Sarkis ... green focus.
BASF promotes local range to the world
01 September 2014
BASF Construction Chemicals UAE says it offers a wide portfolio of products that are designed specifically to thrive in the local environmental conditions and backed by technical services to meet the stringent demand of projects in the region.
More than 80 per cent of these products are produced locally, it adds.
The company, which has had a presence in the Gulf region for more than 30 years, says it considers research, development and innovation as the key elements to meet market demands, in line with its parent company’s global strategy.
As a founding member of the Emirates Green Building Council, BASF also focuses on sustainable construction. It offers a wide range of resource-efficient insulation solutions and concrete admixtures that reduce the needed amount of cement and water and repair and protection systems.
The company also enables the production of highly flowable concrete that ensures faster placement processes. Its sealants and waterproofing systems extend the lifecycle of the structures from the depths of the underground construction to the tallest buildings.
A core principle of BASF is driving sustainable construction: with BASF’s chemistry, buildings can be more durable and require fewer resources for maintenance, according to John Sarkis, general manager, BASF Construction Chemicals UAE.
“Due to the rapid infrastructure growth in the area, we are aware of our responsibility to assist project teams and achieve successful project completion,” he comments. “We provide technical service along with various products during the course of a project. Being the largest team of its kind in the region, our technical services specialists assist during the different stages of the projects providing recommendations and application training when required.”
He says customers enjoy this reliability and find it easier to meet the deadlines as the possibilities of application failure are mitigated with such support.
“It is thanks to our outstanding offering of technology and services that we succeed in meeting their stringent demands,” he points out.
As an example, he mentions BASF’s involvement in the Umm Al Aish liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) filling plant in Kuwait, one of its most challenging projects in 2013.
The new LPG filling plant for the Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC) is a world pioneering project focusing on safety and sustainability. This is reflected in different techniques such as the use of treated wastewater for irrigation, fire-fighting monitors and flare stack to prevent gas discharge to the atmosphere. The plant includes a full range of technical and administrative facilities including an LPG tank farm, an LPG filling area, the main control room in watch towers, administration buildings, warehouses, workshops, social buildings and mosque.
“The project called for a high-strength topping material for critical concrete floor areas that would allow for LPG bottles to be handled in a spark-free environment. Additionally, another challenge found during the construction process was the concrete screed as it was deemed to be unsuitable in many areas for the subsequent application of a floor of the requested nature.
“Furthermore, the weather conditions in the Kuwaiti desert, a location strategically chosen for the new LPG filling plant to service all the north of Kuwait – from Jahra to the Iraqi border – meant an extremely harsh environment including sandstorms and temperatures reaching up to 55 deg C,” says Sarkis.
“Our sales representatives and technical team attended the weekly progress, which helped maintain our relationship and communication with all the involved parties and stakeholders. We also strengthened and levelled the large floor by using the Master Builders Solutions high-precision concrete MasterEmaco S 466 bulked up with aggregates in order to minimise shrinkage and cost.
“To meet the stringent demands for an anti-static industrial floor, we proposed the application of Master Builders Solutions’ Ucrete MFAS-C. Ucrete antistatic floors provide chemical and thermal shock resistance as well as the conductive properties needed to control undesired static electricity and sparks. This product is cost effective and quick and practical to install,” he adds.
Sarkis says partial shipment of the flooring product was done by air to catch up with the original project schedule and the company’s technical services department paid several visits to the site. The team organised mock-up installations and provided training for the applicator to ensure the right installation of the floor, while also attending to the first application. They also undertook the pull out test on MasterEmaco S 466 and tested the conductivity of the installed floor.
“Thanks to our consistent and reliable support, our client saved time because we offered to strengthen the substrate rather than demolishing the old concrete floor. Our flexibility and choice of the Ucrete industrial flooring met the client’s specifications successfully,” says Sarkis.
“The Umm Al Aish LPG plant is only one example of the numerous projects where our offerings have exceeded stringent project demands. The quality of our products combined with the high level of technical support consolidates BASF’s highly regarded position as a market leader in construction chemicals,” he concludes.
Over the past three decades of service to the region, BASF Construction Chemicals UAE has earned an enviable reputation based on the quality of its products and services. It was also the first company in Dubai to achieve Ohsas 18001 health and safety management standards.
