The global drymix mortar industry: Development, trends, opportunities and risks

F. Leopolder

Drym.ix Mortar Technology plays a vitaL role in the development of today's global construction materials market. Not onLy are these mortars essential for the aesthetic finishing of a building, in more and more cases they provide for thermal insulation and are essential in increasing construction efficiency. All around the world, with the Largest growth rates currentLy in China and Brasil, new applications are being developed to address specific targets of the building industry, as well as those of the general public (e.g. environmentaL issues). Since 2005 the new markets grow at a rate of over 20% per year; this growth is hardly hampered by the economic crisis, when mostly "old economy" and "boomioums", such as Dubai, were hit. This report gives an overview of the main drivers of drymix mortars, a market outlook as well as an assessment of chances and risks for the future.

Exclusions
Mortars come in various compositions and physical appearances. In this report, mortar products and applications, shown in Table 1, have been excluded, since they are not classified as classic dry mix mortars.

Standards
With individual regional construction traditions and the fact that the construction industry works more and more on a global level, particularly for largescale constructions, a certain trend towards standardization is detectable all around the globe. In this paper the welldeveloped EN standards are referenced, if not otherwise noted (See Table 2). The ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standards have also developed relevant sections for drymix mortars, especially for tile adhesives. Harmonizing of those tests and procedures with EN standards is current! y under way and has been published as ISO standaul13007 (developed by ISO/TC 189). EIFS is regulated as a system in a technical approval called ETAG 004, which has rapidly developed into an internationally accepted norm for the industry. In May 2011, the European Commission decided to enter

Introduction and standards

Minerally bound mortars have been in use for over 2.500 years and it is clear, that builders, architects and construction workers have found words for what they are using. It is therefore necessary to detail out a few technical terms (see 'definitions' box).

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Definitions Drymix Mortar: Dry mixture of aggregates and binder (cement, lime, gypsum), some with performance enhancing additives and polymers. Renders: Cementitious, exterior, large volume mortar application for the finishing of brick and blockwork, cement-bound, thicknesses from 5 mm to 40 mm, and related materials such as spatter-dash, key coat, cementitious primers and skim coats (1-2 mrn). Plasters: Interior, mortar for interior application for the finishing of brick and blockwork, based either upon cement or gypsum, thicknesses from 2 mrn to 25mm. Cementitious Tile Adhesives (CTA): Thin-bed mortar for the installation of ceramic tiles. EIFS:Exterior Insulation and Finishing Systems EIFS, similar to External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems ETICS. Screed: Thick, flowable, cementitious or anhydrite based floor levelling material, thicknesses 20 to 50 mm. Self-Levelling Underlayment (SLU): Thin, virtually liquid (low viscosity) self-flowing rnatetial used in the finishing of floors, thicknesses 2 to 5 mm.

into a standardisation process for EIFS as workgroup of CEN, this process will eventualle replace ETAG 004. For concrete renovation products several regional specifications exist, e.g. ZTV-SIB90 in Germany. There are however several types of drymix mortars for which recognized standards do not exist, for example, SelfLeveling Underlayments (SLU). The fastest generation of standards takes place today in China. Table 3 shows the most important applications of drymix mortars.

Table 2. EN standards
EN -Number EN 998-1 EN 998-2 EN 12004 EN 13813 EN 13888 Content Renders, interior and exterior Masonry mortars (Tile) Adhesive mortars Screeds (Tile) Grouts

Table 3. The most important applications of dryrnix mortars, sorted by complexity

Application Masonry Mortar (Thick) Flooring Screeds Short classification and main function Joining of bricks and blocks Levelling of concrete floors, sound insulation Levelling and finishing of exterior walls Levelling and finishing of interior walls Joining of special construction materials such as Aerated Lightweight Concrete blocks (ALC blocks) Finishing, structuring and coloring the exterior surfaces of a bu ilding Fixing of wall and floor tiles Filling of tile joints, decorating tiled surfaces on walls and floors Thermal insulation of the exterior of a building Repair of damages to load-bearing concrete structures Protection of concrete, piping, storage tanks from adverse climate effects or bacteriological and chemical decay, also subgrade protection Levelling of floors, preparation for installation of flooring materials such as tiles, parquet or carpets

Table 1. Excluded materials or applications

Product pe Mortars that require dry mixing on the jobsite Description Dry components are stockpiled on the jobsite and blended according to a certain ratio and only then mixed with water. Referred to as "jobsite mixes" when mentioned in this report Example, lime/sand mixtures where cement is being added on the jobsite, cernentitious mortars that require the addition of liquid dispersions or other additives So-called pastous or single pot systems, inert fillers mostly with polymer dispersion as main binder Example, "Werknassmbrtel" in Germany, premixed screeds, other fre h mortars delivered in concrete mixing trucks for immediate application Mixtures for the preparation of small scale cast concrete work or concrete patches, containin a re ates lar er than 4 rnm Example, spray-crete for mining applications and tunnelling

Renders, basic Plasters Special Construction Adhesives Renders, decorative Tile Adhesives Tile Grouts Exterior Insulation and Finishing Systems E1FS Concrete Renovation Waterproofing Slurries

Mortars that require the adding of components other than water Ready to use adhesives, plasters, out and utties Mortars that are being delivered mixed with water Pre-packed, dry concrete Dry concrete mixtures for spraying a lications

SLU (thin flooring screeds)

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A brief history of drymix mortars

With less reactive binders such as lime or gypsum, premixed aggregate/binder mixtures have been known for centuries. With the introduction of cement in the 19th century, the construction process changed and new applications became possible. Masonry mortars and renders could be mixed on site and made the building process much easier and the walls and ceilings more durable. The first development of drymix mortars took place in post World War II Germany and gained momentum in the dynamic re-building phase of this country in the fifties of the last century. Important innovations such as special cellulose ethers in powder form for water retention and the invention of redispersible polymer powders as complementary, flexible binder, brought the breakthrough of this technology in the sixties. The sixties and seventies were dominated by the automatization of the application in the key markets of Western Europe, especially for volume products such as masonry mortars, basic exterior renders, flooring screeds and gypsum plasters. In the meantime, substantial development of drymix mortars in the fields of cementitious tile adhesives (CTA), self-levelling flooring underlayments (SLU) and concrete renovation systems led to the spreading of this technology all over Europe. After the first Oil Crisis (in 1973) the thermal insulation of buildings became very important. New systems (EITCS; EIFS) were developed and introduced into the markets, mostl y flanked by legislative measures. In the 1980s, drymix mortar technology was established on all continents. The political changes in Eastern Europe brought a huge demand for most drymix mortar applications in the nineties. The year 2000 marked the explosion of demand in Asia, especially in China and the Middle East. The

global production of drymix mortars in 2007 had been estimated to reach between 100 mio t (Leopolder) to 150 mio t (Plank).l

Market outlook and estimating of demand

The data available to estimate the market sizes for drymix mortars is rare and inconsistent. A detailed bottom-up study of capacities and their utilization is not available. For this reason, only a rough outline of those parameters can be given in this report in tonnes, the value part had to be totally omitted. The market has been estimated using two approaches: Bottom up (estimate of how much has been produced, using various indicators) Top down (estimate of how much cement has been consumed in mortars; see heading 'Cement in mortars')

This report is based on quoted references certain areas as well as own data accumulated over the years.

The global production volumes

Due to different statistical approaches, our sources show different results. For example Harder estimated the dry mix mortar production in Europe to have been 41,S mio tin 2006.2 This report estimates 49,4 mio t (a discrepancy of more than 20 %!)and Plank had estimated that drymix mortar production worldwide had reached 100 mio tin 2006 and would reach 150 mio t in 2007, this re~ort was based upon the figure of 85 mio t (see Figure 1). The annual growth rates (volumes) between 2005 and 2008 were well over 20% in emerging and growing markets, in Europe they had varied from 8 % (Germany) to over 30% (Romania). Then came the economic crisis. Triggered by subprimeloan problems in the US and the consequential real-esta te market crash in 2007, the fever reached Europe in early 2008, infecting first the inflated "second-home market" in Spain (decrease in building volume by 40% compared with 2007), then Ireland and the British Isles. With major banks defaulting in the aftermath in September 2008, the large European markets such as France and Germany were hit too, followed by the Central and Eastern European Nations (caused for example by the devaluation of the Russian Rouble). Since several plants were shut down in Spain, France, Ireland, Great Britain and Germany to regulate the market in 2008 and 2009, and many more were closed

o Europe
Africa

o Asia

o Australia
Americas

& NZ

Figure 1. Cracking and water damage on the facade of a residential complex in Mumbai

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Drymix mortar production 120 100

2006 - 2011

which would have meant 45% percent of the world's production, which was 2.220 mio t. But ther are definite flaws in the Chin e e statistics for cement production. Serious Industry experts estimate that China produced only 700 mio t of cement in 2005. Another unc rtainty come from the fact, that the amount of cement delivered in bags varie widely from country to country, (e.g. India, where over 40% of the cement is shipped in bags to small jobsites v . Germany, where this percentage is low r than 8%). ombining the data available, it may be said that 15 to 1 % of the produced cement is going into mortars. Assuming a c ment rati of 25% of the dry mixes, this gives u a range of 1 464 mio t to 1 760 mio t of dry m rtar mixtures globally. Using th global production value for drymix mortars as shown under heading' Global production volume ',a rough indication of the global substitution rate of jobsite mixtures vs. drymix mortars can be d termined: drymix mortar range between 5.9% and 7.1% (depending upon the source) of the entire mortar volume worldwide. Thus, there are many areas of growth with extrem ly high potential for the drymix mortar indu try worldwide.

DAm ricas D Africa : Australia D Asia w / -Europe / Z hina

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Figure 2. World market demand and development 2011.

2006 -

or mothballed during the ongoing crisis, estimating of global volumes under the circumstance become very difficult (by now). Also, estimating the reduced load at which operating plants in Europe and the US are running until today is hard. Considering the still growing market in China and the Middle East, we estimate the market in 2007 to have had zero growth, going down by 10% in 2008 and again in 2009, with the major markets recovering in 2010. Figure of 2006/07 could eventually be reached by the end of 2010. China, the main growth region, foresees even greater volumes for 2009 through 2011, reaching air ad y 50 mio t in 2010. We have decided to red uc these figure using variou sources. Figure 2 shows the development of the production volumes.

Capacities vs. market development

This huge potential for substitution cannot immediat Iy be turned into drymix mortar sal s. The local ituation concerning the distribution structure of c ment, traditional building methods (e.g. wood frame construction in the US), extreme logisitical situations (e.g. Indonesia consists of over 17.000 island, over 6.000 of them are inhabited and at least 10 of them are to be considered riou ly indu trialized) and partially very small jobsites in the virgin and emerging markets prevent thi . How ver, ther are examples where state legislation can speed up the introduction of drymix mortars by forbidding the site mixing of building materials, at I ast in the metropolitan r gions (e.g. ingapore, vari us municipalities in China, ee: Zhao et

Cement in mortars
A second approach to estimating th world demand for drymix mortars can be tried by monitoring statistics of cement. Saarinen and HaJonen detail out thi approach using the Middle East as an example. This report tries to extrapolate thi method using global figur S.4 In principl , the figures for cement delivered in bags ar used to d termin th amount of mortar produced on th jobsites. Table 4 shows a typical distribution of cement us in mature markets. Of cour , the variances and uncertain ties in this method are manifold. For xample, China r ported 1.000 mio t of cement production in 2005, mostly for domestic use,

Table 5. Sophisticated urban agglomerations

Urban region Dubai, Abu Dhabi

drymix mortar plants in selected

Plants in 2002 2 3 5 3 1 2 1 Plants in 2008 9 13 5 6 4 7 (?) 12 (?)

Table 4. Distribution of cement into products Germany according to plank''

Year 1995 2000 2004 Ready Mix 53,3% 51,5% 48,6% Precast 25,8% 26,5% 25,3% Drymix 9,2% 12,6% 16,3% Manual (bags) 11,6% 9,4% 9,8%

in

Shanghai Singapore Sao Paulo Cairo Moscow Beijing

Sum drymix + Manual 20,8% 22,0% 26,1%

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al.B Therefore, the drymix mortar industry in emerging

Table 6. Types of drymix mortar manufacturers

Type 1 Description volume mortars of prices between 60 / t and 75 / t, sensitive to transportation costs, manufacturing close to the main (metropolitan) markets, use of silo equipment and jobsite machinery technical mortars and adhesives for prices from 100 /t to 400 / t, wider reach (less sensitive to transportation cost), mostly bagged and palettized materials combined product portfolio of Type 1 and Type 2

and growing markets concentrates with production locations close to highly developed areas, where the efficiencyof the technology offers most of its ad vantages and where the end-user is particularly demanding. In many cases, the rural areas remain under-developed for this reason, and it will take decades for this industry to reach all these white spots. In order to judge the capacity development, it is helpful to monitor the installation of highly sophisticated plants for drymix mortars. Some examples are shown in Table 5. In most of the above mentioned examples more projects are in the pipeline to meet the expected demand. The construction growth rate in some of those areas lies well over 25% per year and substitution of conventional building methods plays a major role. An oversupply situation can occur, when too many capacities are coming on-stream at the same time, while in turn the market itself does not grow enough or even shrinks [e.g. Singapore in the late nineties, when new capacities coincided with the SEA (Southeast Asia) crisis, Dubai in 2009].Oversupply causes a rapid deterioration of prices, and subsequently a reduction of overall product quality. Nations with rapidly growing production capacities are China, Brasil and to some extent Russia. However, during the crisis, estimates become difficult for all those markets. Oversupply situations regularly existed in the main markets in Western Europe (e.g. in Germany since 1998; in Spain since 2007;in Ireland since 2008). Major mortar producers An overview of the major manufacturers of drymix mortars requires a differentiated approach. This is best being done by distiguishing between the following Types of company strategies (Table 6) Major drymix mortar manufactures are listed in Table 7. When listing the major players on a global level, the volume approach had to be abondoned and consideration the position these companies have in their particular strongholds. Harder estimates that there were 790 drymix mortar plants in Europe alone in 2006,of which 245were part of five major groups with over 20plants each.4 We estimate,

Table 7. Major drymix mortar manufacturers, alphabetically

Company Ardex Basf/PCl/MET Type
2

Products CfA,SLU CfA,SLU, specialty mortars Cf A, adhesives EIFS, decorative renders, paints CfA

Degree of Intemationalisation globally active globally active

Bostik Caparol/DAW Custom Building Products Baurnit Group

2 2 2

globally active Germany and Central Europe USA

renders, masonry mortars, EIFS, CfA CfA renders, plasters CfA,SLU, concrete renovation renders, masonry mortars, screeds, EIFS mortars, renders, EIFS CfA, SLU, EIFS renders, some CfA CfA, SLU, EIFS decorative renders, EIFS , paints

Central and Eastern Europe

HB Fuller Knauf Mapei

2 1
2

USA Europe globally active

Maxit (now Saint Gobain)

strongholds in Western and Northern Europe I, D, Central and Eastern Europe globally active globally active globally active Europe and USA

Hasit Henkel Parex-Lanko St. Gobain/ Weber* Sto without Maxit

1 2 1 2

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that currently over 900 sophisticated plants ar being run globally, and that over 50 mall r, but relevant regional dry mix mortar manufacturers exist. Th drymix mortar industry remarkable tendencies 1. Globalization 2. Consolidation 3. Formation currently shows thre

in metropolitan areas. They r quire state-of-the-art materials even in the remotest areas ( .g. Mongolia, Kazachstan. Vietnam). The booming market in China ha grown enough to support local production rather than imports, ven for high-value-added products. ince the construction recession in Central and Western Europe in the late nineties and at the beginning of thi century, a strong consolidation process has start d in urope. Smaller bulk or specialty producers have been acquired by larger companies or groups, medium siz groups have merged. Table 8 shows some e ample for mergers and acqui itions. Although thi consolidation process is almost over now, the formation of globally active gr up is still under way. By sheer volume, St. Gobain W ber including Maxit is the large t manufacturer of drymix mortar in the world. According to Harder, both companies combined would have had a production capacity oflOA mio t, ba ed upon values from 2006.5 Assuming a capacity utilization of 75%, this would amount to close to 10% of the estimated world production in 2006. Other large-volume drymix mortar manufacturers are C me x, DA W / Alsecco, Knauf, Baumit, Hasit (Fixit) and Quickmix and the various licensees of the Sakret Brand.

into new regions in the saturat d markets

of global groups

Pioneering entrepreneurs, local and international cement manufactur rs (Type 1) a well as pecialized drymix mortar groups (Type 2) have realized the potentials of drymix mortars even in the emerging markets. Th main drivers are th international developers and consultant groups for tourist resorts and office and retail spaces Table 8. Examples for mergers and acquisitions 1998 to 2008
Group Ardex Basf/PCI Caparol Baumit Group Maxit Mapei Hasit (today: Fixit) Parex Lanko Deiterrnann, Beamix, Optiroc (I Tan on) Sopro and others Rtlfix, Fixit, Kreisel Davco, Klaukol, LaHabra, Mercrete, Portokoll Quarzolit, Conmix India, Maxi! ermany, CJ I, A, Italy D, Be, Scandinavia (GB) Acquired company Germany, Australia Region U A, Lugato, WW Henry,

from

orcro

global activity Germany

The world by regions

The development of drymix mortars in the global market has, as we have seen, four major drivers: Th drymix mortar origin in Central expands into the neighbouring markets International contractors spread it globally and mortar Europe groups

Australia/SEA, Americas

Brasil, India, urope

St. Gobain/ Weber

Large economies (e.g. Brasil, China) adapt the technology and initiate the technology change;

Table 9. Definitions
Category Mature Market r wing Market Emerging Market Virgins

for the categorisation

of drymix mortar markets

Characteristics Substitution rate >90%

High production volume for both basic and advanced drymix mortar, widespread use of jobsite equipment and ilo truck. Clear disti tion between Type 1 and Type 2 producer, focu ing on product refinem nt. Large companies and international groups and medium sized independent. Medium production volume, beginning u e of jobsite equipment. Mo t producer ar Type 3, improving their product portfolio and intr dueing high value-added mortars. International group, large local companies, quite many smaller companies. Low to medium production volumes, almo t no sophi ticated plants, all product in bags or big bags, some imports. Producers work on introducing drymix mortars, first for CT A/ grout, lat r for renders and plasters. Some international groups, many small to very small local companie . Low production, many garag manufacturers, groups, some mall local companies specialty mortar import for individual projects, no international

>50%

>10%

Close to zero

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the combination of local research and imported knowhow causes a "frog-leap" of technology Economical and environmental considerations lead to widespread introduction of drymix mortars

technology is clearly one integral part of a strategy to reach the goals for efficiency, workplace safety, waste reduction, durability and energy saving.

Consistency of Quality
The requirements of the specifiers (architects, consultants, developers) are growing steadily. Also the requirements for the durability of real estate ("low maintenance" or "maintenance free") plays a large role in the decisionmaking process of the final consumers. Bad workmanship is in many cases noticeable, the use of inferior materials can usually not be detected by the layman prior to moving in. It is the task of industry members to develop quality reassurance systems that convince the final buyers of the quality of the work. In some nations such systems do already exist as rating systems for the finishing quality of buildings (e.g. "Conquas Score", "IQuas" Database, Singapore) or for energy efficiency (e.g. "Energy Passport", Germany, "LEED" scores in the USA). Especially in growing markets, misleading product labelling and claims of performance are confusing the specifiers. Standards help to differentiate the products, however stopping this fraudulous practice is not always easy. In some nations, the drymix mortar industry has agreed to a scheme of controlling product samples systematically (e.g. "Qualitatsgemeinschaft Deutsche Bauchemie, QDB e.V. in Germany, Seal of Quality of MEDMA and SEADMA, see Haddadin)." This way, the credibility of the individual market players can be supported, non-conformance can be detected and the overall quality level can be improved.

To characterize particular regions, they have been separated the into four categories in Tables 9 and 10.

An attempt at market classification

The classifications are based on the degree of penetration of drymix mortar technology into the particular nations. This substitution process is judged by the ratio of drymix mortar sold vs. quantities of jobsite mixes, the sophistication of the formulations, the legislative measures accompanying the substitution process, since when drymix mortars exist in that region and by the degree of jobsite automation. Significant nations have been singled out and listed individually. Each market type has its own growth potential. The mechanisms of the mature markets have been discussed above. In the following, the factors important in the growing and emerging markets, where the most possibilities exist to grow both in size and sophistication, are being detailed out.

The main drivers for drymix mortars in emerging and growing markets
Ecology and prolonged lifetime
"Green Building" has very fast developed from just a slogan into a real consideration in many nations of the world. The global warming debate and the need to prolong the lifetime of a building in order to reach sustainable building standards has made it evident to the governments, that the initiative for such an approach to construction technology can only be implemented if accompanied by specific legislation. Drymix mortar Table 10. Classification by nation or region
Type Mature Markets Growing Markets NationfRegion Germany, France, Spain, Scandinavia, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, BeNeLux British Isles, Portugal, Central and Eastern Europe, Turkey, the Americas incl. the USA, Mexico and Brasil. South Africa, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, DAE, East Asia incl. China & Korea, Southern SEA, Australia/NZ India, Rest of Middle East, Vietnam, Philippines, Japan, South America (without Brasil), Central Asian Republics Africa, Northern SEA, some nations of Asia

Efficiency and logistics

With rising labour cost, also in the emerging markets, a large amount of cost can be saved using drymix mortar technology. Especially the use of state-of-theart application equipment and -tools in combination with specially formulated drymix mortars enables the crews to increase their efficiency by factors of 4 to 10 per manhour. [obsite traffic, elevator usage, waste and dust development (e.g. regulated in the USA by the OSHA requirements) are being reduced to a minimum. These factors are the main drivers of dry mix mortar technology worldwide, especially in metropolitan areas.

Ease of appllcatlon
It is a fact that most economies reduce the amount of training required for the construction trades. In many areas of the world, uneducated and unskilled migrant workers are being employed, often only with limited

Emerging Markets Virgins

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staying allowance/Visa. The construction therefore needs more easy-to-apply products. In order to perform in a competitive marketplace, this lack of knowhow has to be compensated with superior product performance. It can be said - and without any snideness - that there is a certain "foolproof" approach needed to make sure the products are being applied faultlessly. A prerequisite of such strategy, however, is the willingness on the part of the consultants to objectively calculate the financial advantages of the combination of ressources, both human and in terms of materials. Up to now, however many specifiers base their decision just on prices per kg or ton, and not per defined performance unit, for example square metres of tile applied, area of wall rendered, and many even disregard the time frame needed to perform such work and the time needed in between applications for the curing of the mortars.

drymix mortars conditions.

can easily be adapted

to the local

The fields of growth

Apart from the general contribution of substitution of traditional jobsite mixing and the growth through this effect a multitude of growth factors exist globally. They can be summarized as follows Growing property) ratio of owners vs. tenants (rented (e.g.

Trend to use attractive finishing materials tiles, parquet) Requirement

for more precision and durability (e.g. ban of jobsite mixing)

Legal requirements

Regional adaptability
All drymix mortar formulations, no matter in which part of the world, need the adaptation to locally sourced bulk raw materials, the building traditions of the particular countries, the required specifications or local standards, the aesthetical preferences of the buyers as well as to the predominating climate in the region. This applies particularly to materials used on the outside of the building and to a lesser degree to the technical mortars used inside. Using sophisticated lab analysis, the pool of knowhow existing and automated plants, the formulations for

Green Building (e.g. new construction and refurbishing existing structures with EIFS)

New construction
Apart from the mega-projects (e.g. Olympic games in Beijing, developments in Dubai), which generate their own economic dynamics, there is a continued demand for high-quality development in the existing urban centres, see Table 11. The use of drymix mortars in new construction is currently increasing at a faster pace than the growth of the construction volume itself.

Maintenance and renovation, waterproofing

In order to maintain a comfortable living space and attractive offices and malls, a strongly growing market for renovation products and services is evolving. This repair and maintenance industry feeds on the aftermath of new construction, when units were built fast and cheap. Bad composite system design, inferior materials used and bad workmanship have produced numerous application failures visible to the naked eye of the quality-minded final owners or tenants. Leaking roofs and problems with indoor condensation (e.g. subsequent discolorations caused by fungi or bacteria and/ or efflorescence) are the most visible causes of damages, even to the layman. Therefore, sealing slurries and renovation renders are very important products in the introduction phase of drymix mortars.

Table 11. Construction types as percentage of overall construction

Type of Construction Industrial %of construction volume 8 Intensity of mortar use Low Mortar types used Flooring screeds (thick, load-bearing), masonry mortars Full portfolio Full portfolio

Commercial, touristic Governmental

25 12

Medium to high High

Retrofitting- EIFS
Residential 55 Very high Full portfolio, plus sub-grade protection slurries

The world has realized to that preventing global warming and namely CO2 emissions is the most important task for the coming decades. Energy is getting scarce and expensive. For example, in the US, tenants complain

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that their electrical bill (mostly used for heating and air conditioning) can reach the level of the rent or monthly mortgage payments. The saving of energy and natural ressources is the key to solve those problems. Energy consumption targets for new and existing construction have been postulated and local and national legislation, requirements of a building's performance are under way in many nations. Drymix mortar, here used in EIFS to improve the insulative properties of a building is stateof-the-art in retrofitting existing buildings.

this debate. Blended cements such as CEM II and CEM III and alternative binder systems such as silicates or pozzolanic materials can also help to reduce the environmental impact of drymix mortars.

Changing styles and habits in architecture

Block-and-mortar outer shell construction is often being replaced by glass facades, with all the technological and ecological disadvantages curtain walls have. In interior construction, gypsum board (dry wall) construction is on the rise. For budget hotels, sports facilities and some large-scale residential developments (especially in the USA), prefabricated bathrooms out of glassfiber-reinforced sheets seem to present an economic advantage.

Infrastructu re
With the permanent growth of the world's population, logistics problems will dominate the planning in the future. Mass transportation, individual traffic and waste handling infrastructure is mostly old and in bad repair, also in the industrialized nations in the Americas and Western Europe. In the emerging nations Russia, China, India and Brasil (BRIC Nations), this infrastructure is in the process of development but are already showing signs of disrepair. Concrete renovation, tunneling for subways and discharge channels and specialty mortars for road and rail construction will playa major role in drymix mortar development in the near future.

Deterioration of quality
This is the most immediate threat to the continuing growth of drymix mortar technology worldwide, it has the following causes: Oversupply situations

Inferior products Ignorance on the part of the consultants

Challenges to the drymix mortar industry

Cement as main binder
In the ongoing environmental discussion, cement has come under close scrutiny. In light of the fact that over 80% of the drymix mortars produced worldwide contain cement as the major mineral binder, it is important for our industry to prepare for heated discussions concerning the environmental impact of cement production. The contribution of cement manufacturing is estimated to be between 7 and 9 % of the global CO2 emissions. Experts agree, that cement cannot be replaced shortrange as a binder system in drymix mortars (and of course not in the precast and concrete industries). The cement industry must improve on their production technology and see to a global spread of environmentally concious, low-C02 production. This will mean that old plants have to be refurbished or replaced by new ones. This process is hard to influence by the drymix mortar industry. However, we can show clearly the relevance of cement based dry mix mortars when it comes to the saving of natural ressources (thin-bed technology) and the actual CO2 savings by thermal insulation (EIFS). An eco-balance of drymix mortar could help to soften

All three abovementioned reasons can be addressed by prudently acting drymix mortar manufacturers. Oversupply situations can occur, but can be overcome, if production is being reduced in times of crisis and new applications are being accessed for drymix mortars. The damage to the reputation of dry mix mortar technology itself is very large, when bad products are being offered. Garage manufacturers, offering "me-too products", with lower performance will be kept at bay, if a binding standard, flanked by regional legislation exists. Special attention must be given to the training and continuing education of architects, engineers and consultants. This, combined with application-specific training, will enable them to act fast, competent and in an overall cost-saving manner.

Lack of warranties and legal requirements

As long as there is no specification or official recommendati?n for the use of drymix mortars, the quality aspects of this technology cannot be fully realized. There are promising initiatives ("quality drives") by individual governments, also supra-national bodies have started to think about the harmonizing of regula tions across borders and! or standards for drymix

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Table 12. Proposal of types of intermeshing to assure investment afety

Task Zoning and Infrastructure Planning Archit tural Design Engine ring, Structural Design Regulation

warranties

Law governing long-rang administrative deci ion, anchored in the legal ystem of the particular ati n Architectural copyrights with all impli d legal enforcement neces ities

volume products (e.g. render, masonry mortars). In the global markets, a combined portfolio of volume products and high value added p cialty drymix mortars will be n cessary to gain all potential. Products have to b continually improved and new application have to be introduced by the indu try in order to satisfy th demands and face the chall nges of the futur . Curr ntly the most dynamic regions f r drymix mortars are (arranged by significance): China, Bra il, Central and East rn Europe and Turkey. Th fastest growing applications on a global Ie el are R riders, EIFS and CT As.," I ep r "with high potential outside of Europ are S re ds and Gypsum Plasters.

Code of Practice, contract r' warranty, QMS auditing, proof of c ntinu u ducation of per onn I, inc!. migrant worker Damage Assessm nt and correction Construction contra t cont nts, neutral expertis s, training of asses ors, legal fram work to correct damages

Acknowledgement
This report cornrni sion d by Bauverlag, first appear d in ZKG International as a two-part article. It has been lightly modified for th publication here. Th author thank Bauverlag for th support and Dr. Thomas W iss pecifically for the coaching. References
1. Winter, Plank, TUM: The European Drymix Mortar Industry; ZKG International, Is ue 6/rYl (Volume 60, June 2(07) ISS 0949-020-, GUter loh 2007 2. Harder, ne Stone onsulring: Market Review of the Premixed Dry Mortar Indu try in Europe; ZKG Internati nal, is u 6/07 (Volume 60, [un 2007) ISS 0949-0205,GUtersloh 2007 Plank: Current Trend in Modern Drymix Mortar, Techn logy and Reason for their onomincal Use; 2nd NC M Pr eedings, Wuhan 2007 4. Saarinen, HaIonen, Lahti Preci ion: Drymi Mortar Emerge in the Middle East; M DMA Technical Bull tin 01, Munich 2006, ISBN3-9811328-Q.7 5. van s: United tat S Geological urvey, cited from the internet a sh wn On 29. 0 2007 under; http://minerals.u gs.gov/min rats/pub / commodity/cement 6. Plank: Teclmolog Trends in th European Drymix Mortar Industry; 1st NC M Proceedings, hanghai 2005 7. s; Ba kground Factsand Is ues oncerning ement and ement Data, U F-2005-1152,cit d frorn th internet as h wnon29.D 20rY7under: http://min rals.u g . ov/rnin ral /pubs/ mrn dity/cem nt Zhao, Ying, W. Zhou, M. Zhou: The Developing ituation and Market Outlook of Drymix Mortar in China, The Drymix Mortar Yearbook 2007, Muni h 2007, ISB 97 -3-9 1132 -1-6 9. Haddadin: TIle" al of Quality" a a Mean to Establish Binding pecificati ns for Drymix Mortar; EADMA Technical Bulletin 02, Munich 2007, lSBN 97 3-9 11328-2-3

mortars and oth r construction product the Middle East; ASEA ).

(e.g. G 0 in

Apart from product-specific recomm ndations, th guidanc of the local governm nt including I gislation is xtr mely important in the fi ld of investment preservation and -safety. This is only possible by stablishing long-lasting (min 5 year ), binding and nforcable warranties for system performance and workmanship com bin d with specified quality systems. Only by thi measure, contractor, d velop r and consultants will have an incentive to construct modern, durable and maint nance-free buildings. A compl te system combining quality with warranty might in lude the aspects ummariz d in Table 12:

Summary and conclusions

It has b n shown, that very large potential to grow the global drymix mortar market xist. Th drymix mortar indu try has the ta k to work on the I gi lative framew rk, establish binding standards and addre s th cological challeng s that lay ahead. The adaptation of the curr nt applications to 1 cal conditions and building tradition will yield a treasure of additional know how, which an be market d 1 ewhere. With comp tent professionals on the spe ifying side and with welJtrained workers at the contractors, our industry will b abl to gr w furth r and reach farth r. Only in v ry dens ly populated mark ts, such a Europe, drymix mortar manufactur r can afford offering strictly

Ferdinand Leopolder has over two decades of experience in the drymix mortar industry. He was responsible for global market development for Wacker Chemie GmbH until 2000. In 2001, he founded drymix.info, the International Community for Drymix Mortars and publishes a monthly newsletter for the industry. Ferdinand Leopolder is also Secretary General of the Middle East Drymix Mortar Association MEDMAand the South East Asia Drymix Mortar Association SEADMA.

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THE INDIAN CONCRETE JOURNAL

SEPTEMBER 2011