Displaying items by tag: admixtures

China: Germany’s Wacker Group has opened a new competence centre for cement and concrete applications in Shanghai. The laboratory will develop silicone based products and solutions which are able to improve the performance of cement and concrete and to make these materials more sustainable. Special focus is on silicone admixtures and performance enhancers.

“As a regional innovation platform focusing on cement and concrete, the new lab will cooperate with leading Chinese universities, research institutions and the industry. Its goal is to develop innovative products and solutions which support the sustainable development of the Chinese construction materials industry,” said Paul Lindblad, president of Wacker Greater China.

At its new competence centre in Shanghai, Wacker will be able to investigate how silicone chemistry can protect cement and concrete against environmental influences and, at the same time, improve the durability of these materials.

China: Anhui Conch has chosen Conch New Materials, a fellow subsidiary of Conch Holdings, as one of its grinding aids suppliers for 2019 following an open tender process. The value of the deal is estimated to be worth no more than around US$125m for no more than 0.15Mt of cement grinding aids. Conch New Materials develops, produces and sells cement additives, concrete admixtures, related chemical products and technical services. The other supplier has not been named.

US: GCP Applied Technologies’ net sales from its Specialty Construction Chemicals division grew by 5.9% year-on-year to US$165m in the third quarter of 2018 from US$156m in the same period in 2017 due to higher volumes in its Concrete and Cement businesses. Overall, the company’s net sales rose by a similar percentage. It manufactures a range of additives for cement production under the Opteva and Tavero brands.

Portugal: France’s Chryso has acquired Euromodal. The company was set up in 1986 and manufactures a range of construction chemicals from a plant located near Porto. It also offers services ranging from technical support, the formulation of mix designs and on-site support. Francisco Araujo, CEO of Euromodal, will become the general manager of Chryso in Portugal. No value for the transaction has been disclosed.

“We are delighted to integrate Euromodal into our group and look forward to working with the talented people who will become part of the Chryso business,” said Thierry Bernard, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Chryso.
“The local production, the world-class local concrete laboratory and strong technical service will benefit our customers. After our recent acquisitions in Italy and in Ireland, this move demonstrates our willingness to enhance our positions in geographies where customers see benefits in value-added solutions and differentiated offerings.”

Panama: Cemex Panama has opened its first admixture plant in the Panama Pacifico Free Trade Zone. The unit is part of US$15m series of investments by the construction materials company in the country, according to the El Economista newspaper. Products from the plant will be used locally and exported elsewhere in Central America and to the Caribbean.

China: Japan’s Mitsubishi Materials has signed an agreement to sell its 66.7% stake in Yantai Mitsubishi Cement in Shandong to a subsidiary of China National Building Material (CNBM). No value for the sale has been revealed, according to Nikkei. Yantai Mitsubishi has a cement production capacity of 1.2Mt/yr. Mitsubishi Materials will also liquidate two of its Chinese cement admixture producers: one in Shandong and the other in Jiangsu.

The materials producer has blamed the decision on cement production overcapacity in the Chinese market and increasing environmental regulations. Mitsubishi Materials was ordered to halt production three times in 2016. It intends to focus on the US market where infrastructure spending is expected to boost the cement market.

Sri Lanka: BASF has opened its first production plant for admixtures at Sapugaskande near Colombo. The plant will produce standard and custom-made performance-based construction chemicals under the Master Builders Solutions brand. These include concrete admixtures product ranges such as MasterGlenium, MasterPolyheed, MasterRheobuild and MasterPozzolith. The site is supported by an office, warehouse and testing laboratory.

“Asia Pacific is one of the fastest growing markets globally and South Asia is a strategic growth engine of this market. With the new admixture plant in Colombo, we will now be able to rapidly supply our customers with admixtures for all cement and aggregate types, whether their construction projects are located in the capital or in remote areas,” said Himanshu Kapadia, Vice President, Market Management, Construction Chemicals Asia Pacific, BASF, at the inauguration of the new plant on 19 August 2016.

Thailand: Sika has inaugurated a new mortars and concrete admixtures plant in Saraburi. The plant has a production capacity of 100,000t/yr of mortars and 65,000t/yr of concrete admixtures. The unit also includes warehouse and an office. It is the additives and admixtures company’s second such plant in the country.

"After our existing plant in Chonburi reached its limits, we consequently invested in additional production capacities. The new plant will enable us to maintain our strong growth in Thailand in terms of production volume, sales and market share. South East Asia is one of the regions where Sika generates some of its highest growth rates and we are well positioned to continue this positive development," said Heinz Gisel, Regional Manager Asia-Pacific.