THE CONNECTOR EDITION 1 - 2016
This issue: • • • • •
New product now available Improving the ordering process New project references online Site upgrade in Pooraka New equipment in Seven Hills lab
Sarah Schulz, Technical Service Chemist, shows developments in BASF’s technical services laboratory to Sanjeev Gandhi, Member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE and Angus Peruzzo, Head of Construction for BASF in Australia and New Zealand.
THE CONNECTOR
A message from Angus Peruzzo, Head of Construction, BASF Australia and New Zealand
New product now available
I’m delighted to share with you the latest news from our Construction business.
MasterTop® 1260 is our new durable floor coating based on a hard wearing, two component polyaspartic resin system. The cured floor provides excellent resistance to both chemical and mechanical damage. It has a hard, durable and glossy finish.
We have recently won the accelerators business at the North Connex Tunnel project in Sydney. We’ll also be launching some innovative new products in the first quarter of the year and will be optimising our overall product portfolio. Finally, our Pooraka site in South Australia has undergone a significant upgrade to reduce noise and improve product quality. As always, our team is focused on safety, solving customer problems and increasing productivity. Let us know how we can assist your business growth today. Angus Peruzzo Head of Construction, BASF Australia and New Zealand
MasterTop® 1260
Where a nonslip finish is required, a nonslip aggregate such as MasterTop® F1, is broadcast evenly into the first coat. The new product is ideal for use in warehouses, workshops, chemical industry floors, pharmaceutical and cosmetic facilities, mining industries, water and sewage treatment plants and multi-level carparks.
New project references online now Over the coming months, we’ll be publishing a range of project references to highlight the innovative solutions we’ve been busy delivering. From the waterproofing of an Adelaide residence with MasterSeal and admixture solutions in the Legacy Way Tunnel, to the concrete repair of the Brisbane River City boardwalk and admixtures in the T2E Pacific Highway upgrade, these are just a few of the projects you can now read about online. Visit master-builders-solutions.basf.com.au
Upgrading our Pooraka site BASF’s Pooraka site, in South Australia, has been updated for the production of MasterRoc SA 160 and MasterRoc SA 167. The upgrade took place during Christmas shutdown and took about five and a half weeks. Already the upgrade has resulted in lower workplace noise and dust levels in the plant, improved quality of the finished products, and reduced batch time. We expect to also see reduced ongoing maintenance costs and downtime.
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...Connecting People ...Connecting Products ...Conecting Projects
Improving the ordering process for customers
New tags on BASF admixtures
We have been in contact with select customers who often order the same products, to give them enhanced ordering. This is done through our World Account portal where the customer orders directly and can see the progress of orders in our system, or through Core2E which converts customer orders into our SAP system by scanning relevant parts of the customer order form. Both of these technologies increase speed of ordering for customers, accuracy and make the ordering process simpler.
We have recently released new tags to highlight our products at admixture customer sites. These heavy duty tags identify the contents of pipes and tanks and are vital in helping drivers and operators to quickly understand their layout.
New equipment in Seven Hills lab BASF’s Seven Hills laboratory has recently commissioned new equipment. The Pendulum tester is used to test for wet slip resistance of coatings. The lab is creating a data set for our products. One of its uses is to confirm slip resistance of floor coatings/topcoats when used in conjunction with different aggregates.
Left: Pendulum tester Below: New Wenner four point probe
Our new Wenner four point probe attaches to a cylinder of the material to be tested and identifies the resistivity of the material. The data gives us confidence that our formulations provide solutions for durable concrete, particularly when used in conjunction with cathodic protection.
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Admixture sales team meeting John Brooks, Market Manager Admixture Systems, convened a technical meeting at Seven Hills for all members of the Admixture sales team. The team updated their technical skills in the laboratory and heard from Dr Viswanath Mahadevan, Vice Director of Construction Chemicals Asia Pacific, about technical developments. Mr Kiat Huat Seow, Senior Manager Admixtures Asia Pacific, updated the team on global and regional experiences with our new MasterEase® admixture.
Construction Systems sales team meeting Colin Peterson, Market Manager Constructions Systems, convened a meeting of the Construction Systems sales team at Seven Hills. The team spent a lot of time in the laboratory updating their skills and worked with new products that are about to be launched in the market. Full details of these products will be available in the next edition of The Connector.
New Head of Construction for Australia and New Zealand Over the last few years, we successfully introduced the Master Builders Solutions brand, launched a range of advanced solutions for new construction, maintenance, repair and renovation of buildings and infrastructure, and upgraded our production network for our customers in the local construction industry. We are proud of the work our team has achieved under the leadership of Angus Peruzzo. As of 1 April 2016, Angus will relocate to Johannesburg to assume responsibility for BASF’s Construction Chemicals business in South Africa. Matthew Ross, currently BASF’s Head of Global Underground Construction, based in Mannheim, Germany, will relocate to lead the Construction business in Australia and New Zealand, effective 1 April 2016. Matt has been part of BASF’s Construction Chemicals team since 2004. Originally employed by Degussa, Matt moved along with the acquisition by BASF in 2006. Prior to this, Matt was involved in a number of construction projects, initially as a site engineer, working through different roles such as design management and project coordination, resulting in a career spanning 20 years in the construction industry in Europe and Asia Pacific. Matt will build on Angus’ work, focusing the business on best serving customer and market needs. He and the team will also continue to improve our business processes and collaborate for your success. On behalf of BASF, we’d like to thank you for your support and we look forward to your continued business.
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