BASF has introduced its new global brand Master Builders Solutions® to the underground construction industry, encompassing tunnelling, hardrock mining and coal mining. The company said that the enw global brand is a sign of its commitment to the industry and that the new name has already been regionally launched in Asia Pacific. Through several phases, Master Builders Solutions will be rolled-out worldwide by the end of the first quarter 2014.
The portfolio of products and services marketed under the Master Builders Solutions brand embraces chemical solutions for new construction, maintenance, repair and renovation of buildings and infrastructure: concrete admixtures, cement additives, chemical solutions for mining and tunnelling, waterproofing, concrete protection and repair products, grouts and high-performance flooring products.
“Master Builders Solutions embodies our ability to collaborate across technologies and functions on a global scale. That way we create solutions geared to meet the individual construction chemical challenges of our customers,” said Dr Tilman Krauch, President of BASF’s Construction Chemicals division. Many solutions from BASF’s broad portfolio for the construction industry also contribute to the success of underground construction projects, some of them addressing specific chemical challenges experienced in tunnelling or mining. “The Master Builders Solutions brand will help our customers in the underground construction industry to see even better our overall range of solutions serving their needs from concrete admixtures or waterproofing solutions through to shotcrete accelerators, injections or TBM products”, said Matthew Ross, Global Head of the Underground Construction team of BASF.
Under the new brand, the chemical solutions continue to focus on safety, efficiency and longevity and thus sustainability in order to fulfill the long term needs of tunnels and mines. The company’s large R&D assets are an important base for an ongoing set of innovations to support the industry’s needs. In one single project, the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland, BASF has delivered concrete admixtures, shotcrete accelerator and fire protecting grouts for approximately 20 km of the 57 km long tunnel.
The range of products and services offered under the Master Builders Solutions brand features a globalised naming system and will be introduced in phases. For the Underground Construction business segment the product name MasterRoc will be used for sprayed concrete; injectiom; TBM; waterproofing membranes; and mine backfill. In addition to the products that now come under MasterRoc, BASF offers concrete admixtures and MasterSeal waterproofing solutions to the underground construction industries.