Sika Beat - December 2022

MD ADDRESS

SIKA BEAT DECEMBER 2022

It is difficult to fathom how fast the year has passed, and that this is our final Sika Beat for 2022. Sadly, and once again, I begin this message with a reflection on the unfortunate political situation our country finds itself in. Only last week the guns were out to unseat our President from the RET faction in the ANC, an issue which continues to destabilise the potential and growth of our country.

That aside, as a company we have had another successful year – continuing with sales growth and maintaining a healthy profitability. Our focused regional and national campaigns have been well received by the market and our customers. The follow up from our sales teams and support functions have ensured we have upheld the service level successes our customers have come to expect from us.

From 1st January 2023, the Index brand will become an additional part of our existing Sika product range. Index has been a formidable brand in the SA market for over 20 years and will be extremely conducive to our roofing/ waterproofing strategies going forward.

The MBCC integration is in progress and developing as expected. All going well, the merge will be on the 2nd of May 2023, so extremely exciting times ahead in that regard.

I would personally like to take this opportunity to wish each of you, and your families, a happy and relaxing holiday. It has been great working with all of you and I thank you all for your hard work and commitment to Sika in 2022. I wish you all a very prosperous 2023.

Kunzima ukuqonda ukuthi unyaka usuphele ngokushesha okungaka, lena i-Sika Beat yethu yokugcina kunyaka- ka 2022. Ngebhadi ngiqala ngomyalezo ongemuhle, isimo sezombusazwe esingesihle izwe lethu elizithola likuso. Ngesonto eledlule uMengameli wethu bebemkhipha ngoshova esihlalweni emaqenjini e-RET ku-ANC, udaba oluqhubeka nokudicilela phansi amandla nokukhula kwezwe lethu.

Nakube kunjalo, njengenkampani sibe nomunye unyaka oyimpumelelo - ukuqhubeka nokukhula kokudayisa nokugcina inzuzo enhle kakhulu. Injongo yethu egxile kwisifunda nakuzwelonke yamukelwe kahle yizimakethe namakhasimende ethu. Uma sibheka kubadayisi bethu kanye nakulabo abasisekayo bayasiqinisekisa ukuthi siyafeza izidingo zabo ngezinga eliphezulu abalilindele kuthina njengenkampani.

Kusukela ngo-1 st kaJanuwari 2023, umkhiqizo we-Index uzoba yingxenye yohlu lwethu lomkhiqizo wakwa-Sika esizoqala ukuwudayisa. I-Index iwumkhiqizo onamandla nohlonishwayo kakhulu ezimakethe zase-SA kusukela eminyakeni engaphezu kwengu-20, futhi izobe ilungele kakhulu imboni yezophahla / nemboni yokuvimba amanzi.

Ukuhlanganiswa kwe-MBCC kuyaqhubeka futhi nezinhlelo ziya phambili njengoba kulindelekile. Konke kuhamba kahle, ukuhlangana kuzoba ku2nd kaMeyi 2023, silulindele ngentokozo enkulu lolosuku.

Ngithanda ukuthatha leli thuba ukunifisela ngamunye ngamunye wenu, nemindeni yenu, amaholidi amnandi anenjabulo. Kube kuhle ukusebenzisana nani nonke, futhi ngiyabonga kunina nonke ngokusebenza kanzima nokuzinikela kwenu kuSika ngo-2022. Nginifisela nonke u-2023 onempumelelo.

PAUL ADAMS MD, Sika South Africa

CONTRIBUTORS

ROMAINE CLOETE Marketing Manager

NADINE SLABBERT Marketing Manager

VERSATILITY OF CONCRETE ADMIXTURES

On Jindilli Farm, just outside Hazyview in Mpumalanga, lies the beautiful Jindilli Campsite. Nestled against, and overlooking a 15Ha private irrigation dam complete with a bird-nesting island, it was named after the macadamia flower blossoming across the farm on which the trees are grown.

Architect, Hermann Schnepel, was tasked by Jindilli Farm, to conceptualise and design a campsite that would accommodate two families for weekend getaways. The essence of the plan was to provide minimalistic essential support services for camping, without trespassing on the natural beauty of the surrounding farm. The breath-taking view across the water to the bird island needed to be preserved as the scenic backdrop to the camp. The sub-tropical climate in this region is conducive to outdoor living, so another objective criterion was to create a seamless transition from being under an open-plan style of cover one moment, to stepping out into the great outdoors the next. To ensure the optimal use of space, the supporting structures would include a boma, with outer stairs, a flat paved area to accommodate two tents, and a separate site for the lounge, kitchen and dining facilities.

Following the approval of the architect’s final design, it was deemed that two different concrete mixes were required for the project. A standard 25mpa concrete would be used for the foundations and 30mpa concrete for the polished concrete floor. Edge Readymix Concrete was chosen as the preferred concrete supplier. Edge Readymix, based in Hazyview, is owned and managed by Andrew Solomon and Trudie Heinemann, who together have over thirty years’ experience in the ready-mix industry. Edge Readymix was established in September 2020 on the Vuka Crushers site 8 kilometres outside Hazyview.

Edge Readymix and Sika have been in business since its inception and together have developed a concrete product range that not only supplies ready-mix concrete of any class for any requirement but also prebagged concrete and mortars for small requirements.

For the polished concrete floor, Edge Readymix and Sika ran numerous trials to find the most desirable polished finish and efficient concrete mix. Special consideration was given to the amount of time a contractor would need to place the concrete, and certain traits of the concrete mix had to be assessed: flow rate, setting time, stripping times, placing methods, and durability of the concrete in those specific types of conditions on site at the time. Ingwe Floors, a contractor based in Nelspruit, were known as the local experts

The first morning on site was very warm and humid. Given that the conditions directly affect the workability retention of the concrete, delays in the placing were anticipated. Immediately, they consulted with Darius Herbst, Sika’s concrete expert, for guidance on adapting the concrete mix design, and it delivered excellent results. Edge Readymix used SikaPlast® Stallion-2 admixture for all their concrete mixes, which proved to be the correct choice for this project. SikaPlast® Stallion-2 is a multi-purpose water reducer and superplasticizer, with long-lasting workability, and it utilises Sika’s ViscoCrete® polycarboxylate polymer technology. A huge advantage that SikaPlast® Stallion-2 provided on this project was that the mix ratio could be changed to deliver the concrete 5km away or 80km away, depending on the workability retention required.

Inside meets outside, open meets covered, concrete meets grass, people meet friends. The brief was so overwhelmingly met. The gem, created upon this stunning, tranquil site, is enhanced by the Jindilli flowers in full bloom.

on flooring. Armed with polished samples created in advance, they were engaged to assist with placing and polishing the concrete at Jindilli Campsite.

Pioneer Foods is one of South Africa’s largest producers and distributors of various well-known food and beverage brands and products. Operating predominantly within South Africa, while exporting to more than 80 countries across the globe, Pioneer Foods provides wholesale, retail, and informal trade customers with consistently high-quality products. Pioneer Foods (Pty) Ltd is part of Pioneer Food Group (Pty) Ltd which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Simba (Pty) Ltd and ultimately a wholly owned subsidiary of PepsiCo Inc.

Sitting within its Essential Foods division, the Grains business unit prides itself on supplying foods of exceptional quality that are safe, nutritious, and trusted by millions of consumers every day.

So, when Pioneer Foods detected large vertical cracks in the grain silos of its Malmesbury Mill silo complex in 2018, it appointed LNW Consulting Engineers and Project Managers to investigate and determine the structural integrity and remaining lifecycle of the silo complex. Once the investigation was completed, LNW were directed to refurbish the silos to ensure the high standards Pioneer Foods promises its customers.

The insights gained from this investigation indicated ring tension failure of the horizontal reinforcing with large areas of fatigue within the concrete walls. This information enabled the engineers to design and develop a complete silo rehabilitation repair methodology. The decision was to repair the entire silo complex, utilising external structural reinforcement methods such as horizontal carbon fibre composite strapping, along with various types of mortars, epoxies and protective coatings.

Utilising Sika’s innovative construction chemicals & technology

The concrete repair method: Because all the repairs were vertically orientated, the repair method had to make use of either trowel-applied mortars, or a letterbox shutter and pour system. After consulting Sika South Africa directly, it was decided that SikaTop® Armatec®-110 EpoCem® would be used as the primary rebar protective coating for the concrete repairs, protecting the steel reinforcement and inhibiting corrosion.

SikaTop® Armatec®-110 EpoCem® and Sika MonoTop®-610 were used as bonding primers for the concrete substrate.

Sika MonoTop®-615HB was utilised as an R4 high build repair and re-profiling mortar due to its unique Ferrogard® corrosion inhibitor and excellent lightweight properties. This product

allowed for easy application and compaction, enabling a quicker application rate. Sika MonoTop®-615HB stands out as a one-component, polymer-modified, low-shrinkage structural repair mortar.

Due to the age of the structure and its low concrete compressive strength, there was a large amount of cracking, which had to be reamed open, stitched and repaired. Some of the minor cracks were saw cut and sealed with the Sikaflex® PRO-3, an i-Cure® polyurethane sealant with high mechanical and chemical resistance.

Concrete repairs had to be carried out on the spalled concrete areas of the silo and, in some cases, badly corroded rebar had to be removed and replaced.

Protective coatings:

Due to the current state and surface imperfections of the concrete, Sikalastic®-152 was chosen as a cementitious, flexible, fibre-reinforced mortar for waterproofing and concrete protection, and was applied on the entire external surface as a protective coating.

Sika’s high-quality construction chemicals help reinforce Pioneer Foods’ Malmesbury Mill silo complex

SIKA PROJECTS

The Sikalastic®-152 was trowel applied in 2 coats of +- 1.5mm thickness per coat. The first coat was applied horizontally, and the second coat vertically.

The Sikagard®-550 W Elastic and Sikagard®-550 W Primer were chosen as the most ideal protective coating systems for the external concrete soffits, due to their excellent crack-bridging properties even at low temperatures.

For minor cracks, the Sika® Primer-3 N, an epoxy primer for porous substrates, and the Sikaflex® PRO-3 i-Cure® were utilised.

The Sikadur-Combiflex® SG-20 P, a high-performance movement joint and crack sealing bandage system, was applied over all expansion joints to seal and waterproof. This Sika product uses

TOYOTA MATERIAL HANDING

Sika SA are proud to have developed two amazing new floor products and to see one of them being used for the first time on a project. Toyota Material Handling, forming part of CFAO Equipment South Africa in Gqeberha found that its business outgrew its facilities over the last two years. To avoid continuous off-site rentals and to facilitate further expansion caused by market demand, they opted for a new purpose-built factory that houses all departments under one roof.

Given the nature of the business and the workshop requirements, it was necessary that the new floor be hardwearing and resistant to impact, oil, and battery acid spills. To combat these and ensure the longevity of the concrete floors, they decided on a densifier product in their service bays, engineering shops, battery storage and tyre fitment department.

Recently released to the market are Sikafloor® CureHard LI, a lithium silicate liquid hardener and densifier of fresh and hardening power-trowelled or polished concrete surfaces; and Sikafloor® CureHard GL, a sealing lithium silicate based crystalline agent with high gloss finish. Sika rep, John Zehmke, provided the product and technical support to the main contractor on the project, Rand Civils.

Although easy to apply, Sikafloor® CureHard GL may only be applied by experienced professionals trained in its use. As such, they contracted Chris Howes Construction and collectively set out to protect and enhance the look of the new floor at Toyota Material Handling, which was done over a period of 10 days in July 2022.

Sikafloor® CureHard GL is a water-soluble agent used for sealing and additional curing of existing power-trowelled or polished/

the Sikadur®-31 DW structural epoxy as its adhesive for enhanced performance.

For crack repairs on the concrete roof slab floors, Sikadur®-43 ZA was used. This solvent-free, three-component repair and filling mortar was applied prior to application of the modified structural steel, which was fortified with the new SikaCem®-810 additive.

Sika was honoured to be a part of such a challenging yet rewarding project. Not only did we have the chance to showcase our innovative product technology, but we were also able to contribute to ensuring the safety and longevity of a crucial, life-sustaining project.

grinded concrete surfaces. It improves the durability and the tightness of concrete surfaces by penetrating its texture, where it initiates a chemical reaction and subsequent crystallization of reaction products which results in the filling of the concrete surface pores. Acrylic dispersion fills surface pores and thus reduces the absorption of the concrete during the first days after application. The treatment also leaves a high silk gloss on the surface, thereby enhancing the appearance of concrete floors. Further advantages of the product use include dust reduction, it is solvent-free, odourless and treated surfaces are much easier to clean.

Prior to application of Sikafloor® CureHard GL, a mechanical scrubber, using only water, was used to softly wash the concrete floor. The floor was allowed to dry before one coat of the product was applied with a microfibre mop. Since the ideal drying time is 24 hours, this first coat was allowed to dry overnight. A second coat of the product was applied in the same manner, and again given 24 hours to dry.

Despite the difficulties of using a new product that was still in the process of being launched to the market, the professional and proper application of the product resulted in a freshly protected existing concrete floor with a beautiful light glossy finish. When asked if they were satisfied with the product, the Toyota Material Handling GM, Neil Westraadt replied,” Yes, absolutely. Besides the great aesthetic look, we are very pleased with the new flooring!”

We are certain that all those involved in the project would agree that the floor is as proud of itself as we are of the product!

MICA MARKET

was held at the CTICC from the 10th to 13th October 2022

SIKA SPONSORS ICCRRR

The international conference on concrete repair, rehabilitation and retrofitting was held at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business from the 2nd – 5th October 2022. ICCRRR event attracts international key players bringing together engineers, scientists, specifiers, concrete technologists, researchers and others from around the world to share knowledge and experience on current developments on the broad themes of concrete durability, condition assessment, repair technology, and associated fields.

ESSENTIAL

The Essential Trade Show was held on the 17th & 18th September 2022 at Nasrec, Gauteng

Sika’s Annual Golf Day 2022

Sika Head Office hosted another remarkable golf day at Cotswold Downs Country Club, held on the 25th October 2022. This annual event is to express appreciation to all our local loyal customers and where good networking and building trust is exercised. The day ended with prize giving at the Cotswold Clubhouse. This annual event is one that many look forward to and it definitely did not disappoint.

CPD Events DAS Events

IMESA Conference

Gauteng CPD on the 1st September 2022 at Wanderers Golf club

Cape Town DAS event on the 1st September 2022 at Lagoon Beach

PTA DAS event on the 27 th October 2022 Atterbury Theatre

KZN CPD event on the 22nd September 2022 at Greyville Convention centre

Cape Town CPD event on the 7 th October 2022 at Lagoon Beach

IMESA conference happened in Gauteng on the 2nd - 4th November 2022 at Birchwood hotel

National #SPOTSIKA Competition

Following the new Sika image that has been launched, Beyond the Expected, our interactive campaign was implemented emphasizing that we always go Beyond the Expected for our customers. Every Sika South Africa employee got involved and created awareness for our Sika brand. Majority of our employees branded their cars, shared all the content on their own personal profiles and created great team spirit by all joining forces to achieve the same objective.

Key theme of the campaign was ‘Everywhere you go, Sika is there’

The competition was run from 1st September – 14th October 2022. For a single entry into the draw, the participants had to take a selfie with the Sika branded car and use the hashtag #SpotSika on social media platforms. A selfie with a car and a representative of Sika gave 2 entries into the draw. There were 5 weekly hamper winners leading up to the final grand prize. The final winner was drawn and went to the lucky winner, Leslie Woest.

Thank you to all that took part in this campaign to make it such a success.

SIKA SOUTH AFRICA EXCITED TO ACQUIRE INDEX CONSTRUCTION

“We as Sika South Africa are extremely excited to welcome the Index range into our roofing and waterproofing business in South Africa as from the 1st January 2023. Index has been a strong brand in the South African market for over 20 years and comes with a high research and development competence. Sika acquired Index in 2018 and we felt the time was right for it to now form part of our existing business in South Africa.” Paul Adams, Managing Director

Construction Systems and Products

Sika is proud to have acquired a majority stake in Index Construction Systems and Products. Index is a leading manufacturer of roofing and waterproofing systems near Verona, Italy. In acquiring Index, Sika has expanded its bitumen product range and boost its position both in the Italian regions and abroad with over 100 distributors including South Africa. Sika has always challenged the status quo in the construction industry, and implementing this acquisition is another way they’re looking for advanced solutions for constructing a better future. Index has gone from strength to strength during its 25 years in the South African market, and today it enjoys a strong local presence. Index is known for its superior range of quality bitumen membrane solutions and brings with it internationally recognised expertise in bitumen technologies, which greatly assists Sika with expanding into markets in Southern Europe and Africa. Bitumen solutions are highly adaptable. With solutions suitable for the standard flat roof waterproofing, decorative, peel and stick, below ground waterproofing and green roof waterproofing solution conforming to international standards, acquiring Index will ensure that Sika South Africa can continue to innovate and grow. Now, in combining both companies’ products, Sika South Africa will become a comprehensive, full range supplier in the roofing and waterproofing market, and by gaining access to Index’s broad sales network, this move is sure to bring exciting cross selling opportunities for both entities.

BOTSWANA TRAINING

On the 7 th to 9 th September 2022, a few selected Botswana customers and contractors travelled to our Sika Gauteng branch in South Africa for 3 days of applicator training. Shaun Saxby, TM Manager for Contractors team, headed up the team as the training coordinator. Training was done by our Botswana and local Gauteng sales team where theoretical and practical training on various flooring systems, refurbishment and sealing and bonding solutions were covered together with gaining further knowledge on our concrete admixtures. A total of 9 customers attended the training at their own cost and said it is invaluable training and will attend any future events.

THE DOMINO FOUNDATION

The Domino Foundation is a non-profit organisation that creates essential structures geared towards supporting people, projects and programmes that are meeting the needs of individuals and communities physically, emotionally, cognitively and spiritually through mercy, justice and empowerment.

Through eight focused community initiatives, Domino directly impacts thousands of lives daily across KwaZulu-Natal. Over the past decade, The Domino Foundation has witnessed the power of the #DominoEffect transforming current lives and further generations to come. This organisation truly goes beyond the expected, and we as Sika wanted to help them do what they do best.

The Domino Foundation’s Early Childhood Development (ECD) program works with ECD centres where majority have flat tin roofs and are constantly having rainwater issues. With our donation of waterproofing, sealing and bonding products, we aided 12 ECD centres and 3 suburban houses. These included a babies home, a safe house and their project/administration office. Over and above this, the Domino Foundation Life Schools’ Program works with schools that too have ongoing roof issues and they will also form part of those who will be assisted by Sika’s donation. We are proud to be part of the #DominoEffect by making centres watertight and safe for KZN’s children.

The 2022 Botswana Builders & Construction Expo

on the 20 th - 22 nd October at Airport Junction

CONGRATULATIONS

TO OUR LONG SERVICE EMPLOYEES

SEPTEMBER 2022 - DECEMBER 2022

25 YEARS

• Mervyn Naidoo

10 YEARS

• Delon Govender

• Denise Padayachee

• Sabelo Msweli

MERVYN NAIDOO CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF SERVICE

25 years ago, our esteemed colleague, Mervyn Naidoo, started his career at Sika. Mervyn started his journey in 1997 as an Internal Sales Administrator at the Sika KZN Branch, North Coast Road. This is where Mervyn’s sales talent was recognized, and he was promoted to a Sales Representative in 1999. He was then promoted to Area Sales Manager in 2001 and after overachieving on many budgets, he progressed to Regional Sales Manager in 2007. In 2009, Mervyn was further advanced to KZN Branch Manager which he continues to oversee. Being up for any challenge, Mervyn took on the opportunity to run with getting the new tile adhesive range launched into the market in 2021.

‘Working for Sika has been a real journey for me, getting to understand a company’s dynamics from the ground up. It shows that hard work and dedication does pay off, BUT most importantly, is that you need to love what you.’

Mervyn is known as our go-to guy to tackle any challenge in many areas. Thank you, Mervyn, for going that extra mile for Sika.

5 YEARS

• Sydney Manamela

• Gifty Diale

• Colette Willard

• Thobi Ngwenya

• Vusi Dlamini

SIKA BABIES

SIKA'S FULL RANGE OF SOLUTIONS

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SIKA:

WHO WE ARE

Sika South Africa part of the global Sika Group, supplies the building and construction industry as well as manufacturing industries (automotive, bus, truck, rail, solar and wind power plants, facades). Sika is a leader in processing materials used in sealing, bonding, damping, reinforcing and protecting load-bearing structures. Sika’s product lines feature high quality concrete admixtures, specialty mortars, sealants and adhesives, damping and reinforcing materials, structural strengthening systems, industrial flooring as well as roofing and waterproofing systems. Sika has subsidiaries in 101 countries around the world and manufactures in over 300 factories, with some 27 059 employees link customers directly to Sika and guarantee the success of all partners. Sika generated annual sales of CHF 9.2 billion in 2021.

In South Africa, we provide market-leading solutions for concrete, waterproofing, roofing, flooring, refurbishment, sealing & bonding, and industry, and have manufacturing sites in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.