We constantly analyse the industry’s changing and emerging market requirements and innovate ourselves to offer best-in-class solutions for the infrastructure requirements, says Rajeev Gupta, Business Head for Construction Chemicals at ECMAS Construction Chemicals Pvt. Ltd.

ECMAS is a technology-driven company where innovation is a crucial success factor. We offer a diversified and innovative range of chemical solutions, which are well known in the industry. We are one of the leading manufacturers of chemical solutions for the construction industry, offering a broad spectrum of end-to-end solutions for modern high-rise structures and industrial and
infrastructure projects. Our construction solutions include additives for high-performance and self-compacting concrete; a wide variety of waterproofing solutions; structural repair and strengthening solutions; flooring; sealants; adhesives; thermal insulation; protective coatings; synthetic structural fibres; etc., meeting specific project requirements and enhancing the
durability of construction.

How are innovations and R&D helping you obtain sustainability in your products?
Our continuous focus is on offering eco-friendly and green products to our customers and promoting sustainable construction. We invest heavily in developing and acquiring new technologies to deliver innovative solutions. We work closely with renowned industry experts, research institutes, and laboratories to offer budget-friendly, technically superior solutions to our clients. We are constantly on the lookout for emerging market requirements in the industry and keep ourselves up to date to deliver quality solutions that meet those needs. We observe that more than 70
per cent of our sales turnover is achieved through innovations and new products.

How are you adding product lines to your manufacturing facility?
ECMAS is a fast-growing, multi-faceted, and diversified group headquartered in Hyderabad, with operations across India. Over the past four decades, we have focused on increasing our manufacturing capabilities to meet the needs of our loyal client base. We currently have three manufacturing units under the ECMAS Construction Chemicals division, and we are setting up a new unit in North India to support our growing business in North India. In the last financial year, we have made significant investments to produce liquid-applied polyurethane waterproofing solutions and polyurethane injections indigenously under our Make in India initiative. Now, we offer two polyurethane products for the construction industry. Over the last to 4 years, we have introduced and commercialised-classed various new products in the waterproofing and structural repair categories. Now we are working on expanding our capacity to produce concrete additives and technical mortars.

What are the new and unique technologies ECMAS is offering to the Indian construction industry?
The future trends in the construction industry are creating buildings that consume less energy to build and operate. There is an increasing demand for high-performance solutions that support sustainability, overall system cost reduction, and reduced project delivery time. Various construction chemicals and advanced materials, from concrete admixtures to polymer composites, are
increasingly used in the building and construction industry. Many benefits, including enhanced performance and integrity and overall system cost reduction, accrue to a construction or building project using these solutions. Although ECMAS offers a vast range of chemical solutions, ECMAS WBD solutions and FRCM Technology are two very unique solutions introduced by ECMAS to the Indian Construction Industry.

Under our Make in India initiative, we have recently added a wide range of locally manufactured polyurethane injections to control heavy water leaks and handle challenging situations in underground construction, which have received an encouraging response from the clients.

Can you please elaborate on these technologies and their unique features?
Polyurethane Injections: Polyurethane injection grouts have become very popular over the last couple of decades and are considered the most effective solution to inhibit heavy water leakage in below-grade or water-retaining structures. In India, there are frequently few options for polyurethane injections, and most of such products are imported. Under our Make in India initiative, ECMAS has set up a local manufacturing unit in technical collaboration with our partners from Netherlands. We offer an extensive range of cost-effective PU Injection solutions, including water-reactive foams to stop flowing water, PU resins for strengthening and permanent sealing, and PU Gels for soil and rock stabilisation. Combination PU Injection Grouts offer dual performance, i.e., foam+ resin in a single product to permanently seal dry, wet, and leaking cracks.

ECMAS WBD Solutions: Plastering and waterproofing in one step. ECMAS WBD Solutions are highly waterproof, breathable, and drying plasters that act as a solid waterproof barrier while staying breathable simultaneously. The proprietary WBD component is the key component that ensures the waterproof characteristic of the product. ECMAS WBD Systems offers a permanent waterproofing solution by eliminating the problems of water penetration, dampness, efflorescence, etc. The plaster is made from natural materials and does not contain any harmful or flammable ingredients. It is environment friendly, making it suitable for new construction and repair projects for applications like waterproofing of basements, water tanks, UG Sumps/ STPs, wet areas, external walls, etc.

Advantages
• 100 per cent waterproof
• Breathable-Air and vapour permeable, allowing trapped moisture to evaporate.
• Dehumidifying is the process of drying out internal or trapped moisture.
• It is possible to apply it to wet surfaces.
• Preventing salt crystallisation and efflorescence
• It can be used manually (trowel) or with a spray applicator.
• There is no need for additional waterproofing membranes or protection plasters.
• Excellent cohesion and bonding strength with concrete and brick masonry.

How do you expect the market for construction chemicals to shape up in the coming years?
India is a developing economy with a fast-growing construction industry. India’s construction chemicals industry is called a “sunrise industry,” growing significantly. This growth is due to
increasing government investments in infrastructural projects and rising construction spending across almost all states. Rising government initiatives such as Smart City, Make in India,
Housing for All, transportation sector development, and urban infrastructure’s modernisation, amongst others, are projected to boost demand for construction chemicals across all application sectors. However, the market is still small compared to other global markets, but prospects for further growth are very bright. Due to low consumer recognition, the use of construction chemicals is not high in India. With a proper understanding of the benefits of construction chemicals, their use is expected to increase significantly.

For more details visit: www.ecmas.in, www.ecmas.com