Construction World May 2015

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PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

SOARING DEMAND FOR SELF- LEVELLING SCREED

“The main reason for the latest refor- mulation in 2014 was to boost the green qualities of the products by including the self-levelling screed and its primer in the range of dustless cementitious products now being produced at a.b.e.’s Boksburg plant as part of the Chryso Group’s sustainable devel- opment programme,” says a.b.e. national sales manager: flooring, Peter Jones. “Prior to that, a.b.e. also changed the formulation of the self-leveller to increase its performance and also to make the produc- tion process as economical as possible to offer the best price to our customers.” abescreed SLC P is a single-pack, rapid hard- Demand for a.b.e. Construction Chemicals’ abescreed SLC P fast- track self-levelling screed and abescreed SLC acrylic primer has soared since the products underwent three important reformulations recently. >

ening cement-based screed for self-levelling floors, ideal for situations where quick setting is essential so that carpets, ceramic tiles, vinyl, wood block or cork need to be applied quickly. The product can be used on new floors or for smoothing floors in office buildings, private homes, shops, public buildings, schools, hospitals, airports, prisons, factories, workshops and warehouses. The success of abescreed SLC P and its primer has led to an exclusive large-scale supply agreement being concluded last year between a.b.e. and a leading South African flooring company, FloorworX. Jones says abescreed SLC P has many bene- fits. “A few examples are: it can be pumped or hand-laid; about 2 000 square metres can be pumped per day; it can be walked on after only two to four hours; and it won’t harbour bacteria which is vital for premises such as hospital and clinic floors,” he explains. abescreed SLC primer, which is applied prior to abescreed SLC P, improves the self-levelling screed’s adhesion to the concrete substrate, reduces surface absorbency, and seals the substrate.

Peter Jones, a.b.e. Construction Chemicals national sales manager: flooring (left); with Roy Sinclair (centre), FloorworX technical advisor; and Steve Montgomery, a.b.e’s GM: logistics; at an abescreed SLC P application demonstration for the Johannesburg flooring industry held at the FloorworX premises in Steeledale.

OVER 13 MILLION BRICKS A MONTH Opening earlier than usual to ensure an average of 87 600 bricks per day were being manufactured, Ocon Brick supplied over 13 million clay stock and semi-face bricks in the first few weeks of January to fill orders secured late in 2014 and early 2015, putting Ocon Brick on track to meet customer requirements and forecasted manufacturing targets.

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the electricity supply, but that aside, the order book is looking very healthy going forward. The fact that we offer a superior quality product backed up with reliable and professional tech- nical and sales support, obviously makes us a supplier of choice. There is substantial growth anticipated for the infrastructure, housing and commercial development sector this year and our manufacturing capabilities and product offering, already at nearly 30% over budget, will, I believe, give us the edge,” said Lamont. Ocon Brick is South Africa’s leading supplier of clay stock and semi-face bricks suited to general building work whether it is plastered applications or unplastered designed finishes offering many environmental, fire and safety, thermal insulation and longevity benefits.

Mariana Lamont, regional sales manager for Ocon Brick said, “We ended 2014 with a full order book that

a strategic decision to re-open our manufac- turing plant five days earlier, so that we were ready and available for when our customer’s returned to their projects and also to service those who do not necessarily shut-down for the entire festive season”. “We are optimistic about our prospects for this year. It is not without its challenges, such as

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in part, due to the end of year shut-down, was carried over into 2015. We knew there was a requirement by our customers to hit the ground running in January; to have our bricks delivered to site as soon as possible. Therefore we made

Clay stock bricks.

Semi face bricks.

CONSTRUCTION WORLD MAY 2015