mio Euro in 2012. Altana Group has 42 production sites and 50 service and research sites worldwide. Altana employs 5.360 people and had a sales volume of 1.700 mio Euro in 2012. Altana is  owned 100% by the Quandt family, headed by Susanne Klatten (also shareholders at BMW and SGL Carbon).

5. Soudal takes over TKK Srpenica, Slovenia

The Belgian adhesives and sealants manufacturer Soudal n.v., headquartered in Turnhout has taken over TKK Srpenica d.d., Slovenia a long standing manufacturer of PU foams, sealants, mortars and construction chemicals. TKK employs 200 people mainly at its plant in Srpenica and intends to reach a turnover of 50 mio Euro in 2013. After WW II, TKK was established (at the site of a chalk-mine) as construction chemicals manufacturer with excellent connections in the markets of Eastern Europe, but, due to its location also towards the West. Today, the company exports 90% of its products throughout Europe and the Middle East. With the acquisition of TKK Srpenica, Soudal has 12 production locations worldwide.

6. BASF to Intends to Sell German Subsidiary for Wall Systems to Rockwool

BASF SE, headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany, has entered into a contract with Rockwool, located in Hedehusene, Denmark, concerning the sale of BASF Wall Systems GmbH & Co. KG, headquartered in Marktredwitz, Germany. The transaction comprises the German wall systems subsidiary including the Marktredwitz site. Wall Systems is assembling system components for EIFS and employs about 200 people. The purchase is subject to approval by the relevant authorities and legal closing of the transaction is expected by the end of 2013.

According to Dr. Tilman Krauch, President of BASF’s Construction Chemicals division “...our Wall Systems business in Germany posted significant growth over the last few years. Nevertheless, there are only limited synergies with other BASF fields of activity”. "...the acquisition enables us to put further weight behind our facade strategy and to get a significant foothold in the important German market for exterior insulation and finishing systems,” said Henrik Frank Nielsen, Managing Director of the Rockwool's Europe division.

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Sincerely Yours, Ferdinand Leopolder