BASF Aktiengesellschaf, a leading German manufacturer of construction chemicals, will use this year’s Big 5 show to launch two new promising product lines: EIFS, which are exterior insulation façade systems and PCI specialist multi-use tiling adhesives and grouts.

The company, which is a regular exhibitor at the Big 5, says it has been impressed with the positive response received at the show.
“We have seen a continued growth in all our markets, especially in the Middle East and we are also planning to expand our production facilities to meet the growing demand,” says John Sarkis, general manager, UAE and the Middle East.
Elaborating on the company’s expansion plans, he says: “We are planning a move to bigger facilities to increase production capacity and office space.”
BASF’s construction chemicals division is a leading supplier of chemical systems and formulations for the construction industry, he says. Continuous innovation and tailor-made solutions ensure customer satisfaction. Its admixture systems business unit specifically helps customers in the readymix, precast and manufactured concrete industries.
The construction systems unit offers a wide range of products for sports and industrial flooring, external renders and wall insulation, expansion joints, wood preservatives as well as specialist repair mortars, tile adhesives and waterproofing membranes. The division operates production sites and sales centres in more than 50 countries and achieved sales of €2.1 billion with approximately 7,400 employees in 2006.
The division is involved in the manufacture and supply of construction chemicals that include: concrete admixtures (Glenium SKY) used in structures such as the Burj Dubai; performance flooring finishes including Ucrete: claimed to be the world’s toughest floor; concrete repair and protection products marketed under the brand names  Emaco, MBrace and Protectosil CIT; and watertight construction systems which have been used at the Dubai International Airport, Dubai International Financial City (DIFC), the Burj Dubai and the Dubai Light Rail project.

Glenium SKY
“Concrete has to fulfill a variety of requirements, depending on its user, its field of application and the environment it is placed. While it is vital for operators of readymix batching plant to achieve the economical product of concrete, contractors do have other demands such as long workability, and easy placing characteristics, and engineers are mainly concerned with high durability,” says a spokesman for BASF.
He continues: To overcome all these problems simultaneously is difficult. BASF’s Total Performance Control, which is based on Glenium SKY technology, tries to achieve just this. This approach allows local conditions to be addressed individually for the first time by delivering concrete of uncompromising high quality.”
Glenium SKY is an innovative superplasticiser based on second-generation polycarboxylate ether (PCE) polymers and is specially engineered to provide high water reduction and slump retention for readymix concrete simultaneously.
As compared with other PCE superplasticisers, it is possible to obtain a high-quality concrete mix with accelerated development and extended workability without delayed setting characteristics.
Established 1865, in Ludwigshafen, Germany, BASF has set up production facilities in Dubai in the UAE. BASF Construction Chemicals UAE supports sales in the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Yemen and Kuwait.
A leading chemical company, BASF has a portfolio which ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals to crude oil and natural gas. As a reliable partner to virtually all industries, BASF’s high-value products and intelligent system solutions help its customers to attain success, says Sarkis.
He adds: “BASF develops new technologies and uses them to meet the challenges of the future and open up additional market opportunities. It combines economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility, thus contributing to a better future.
The company has approximately 95,000 employees and posted sales of €52.6 billion (approximately $66.1 billion) in 2006.
BASF will be present at Stand No C37.