BASF's Kenyan concrete admixture plant to strengthen E African market

German chemicals major BASF inaugurated its new production plant for concrete admixtures in Nairobi on August 27, 2014. The site, which produces standard and custom-made performance admixtures from the MasterRheobuild and the MasterGlenium product line, will allow BASF to better meet the increasing demand for construction chemicals of customers in Eastern Africa.
 
Dick Purchase, head of BASF’s Regional Business Unit Construction Chemicals Middle East, West Asia, CIS and Africa, said, “We are now able to rapidly supply our customers with admixtures for all cement and aggregate types, whether their construction projects are located in the urban areas of Eastern Africa or in more remote sites.”
 
BASF’s admixtures enable to produce concrete with higher strength, and to increase its workability retention. This is of special importance in urban areas such as Nairobi, Kenya, or Kampala, Uganda, where transportation of concrete to the construction site may take longer due to high traffic.
 
Kenya is a particularly strong growing market for construction chemicals in Eastern Africa. “Growth in emerging markets is an integral component of BASF’s ‘We create chemistry’ strategy. In line with this, BASF’s Africa strategy aims to double sales on the continent by the year 2020. The new production facility will strengthen the product portfolio in the region, and will meet the demands for multi-story buildings, long-lasting infrastructural constructions and more energy efficiency in construction techniques,” said Laurent Tainturier, Senior Vice President CIS, Middle East and Africa at BASF.
 
Cement is expensive and scarce in Eastern Africa. With BASF products, it can be partially replaced in the concrete mix designs. Solutions from BASF also help to comply with energy efficiency certifications for buildings such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design by US Green Building Council).
 
The new production site in Nairobi is a further step to strengthen the global network of the Master Builders Solutions brand. The solutions offered by the brand will also strongly benefit contractors from other regions doing construction projects in Eastern Africa, as they may already know the product portfolio and technologies.
 
BASF has been actively selling construction chemicals to the Eastern African market for more than 25 years. Other production sites in Africa are located in Westonaria, South Africa; Algiers, Algeria; Sadat City, Egypt and Casablanca, Morocco.