Displaying items by tag: Additives

Morocco: France-based Chryso has announced its acquisition of a majority stake in construction chemicals producer APTEX. The local producer operates an application laboratory and plant in Casablanca, Anfa-Settat Region. President and director general Mohamed Benlyamani said, “We are delighted to partner with an international structure offering significant means of development and a strong culture of innovation.”

Chryso chief executive officer (CEO) Thierry Bernard said, “By acquiring a majority stake in APTEX, we sustain our long-term relationship with our Moroccan customers and strengthen our local roots in Morocco. We will thus accelerate the deployment of new technologies and support producers in the development of high-performance, environmentally friendly building materials.”

US: Solidia Technologies and France-based Chryso have announced a collaborative partnership for the further development of the Solidia ‘ultra-low’ CO₂ concrete product. The companies plan to use their “combined expertise to improve the sustainability performance and material properties” of the concrete.

“Incorporating Chryso’s exclusive water-reducing admixtures adapted to the specific chemistry of Solidia Concrete, will further reduce water consumption in the curing process,” said Tom Schuler, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Solidia Technologies.

India: Birla Corporation has entered the construction chemicals and additives business by launching three new products. It is promoting Perfect Plus IWP, Perfect Plus SBR Latex and Perfect Plus Wall Putty, according to the Business Standard newspaper. The products will have been released in Uttar Pradesh and further rollout will follow. The initiative is intended to create a new revenue stream for the cement producer.

Europe: US-based company GCP Applied Technologies has received a European patent for increasing the efficiency of cement grinding by using sustainable raw materials. The grinding aids and quality improvers allow the use of bio-derived glycerol and reduce the use and the impact of oil-derived chemicals. The new Opteva and Tavero brand cement additives enable cement producers to reduce the energy consumption and the CO₂ emissions associated with cement production, with a reduced use, or no use at all, of oil-derived chemicals.

European Patent No. EP 1 728 771 B1 has been granted and registered into 17 European countries. The patent addresses methods for increasing the efficiency of cement and mineral grinding by using sustainable raw materials.

The patent relates to methods for improving the efficiency of grinding materials such as clinker and limestone, using glycerol derived from biofuel production, in combination with various grinding additives. GCP products can help to reduce the carbon footprint of cement and concrete. Grinding aids and quality improvers make cement manufacturing more efficient, while concrete admixtures can reduce the amount of cement needed to achieve a given strength specification.

France/Italy: Chryso has signed an agreement to buy certain assets of Italy’s Ruredil, including its cement additives, concrete admixtures and technical mortars business divisions, but excluding the Rurmec brand. The cost of the acquisition has not been revealed. The transaction is expected to complete over the summer of 2018 subject to the satisfaction or waiver of customary conditions precedent.

“The combination of our operating businesses in Italy will provide a wider range of products to our customers, as well as improve our geographic coverage, enabling us to serve a greater number of building companies and cement and concrete manufacturers across Italy and abroad. The businesses will have strong offerings to answer the new technical challenges of the building industry,” said Thierry Bernard, president and chief executive officer of Chryso.

In Italy, Chryso operates as Chryso Italia, which was established in 1997. Its customers in the region include cement manufacturers, concrete producers and building companies. Ruredil is an Italian company, established in the 1950s. It manufactures chemicals and structural reinforcement systems, and owns well-recognised brands in the construction industry such as Ruredil and Levocell.

Colombia: Cemex Colombia plans to grow its additives production to 9.7ML in 2018. The building materials producer says it is the only local manufacturer of producing aggregate, cement and additives, according to the La Republica newspaper. It produces additives to enhance the properties of cement and concrete. It also supplies additives to other companies with around 11% aimed at third parties in Latin America.

Russia: BASF Construction Systems plans to spend at least Euro6m towards building a new cement additive and concrete admixture plant. The plant will be the company’s fifth in the country, according to Interfax. The subsidiary of Germany’s BASF is currently looking for a site for the unit with a decision planned for 2018. It will then build the plant by 2021.

US: GCP Applied Technologies has launched two new cement additives: Opteva HE quality improvers and Tavero VM grinding aids. Opteva HE is intended to enhance early strength and is targeted at ‘challenging’ cements. Tavero VM is a grinding aid additive intended to help stabilise vertical roller mills during production by reducing water injection requirements and cement pre-hydration. It also improves cement performance by delivering higher strengths and shorter setting time. The company intends to expand its range of additives for cement production under the Opteva and Tavero brands.

Turkey: Fosroc, an international construction chemicals group, has announced a major step in its global growth strategy with the agreement to acquire, subject to regulatory approval, a substantial majority shareholding in the Turkish market leader for cement additives, Idea Kimya.

Andre Ladurelli, CEO of Fosroc, said that the acquisition signals a highly ambitious phase of growth. "Our strategy is to continue achieving double-digit organic growth in existing businesses and enter new territories through the formation of new ventures as well as through acquisitions. The acquisition of Idea Kimya is an excellent example of this strategy, demonstrating our commitment to growth while providing a substantial platform for further development in Turkey and its neighbouring countries. Our attitude is that we want to seize the day, lead the market and out-class our rivals on product, expertise and service," said Ladurelli.

Having recently completed new ventures in Myanmar, Vietnam and Iraq and with a host of other projects currently being developed, Ladurelli cited the example of Kenya as one of Fosroc's key future strategic ventures, through which it aims to open up the East African market. Fosroc's sales in the first half of 2015 increased in line with expectation. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 18% year-on-year.

"The integration of Idea Kimya into the Fosroc Group will create new high growth opportunities. Fosroc will provide a thorough range of construction chemicals products and solutions, with the support of their global organisation," said Hakan Gulseren, managing director and one of the founders of Idea Kimya.

India: Fosroc Chemicals has set up a new US$1m plant in Uluberia, Howrah district in West Bengal. The plant is intended initially to manufacture 20,000t/yr of cement and concrete additives.

"The plant, constructed on 5261m² of privately owned land on lease, will initially produce cement and concrete reinforcing liquid chemicals. Within a year, we will add powder chemicals manufacturing with another US$1m investment," said R Sai Krishnan, Vice-President, Fosroc Chemicals (India).

The Fosroc Indian arm of the international construction chemicals company wants to increase its turnover to US$67m in 2014. Cement, concrete and grouting chemicals are its main sales drivers in the country. In India it has a 15% market share in construction and industrial chemicals. Around 70% of its turnover comes from business projects solutions and the rest from retail.