Gulf Construction Online - JV launches innovative sealants

Germany & the Mideast

JV launches innovative sealants

01 March 2005

A European joint venture between two of the world’s leading companies – US-based General Electric and German manufacturer Bayer – GE Bayer Silicones (part of GE‘s Advanced Material business) has recently introduced a range of sealants and adhesives that is expected to revolutionise the construction glazing industry in the region.

Having provided silicone adhesives and sealants for many of the Gulf‘s major construction programmes, the company believes the recently-introduced SSG 4700 structural glazing sealant will offer a window of opportunities for the construction sector.
“GE developed SSG4700 sealant to help manufacturers reduce production times,” says Sitharam, SSG technical manager Dubai, GE Advanced Materials. “With its exceptionally fast curing and strength build, this new sealant gives customers the speed they want in a technology they need to support their production goals. In fact, our primary validation partner was so enthusiastic about SSG 4700 that the company began using the product prior to commercialization.”
Elaborating on the how the new product will impact the local market, regional manager Anwar Khan says: “The construction industry in the Gulf is booming, time is money and action brings success. We expect that this product will enable our customers in the Gulf to improve their service and profitability on contracts.”
“Too often, our customers have observed that the time taken for drawing approvals, advice and support has taken too long,” Khan comments. “So we have decided to bring support to the region, supporting our customers where they were located.”
GE Bayer Silicones and its sister company GE Osi Silicones is investing in resources in the Gulf region with four people headquartered in Dubai. The company is also planning to set up a laboratory to support the development of its business in construction.
General Electric (GE) is a diversified technology, media, and financial services company dedicated to creating products that make life better. From aircraft engines and power generation to financial services, medical imaging, television programming, and plastics, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide.
GE Advanced Materials is a world leader in providing materials solutions through engineering thermoplastics, silicon-based products and technology platforms, and fused quartz and ceramics. Among its businesses are:
• Silicones, which includes GE Toshiba Silicones in the Pacific region and GE Bayer Silicones in Europe. It offers silanes, specialty silicones, urethane additives, adhesives, sealants, resins, and elastomers for a variety of industries such as personal care, automotive, tire and rubber, construction, healthcare, electronics, household and institutional, agriculture, textiles, appliances, bedding and furnishings, foam control, and consumer.
• Plastics is a global plastics materials supplier and distributor, which serves customers in a variety of industries including aerospace, appliances, automotive, building and construction, data storage and optical media, medical, electrical and electronics devices, telecommunications, computers and peripheral devices, outdoor vehicles and devices, and packaging.
• Quartz provides high-purity quartz and advanced ceramic materials for the semiconductor, telecommunications, lighting, electronics, personal care, water purification, and various other industries.
GE Bayer Silicones manufactures specialty silicones such as silicone surfactants, emulsions, gels, catalysts, organomodified, reactive fluids and others provide improved performance and unique properties to products created for diverse markets. The company’s silicone specialty trademarks include Silsoft, Velvesil, SAG, CoatOSil, Silwet, Magnasoft, Tospearl, Silbreak, NIAX, Geolite and Fomrez.
“Silquest, CoatOSil, NXT, XL-PEarl and Silcat silanes are used as high-performance coupling agents, adhesion promoters and crosslinkers, or as reactive intermediates, in tyres, rubber, paint, coatings and ink, adhesives and sealants, plastics and paper,” says a company spokesman.
“Our silicon-based family is man-made, with an engineered molecular backbone similar to quartz, glass and sand,” says the spokesman. “Building on the benefits these structures provide, GE Silicones-OSi Specialties has developed versatile product lines that offer significant end use benefits and dramatic differences in the design, form and function of the ultimate product, such as vastly improved:
• Strength through adhesion, coupling and crosslinking;
• Dispersibility;
• Protection from chemical and environmental effects;
• Temperature resistance;
• Tactile and appearance characteristics, like softness, silkiness, gloss, colour protection;
• Wetting and spreading;
• Foam control in processes;
• Release properties;
• Urethane foam characteristics, like cell fineness, rigidity, flexibility and low VOC content.
GE Silicones manufactures from 28 plants worldwide and employs over 3000 people worldwide. At its European plants, GE Bayer silicones produces silicone polymers and resins, which are used in almost every industry. The Dubai office of GE has been active for over 10 years, he concludes.