Ishita Manjrekar Director (Technology) & Sourabh Manjrekar Director (Operations), Sunanda Speciality Coatings Pvt Ltd talk about their company and products they are offering.

What are the market opportunities for your products in India? What are the essential growth drivers?
Sourabh: Sunanda is a full-service construction chemical company with a broad range of products that covers the entire product range that falls under the category of “Construction Chemicals”. The company was recently identified to be in the “Top 5 waterproofing brands of India” and is considered a market leader in the waterproofing, corrosion protection and allied protective coatings segment. India is a vibrant and large economy with a thriving consumer base. In our estimate, housing and real estate remain a major need for our young and growing urban, semi-urban and rural population. When buying a home, the buyer has a 50-year outlook and the quality expectation from the structure is very high. This expectation of high-quality structures across the Indian housing and real estate segment is a key market opportunity and will drive the use of construction chemicals in building projects.

Can you elucidate on your product range and applications?
Ishita: Sunanda’s range is large and diverse with over 200 products. Our range of products include waterproofing coatings, waterproofing admixtures, waterproofing membranes, concrete admixtures, corrosion protection coatings and systems, flooring chemicals and systems to name a few key categories. Our company has been awarded the honour of “Product Inovator of the Year” for three years now by the Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Govt. of India and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in recognition of the continuous innovation and research in the field of construction chemicals. Consequently, Sunanda is in an enviable position of having one of the largest range of products and specializations in the market. The company becomes a one stop shop for a diverse range of construction chemical requirements with the unique ability to tailor make and customize solutions for unique problems all in a very short time. This is one of the key differentiators that has contributed to Sunanda’s growth and excellence.

How do you ensure that your epoxy solutions are resistant to heat and chemicals?
Sourabh: Epoxies are polymer chemicals that cure into hard surfaces which are used to formulate coatings for surfaces or grouts and mortars for structures. Epoxy is lightweight, anti-corrosive and possesses other useful mechanical qualities that make it a valuable material for use in construction, concrete surface repair, structure reinforcement etc. Epoxy resins work well as bonding agents for metals, wood, plastics and other materials. Most importantly, epoxies are employed for their exceptional corrosion resistance and chemical resistance properties, where they demonstrate very good durability when exposed to corrosive chemical and marine environments.

While epoxy remain durable at room temperature, degradation of its polymer matrix can occur due to high heat and heat combined with moisture. Many epoxies retain their durable qualities such as fracture toughness from low temperatures, when they are hardest, to room temperatures. The viscoelastic properties of epoxy are observed with increase in temperature. The temperature at which heat distortion if cured epoxy resins occurs ranges between 20 and 90oC. As temperature increases, a significant amount of the flexural and compressive strength of epoxy decreases. When the temperature increases to 60oC epoxy reaches the Heat Distortion Temperature (HDT), and it begins to deform. The temperature increase also leads to loss of load-bearing capacity and stiffness. However, modern material science allows us to overcome these issues by the addition of certain specialized curing agents to withstand high temperatures. Epoxy resins with a rod structure tend to withstand temperature extremes better than those with structures that are flexible. Epoxy resins with bromine atoms exhibit flame-retardant capability. Carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy composites can withstand significantly high heat (as high as 1500oC). Titanium Coatings provide a barrier to heat and humidity and extend the lifetime of the epoxy materials.

How does epoxy help in creation of sustainable surfaces in living and commercial spaces?
Ishita: Sustainability focuses on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. A key contributor to sustainability of a structure is durability and service life. Epoxy coatings, composites and mortars are an excellent durability and service life enhancing material whose use in RCC and steel structures can significantly increase their life.

Epoxy can be used to produce various types of environmental barrier coatings and layers which basically isolate the structure from agents of environmental aggression like moisture, water, chlorides, sulphates and other aggressive chemicals that attack the structures and cause deterioration. Epoxies also have excellent mechanical and structural properties which can be used to increase the life of older structures in a repair and rehabilitation scenario. All in all, these incredibly diverse materials are proven, well understood and economic solutions to meet the demands of sustainability of buildings and structures in India and Sunanda with its track record of 40 years and cutting edge R&D and innovation is uniquely positioned to provide solutions in the area of material science of epoxies.

Epoxy coatings, composites and mortars are an excellent durability and service life enhancing material whose use in RCC and steel structures can significantly increase their life.
Ishita Manjrekar, Director (Technology), Sunanda Speciality Coatings Pvt Ltd

India is a vibrant and large economy with a thriving consumer base.
Sourabh Manjrekar Director (Operations), Sunanda Speciality Coatings Pvt Ltd