and sales of a full range of mortar products and systems for
the construction industry. The acquisition will accelerate Sika’s
global expansion in the fast growing mortar business with an
extended new supply chain in the Western U.S. The BMI plant
brings Sika’s mortar footprint to 76 factories worldwide.
BMI Products of Northern California provides an excellent
production platform and has developed a comprehensive range
of mortar products and systems for the construction industry.
The company is located in the city of Milpitas, California (San
Francisco Bay Area) and, together with Sika’s Santa Fe Springs
production facility near Los Angeles, provides strong access to
the large and fast-growing California construction market.
Christoph Ganz, head of region North America: “This ac-
quisition is a further acceleration of the implementation of our
global mortar strategy. It provides us with a solid production
platform to further expand the mortars business in the Western
U.S.. We are proud to welcome the new employees into the Sika
team and we are excited about growing our business together.”
Hempel’s Hempadur AvantGuard Wins
Frost & Sullivan Award for New Product
Innovation
Hempel’s Hempadur AvantGuard range of products has won
the 2014 European Frost & Sullivan Award for New Product
Innovation. To be presented on May 14 in London, the award
recognizes the products’ ability to provide superior anti-corrosive
protection for iron and steel structures in tough environments.
Hempel’s Hempadur AvantGuard activated zinc primers include patented AvantGuard technology to provide better anticorrosion protection than zinc epoxies without AvantGuard.
The coatings are developed to protect industrial structures and
equipment in C4 and C5 corrosive conditions, where saltwater
and high humidity corrode unprotected steel. They can be used
in a range industries and applications, from offshore oil and gas
platforms to power plants and wind turbines.
The award recognizes the products’ ability to offer reduced
corrosion, improved performance in extreme temperatures and
superior mechanical strength.
As Frost & Sullivan senior research analyst Soundarya
Shankar explained, “The AvantGuard technology uses hollow
glass spheres and a proprietary activator to activate more zinc
and enhance the anti-corrosive properties of the coating.”
Shankar praised Hempel’s customer and technical service
as a unique value-add for customers. “Apart from designing an
enhanced product portfolio, Hempel delivers a seamless cus-
tomer service experience,” he said. “Acknowledging the need
