Construction World November 2016

CONSTRUCTION WORLD

NOVEMBER

2016

ADMIXTURES

ISO 9001 is a quality

Management System which

provides the infrastructure,

procedures, processes and

resources needed to help

organisations both monitor and

improve their performance to

drive efficiencies, client service

and product excellence.

Sika Head Office in KZN acquired their

ISO 9001 standard in 1995, and subse-

quently adopted the ISO 14001 in 2006

and OHSAS 18001 standards in 2011.

“All Sika factories are required to be ISO 9001 &

ISO 14001 certified as a minimum. Being certified

and complying with the requirements of the stan-

dards enabled us to operate at and hold ourselves

accountable to a higher quality operational and

performance level. It gives us and our customers

the additional confidence that we are working

towards international levels and standards,” says

Paul Adams, SIKA SA managing director.

No new standards were needed to be adapted

in the audit. Having an existing system at Sika

Head Office helped the process of extending the

certification to the GP branch as they worked from

the structure and framework in place already.

"It is important that the GP branch be audited

regularly (the certification body does surveillance

audits annually and our certificates are valid for

a three year period) to ensure compliance with

the requirements of the standard as well as to

identify gaps in the system and areas for continual

improvement, Adams added.

Luis Ferreira, business development

manager: exports for the Chryso

Southern Africa Group – the holding

company of a.b.e. – says a.b.e.

durakote WB was applied in four coats to the

40 metre high silos of the leading Mauritian

flour producer, Les Moulins de la Concorde

Ltée. The towering silos, with a collective

storage capacity of 40 000 tonnes, form a

focal point and landmark of the Port Louis

harbour. Adjcent to the concrete silos on Quay

D is the Les Moulins de la Concorde mill to

which the wheat is discharged from the silos

for processing.

Ferreira says a.b.e. duracote WB (water-

based) is a high performance flexible aliphatic

acrylic polymer coating with high crack

bridging properties. The system comprises

duracote WB primer, a powerful penetrating

organic carrier coat that incorporates acrylic

resin and silane-siloxane molecules that form

a reactive hydrophobic primer barrier coat that

chemically bonds to the substrate.

duracote WB itself is a pure aliphatic

acrylic polymer protective topcoat with high

elastomeric crack bridging qualities – the

coating is capable of bridging a 0,3 mm

dynamic crack at 20 degrees Celsius. The

system forms a durable, decorative, UV-stable

protective coating that inhibits the passage of

water and aggressive water-borne corrosive

contaminants from entering the pores of the

concrete silos.

“duracote WB is particularly suited to

structures exposed to harsh, aggressive atmos-

OCEAN-EXPOSED

A special protective coating system supplied by a.b.e.

Construction Chemicals was used for the repair of 16

massive wheat silos in the harbour of Port Louis, Mauritius.

pheric conditions and was the ideal choice for

the repair and waterproofing of the marine-ex-

posed silos,” Ferreira stated.

He said four coats of duracote WB was

applied to achieve a 400 micron dry thickness

on the silos. “Normally two coats offer

sufficient protection but because of the silos

being right next to the ocean, an additional

two coats were specified and applied for

maximum protection,” he added.

Some of the other benefits of a.b.e.’s

durakote WB system include:

• Forms a permanent barrier against the

ingress of carbon dioxide, chloride ions,

oxygen and water – the main contributors

to corrosion;

• Tough, durable, weather-resistant and

UV-stable decorative coating suited to the

most adverse conditions;

• durakote WB coating system has the ability

to breathe – and this allows water vapour

to diffuse from the concrete pore structure;

• Improved dirt pick-up resistance;

• Low sensitivity to mould and algae growth;

and

• Strong barrier to efflorescence.

“Finally, the system in addition to its protec-

tive qualities also provided a highly decorative

finish so the refurbished silos are now an

attractive feature in a harbour that receives

dozens of luxury cruise liners every year,”

Ferreira added.

Work in progress applying a.b.e. protection near the top of the towering wheat silos in the Port Louis

harbour, and the fully repaired structures which are a focal point of the ocean gateway to Mauritius.

wheat silosprotected

ISO 9001

FOR GAUTENG

FACTORY