Potential drivers of construction chemicals

01 Apr 2019 CW Staff

In future, Basab Saha, Business Head, Dow Construction Chemicals, South Asia expects changing climatic conditions, emerging regulatory standards (like green certification programmes) and continually increasing awareness and demand for quality construction among end-users to spur the uptake of technologies.

Dr Vijay Raman, Business Director, Construction Chemicals, BASF South Asia sees multiple opportunities with the current Government’s focus on developing the manufacturing sector and infrastructure and, of late, traction in the realty sector, where housing inventories finally appear to be declining, albeit at a slow rate.

Other than some hesitation, possibly owing to the election, Preetham Yeada, Associate Vice-President, Commercial & Corporate Strategy, MYK Arment expects the market to do well. It is challenging to assess the potential for construction chemicals but a thumb rule correlates cement output with the current demand for construction chemicals. On this basis, he reckons that only about 5 per cent of the potential has been tapped in India and the same may be attributed to lack of awareness, lack of skill and, to some extent, non-adherence to specifications and design. Of course, the usage is much higher in developed countries.

Basements are likely to present a big opportunity in value terms for the construction chemicals industry, says Yeada. Essentially, better space management and the need to provide parking space are necessitating that buildings go underground, even in smaller cities.

BASF South Asia’s newer products include the MasterSeal range of engineered waterproofing solutions for basements and the protection and waterproofing of water-retaining structures like STPs and ETPs, and speciality admixtures to protect concrete from active corrosion.

Podiums are another area with potential for high-quality construction chemicals as they are subjected to lot of dynamic loads and movements that need proper protection, says Yeada. Third, he sees huge potential in providing waterproofing chemicals for tunnels.

- CHARU BAHRI

In future, Basab Saha, Business Head, Dow Construction Chemicals, South Asia expects changing climatic conditions, emerging regulatory standards (like green certification programmes) and continually increasing awareness and demand for quality construction among end-users to spur the uptake of technologies.Dr Vijay Raman, Business Director, Construction Chemicals, BASF South Asia sees multiple opportunities with the current Government’s focus on developing the manufacturing sector and infrastructure and, of late, traction in the realty sector, where housing inventories finally appear to be declining, albeit at a slow rate.Other than some hesitation, possibly owing to the election, Preetham Yeada, Associate Vice-President, Commercial & Corporate Strategy, MYK Arment expects the market to do well. It is challenging to assess the potential for construction chemicals but a thumb rule correlates cement output with the current demand for construction chemicals. On this basis, he reckons that only about 5 per cent of the potential has been tapped in India and the same may be attributed to lack of awareness, lack of skill and, to some extent, non-adherence to specifications and design. Of course, the usage is much higher in developed countries.Basements are likely to present a big opportunity in value terms for the construction chemicals industry, says Yeada. Essentially, better space management and the need to provide parking space are necessitating that buildings go underground, even in smaller cities.BASF South Asia’s newer products include the MasterSeal range of engineered waterproofing solutions for basements and the protection and waterproofing of water-retaining structures like STPs and ETPs, and speciality admixtures to protect concrete from active corrosion.Podiums are another area with potential for high-quality construction chemicals as they are subjected to lot of dynamic loads and movements that need proper protection, says Yeada. Third, he sees huge potential in providing waterproofing chemicals for tunnels.- CHARU BAHRI

Infrastructure Urban

09 Feb 2026

Eicher Delivers First 13.5 m Electric Intercity Sleeper Bus

Eicher Trucks & Buses, a business unit of VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd., has recently delivered its first 13.5 m electric intercity sleeper bus, marking a key milestone in India’s long-distance electric mobility segment. The first bus is being operated by LeafyBus, with plans to deploy 35 buses by March 2026 across high-demand intercity corridors in North India.The initial deployment will cover routes such as Delhi–Dehradun and Delhi–Lucknow, supporting LeafyBus’ expansion across environmentally sensitive and high-density travel corridors.Commenting on the partnership, Suresh Chettia..

Infrastructure Urban

09 Feb 2026

HCSS Showcases Unified Construction Platform at CONEXPO 2026

HCSS will recently present the next evolution of its connected construction management platform at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026, bringing together construction workflows, data and teams on a single platform across the entire project lifecycle. The event will be held from 3–7 March 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. HCSS will host two booths at the show, demonstrating how its integrated software ecosystem enables seamless collaboration between the office, field and shop, from bid stage through to project closeout. Steve McGough, President and CEO, HCSS, said, “For 40 years, we’ve done everything within..

Building Material

09 Feb 2026

Berger Paints Q3 Profit Declines Despite Volume Growth

Berger Paints India has reported a mixed performance for the quarter ended 31 December 2025, with healthy volume growth and margin improvement offset by softer demand conditions and cost pressures. On a consolidated basis, revenue from operations for the quarter stood at Rs 29,840 million, compared to Rs 29,751 million in the corresponding quarter last year, reflecting a marginal increase of 0.3 per cent. EBITDA (excluding other income) was Rs 4,710 million, slightly lower than Rs 4,717 million a year earlier. Net profit declined by 8.3 per cent to Rs 2,713 million from Rs 2,960 million. Sta..