First Ring Road in Kuwait ... Complex EM system specified.
Hempel ‘best’ for civil projects
Hempel Paints claims its acrylic Contex EM paint is a value-added choice for high-value civil infrastructure projects, particularly those exposed to continuous harsh environment.
01 May 2012
HEMPEL Paints, a leading international paint manufacturer, says its Contex EM is the best solution for protecting civil infrastructure projects, such as roads, bridges, bypasses and tunnels.
Contex EM is a pure acrylic, elastomeric, breathable smooth-textured topcoat that provides extreme protection against carbonation. In addition, it offers excellent flexibility and crack-bridging properties to accommodate the structural movements of bridges and other civil infrastructure projects.
According to an official for Hempel, Contex EM is a value-added product for high-value projects like bridges and tunnels, which represent heavy investment of capital and time, but are exposed to highly aggressive environmental conditions polluted by vehicles emissions. Similarly, in coastal areas civil infrastructure projects face additional threats through the saline and sulphur dioxide (SO2) in the air.
Contex EM is designed for use in projects that face such harsh environments. It is certified against chloride ion diffusion and seals the surface from any contamination that can damage the concrete or even the reinforced steel of the infrastructure.
“Such contaminating environment can be hazardous for concrete, necessitating constant repairs. The maintenance of infrastructure such as bridges and tunnels is not only very expensive, but more importantly, it disrupts the flow of traffic causing traffic jams and delay of services,” says Moataz Kamel, regional marketing manager of Hempel Middle East-West (MEW). “This is where Contex EM is an ideal solution and should be used to provide anti-carbonation abilities to such infrastructure projects.”
One of the most prominent references for the use of the Contex EM system is the First Ring Road in Kuwait, which consists of 17 flyovers. A total of 140,000 sq m has been coated using 97,000 litres of Contex products.
“The Kuwaiti Ministry of Public Works’ roads authority recognised that such a huge project needed long-term protection since it is one of the most important routes in Kuwait. Determined that no compromises should be made, the officials chose Contex EM from Hempel Paints to ensure the safety of the huge infrastructure project,” says Kamel.
One of the value-added services that Hempel introduced on the First Ring Road project was a very significant colour scheme, produced by Hempel’s regional brand manager Mohamed Baitie. “The colour mix for this project was created with special care to ensure the comfort of drivers that use the road. As such, thanks to Contex EM’s wide colour range and smooth texture, we were able to render a special touch to the final appearance of the project,” he says.
Another success story for Contex EM comes from Qatar, where the road affairs department at the Public Work Authority approved Contex EM for the new mega North Road project. The North Road extends more than 250 km and includes 28 multi-level interchanges.
Hempel was founded in 1915 by J C Hempel, who introduced the concept for readymade marine paint, and has grown to become one of the largest independent suppliers of marine and protective coatings in the world. Currently, it has 19 factories, 49 sales offices, two main and six regional research and development centres, and more than 150 stock points strategically located around the world.
Hempel’s solutions and services cover five main market segments such as decorative, protective, marine, containers, and yachts.
