- V Revindran, Director, Sales & Marketing, Sinicon Controls Established in 1994, Sinicon has been contributing its share of knowledge in improving the living quality of people by way of providing them with superior quality products made on the latest technology platform. The company has since diversified to different business verticals maintaining its philosophy of providing the best of its class products to the customers. Sinicon products are manufactured under strict quality control and assurance systems and the processes are controlled through ISO 9001-2015 standards apart from implementing in-house quality schemes and TQM practices. V Revindran, Director, Sinicon Controls, shares insights on the company’s functionality areas, its products, the USP, and more… Brief us about the company. Sinicon’s focus of business has been around water and power conservation and we are manufacturing some of the finest and exclusive products for this application. Sinicon has always been passionate about innovation and excelled in integrating the innovative spirit of the application and engineering team that enabled the company to produce some of the world-class products. Sinicon PP is of such an initiative, and it makes people living in buildings situated in tropical and extreme climatic conditions comfortable. Tell us about Sinicon PP. Sinicon PP is made out of an unique volcanic glass, a large deposit of which is found at only one location on the earth – South Africa. Sinicon PP is made using a feed from these mines, using patented manufacturing process to convert it into well-sealed tough glass granules that are ideally suited for use with cementitious and other binders. The Sinicon PP granule structure is that each tough granule comprises a froth of glass-walled closed cells, each enclosing a near vacuum. Sinicon PP is, therefore, best described as comprising millions of tiny sealed ‘thermos flasks’, making it a unique and unrivaled insulation and fireproofing material. In the construction industry, Sinicon PP is used as heat proofing plaster aggregate and it can replace sand in plastering. Once the plastering is done using Sinicon PP cement instead of sand and cement, the building gets heat and fire-proofing property. Therefore, the building interiors become cool during summer and warm during extreme winter. The use of air-conditioners and heaters can be substantially reduced if not avoided. Sinicon PP is approved by GRIHA and GreenPro and is the first green-certified heat proofing plaster aggregate in India. It is a product for the masses, irrespective of the size of the project; and it addresses the formal and informal segments in the construction industry due to its ease of application and affordability. What is your USP? What market segment do you target? We are addressing all segments, ie, residential, commercial and industrial projects. These requirements are based on their heat proofing and comfort need, energy-efficiency and capital savings on HVAC and for meeting green certification requirements. As far as the USP is concerned, Sinicon PP is a wonderful masonry material and it forms part of the building, unlike any synthetic material that needs to be incorporated into the masonry structure with special methods. How is the market potential for your industry? We have a good market for Sinicon PP in India, SAARC and Middle East countries. Retrofitting of existing buildings using Sinicon PP heat proofing plaster and screed to address the heat and cold issue to help them improve their interior climate quality and comfort is a huge market. A major need is not only to meet the comfort level but that people want to avoid the use of air-conditioners and heaters that are generally unhealthy for inhabitants. Secondly, Sinicon PP, being a certified green product, is being incorporated in the buildings designed and constructed in accordance with the green building guidelines for obtaining green certifications. Not only the buildings designed and already constructed in conventional methods, but redesigning and integrating materials that would give comfort and operational benefits and also intend to go for green certification is another market for us. Apart from these markets, there are many industrial and commercial applications where Sinicon PP delivers extremely good result. What are the new trends in your industry? There are different types of products and methods for heat proofing of the building practiced in the construction industry. The traditional brick bat coba is not giving way to new methods. For roof application, UV reflective coatings and SRI tiles are popular, however, it is not so effective when the dust and dirt accumulate on the surface. Moreover, the reflective coatings have a limited life of functional efficiency. In projects, XPS is being used widely; however, there is a school of thought that it is not a green material nor a masonry material and is accommodated to meet the heat proofing needs of a building. Sinicon PP provides versatility in terms of its application and life as it is a replacement of sand in the screed and plaster application, and is a 100 per cent masonry material. Sinicon PP can be applied like a normal plaster and it is not a special application. Tell us about current projects where your products are being used. There are many projects of all sorts – residential villas, apartments, commercial and industrial buildings. Being a versatile product, Sinicon PP is used in different applications. Although it is mostly being used for the roof, ceiling and wall plastering of all types of buildings, there are many other applications such as fire-proofing, flooring, building up of floors, fire rated walls, architectural applications, etc. What makes it special and what is the project cost? The specialty of the product is in the application method itself as it replaces the sand in plastering, thus making it easy to adopt in buildings. There is no need for any additives or air entraining methods, as Sinicon PP plaster or concrete does not rely on air-entrainment and can be cured under any conditions of vibration. Once cured, the product exhibits surprising strength in comparison to other lightweight concretes. The cost of Sinicon PP application can be recovered in a short period of time. Our study shows that in most cases the RoI is instant if not within months, depending upon the nature of the project and the use of heating and cooling infrastructure. (Communication by the management of the company)