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

drymix.info Newsletter 145/2013; ISSN Number 1613-0111; 23. December 2013

1. Season's Greetings
2. New Pricing Structure for Delegates to drymix.info Events
3. Russian Mortar Days, 29.1.2014, Moscow
4. The Third India Drymix Mortar Conference, Mumbai, 28. February 2014: Programme
5. Sika takes over LCS Optiroc (Singapore and Malaysia)

Dear supporters of drymix.info, dear friends,

this Newsletter must serve to thank you for your continued support and feedback for our International Community. I feel, that due to your  encouragement and sympathy, our community is growing, both in terms of participation as well as in terms of quality. I am glad and proud to be part of this.

To you and Your Families All the Best for 2014

Leo

Remark: it seems like some of you did not get our Newsletter for quite a while due to a conflicting server setting on our end, we apologize for the mistake. In December, we have been in contact with some of you, and we think we found the problem and corrected it. Let us hope that something like this won't happen again.

2. New Pricing Structure for Delegates to drymix.info Events

Based on discussions in Dubai and Kuala Lumpur last month as well as with industry supporters, we have decided to issue a new pricing policy for the delegate admissions to drymix.info events worldwide. Our common goal is to unite the entire community, so it is only natural to actually priviledge drymix mortar manufacturers and their clients. For them, a new, lower admission is being established. At the same time, we will not raise the price for our industry peers such as raw material suppliers or distributors of additives.

We apply this new pricing already for our Conference in Mumbai (drymix mortar manufacturers that have already paid the regular fee will obtain a credit), and I use this as an example to explain the change: The Regular Admission was 220 Euro (members: 195 Euro). This price remains in place for suppliers, distributors and others. The new admission for drymix mortar manufacturers is now only 130 Euro. We will continue to maintain substantial early booking rebates, (for India this has already expired), which will make admissions for drymix mortar manufacturers even cheaper.

3. Russian Mortar Days, 29.1.2014, Moscow

Russian Mortar Days 2014 is a cooperation of The Russian Federation for Factory Made Mortars SPSSS and drymix.info with Moscow Technical University MGSU (MCU). The event takes place at MGSU on 29. January 2014, check-in starts at 08:30. Recommended accomodation to beat Moscow traffic is Cosmos Hotel, although we have no special rates there. Admission is 295 Euro for international Delegates, please book online at www.drymix.info/shop (drymix.info members are eligible to a 50 Euro discount). Sponsoring spaces are still available and any support is welcome.

4. The Third India Drymix Mortar Conference, Mumbai, 28. February 2014: Programme

The Third Indian Drymix Mortar Conference and Industry Showcase takes place in Mumbai, India, on 28. February 2014 from 09:00 until 16:30 at The Leela Hotel. Just like the previous events The Indian Drymix Mortar Conference is the place to network for mortar experts from the dynamic Indian Subcontinent and beyond. 12 technical lectures, will be presented, three of them bundled into a strategy session. A comprehensive Industry Showcase completes the setup. As usual, from the proceeds of this conference a 500 Euro donation will be given to Ofenmacher e.V., a NGO which supports and actually installs ovens in rural houses in Nepal and (new) in Ethiopia in order to prevent horrible accidents, improve the health of the population and reduce the radius of foraging for wood for the women of the villages.

Here is the Preliminary Programme in alphabetical order (by company names, subject to change without notice):

Akzo Nobel Chemicals AG, Jörg Lang: Putty – How Organic Additives improve the Quality
Ardex, (tbd.: Paulson, Gopinath): Flooring Screeds and Self Levelling Underlayments - a Decisive step in High Quality Substrate Preparation and Floor Finishing
Baumann China, Klaus Swoboda: Automation of Mortar Application on the Jobsite
Dow Corning, Basab Saha: Silicone-resin Based Hydrophobic Powders. New Development and Utilization in Drymix Mortar.
Haver Ibau India, Engelbert Koess: High Performance Filling of Dry Mortar Products
Kerneos, Pascal Taquet: Binders’ interactions and hydration mechanisms in CAC-based drymix formulations
Mapei, Stefano Carrà: New trends in mortar adhesive products
Momentive, Yann Monin: Impact of the Monomer Composition of Redispersible Powders in Wallputties and Skimcoats
MYK Laticrete, Dr. Arjunan Periaswami: Durable and Fast Tile Application Using Sophisticated Drymix Adhesives
Ultratech, Dr. Sumon Chakravarty: (working title) Strategies for the Introduction of Industrial Mortar Technology in India
Wacker, Dr. Priti Pilai: Polymer modified Adhesive mortar for AAC Block
WAM, Marco Zaccarelli: The Key to Top Performance Drymix Mortar: Why a High Intensity Mixer is so Important

Orgainzational Details: The conference takes place at The Leela Hotel Mumbai (at Chattrapathi Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai). Delegate room rates have not yet been negotiated (sorry). The new pricing structure (see item 1 above) will already be applied for this event: Delegate Admission is 220 Euro (members: 195 Euro). The admission for drymix mortar manufacturers is now only 130 Euro.  Please register online at drymix. info / shop (Visa and Mastercard accepted). The Third India Drymix Mortar Conference  is being organized on behalf of drymix.info by Micro-Conference Pte. Ltd., Singapore.

5. Sika takes over LCS Optiroc (Singapore and Malaysia)

Sika AG of Tuffenwies, Switzerland has announced the takeover of LCS Optiroc Pte. Ltd., as well as its subsidiary LCS Optiroc Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia). LCS Optiroc manufactures a variety of cementitious mortars, with a strong focus on renders, skim coats, screeds and tile adhesives in the markets of Singapore and South Malaysia (Johor Bahru) and beyond. LCS Optrioc's turnover reached close to 20 mio Euro (33 mio S$) in the last business year. The company operates two plants, one in Singapore and one in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, its combined production capacity is 360.000 t /a. According to Sika, the company will serve as a basis to further expand into the drymix mortar market in South East Asia. Transaction details were not disclosed.

LCS Optiroc is a Founding Member of The South East Asia Drymix Mortar Association SEADMA, its General Manager, Mr. Chong Choong Fee has acted several years as President of SEADMA. He will remain in the company. He said: “We are proud to be joining the Sika Group. With Sika we have the possibility to expand our business into new markets and to benefit from their strong R&D capabilities.”

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. Please also check our Chinese Edition 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 - 2013 by drymix. info, Ferdinand Leopolder, Tegernseer Landstrasse 26, D-81541 München.

Sincerely Yours, Ferdinand Leopolder