Pidilite Industries Limited has been a pioneer in consumer and specialities chemicals in India

Since its inception in 1959, Pidilite Industries Limited has been a pioneer in consumer and specialities chemicals in India. Over two-third of the company’s sales come from products and segments it has pioneered in India. Dr.Sanjay Bahadur-Global CEO, Construction Chemical Division, Pidilite Industries) talks about new products launched by Pidiliteand discuss the importance of water proofing.

“Business may be sluggish”

Why Waterproof Roofs?

In any construction, the longevity of the building depends to a great extent on the waterproofing of the roof. One should bear in mind that the roof accounts for 30% of the structure’s surface, so it pays to have it correctly waterproofed to keep the rest of the structure safe from damage due to water seepage. If a new roof is waterproofed correctly, it will increase the life of the structure, thus be a great convenience to the residents and also add to the reputation of the builder.

The issue of waterproofing the roof has to be dealt with care and one must ensure that the right products are being used in the right manner. Conventionally, the concrete roof slab is covered with Brickbat coba (BBC), Mud phuska, China mosaic, tiles or screed to provide a slope to drain rain water. While most believe that this waterproofs, with time this top layer cracks, allowing ingress of water into the roof slab. This leads to leakage and corrosion of the steel, thereby weakening the roof slab and causing dampness inside the house.

To give longevity to your roof and ensure that the waterproofing lasts atleast twice as long as conventional methods, Dr Fixit has developed waterproof coatings which create an impervious barrier between the concrete slab and the layer above. Dr. Fixit Waterproof coatings being elastic in nature can withstand temperature variations and can bridge micro-cracks thus preventing ingress of water.

The advantages of these new roof waterproofing products are many, including faster application and less labour intensive. In fact, when it comes to ease of application, nothing can beat the spray applied waterproofing products like the Dr. Fixit Blueseal, which is 5 times faster application than that of brickbat coba and offers 3 times more life expectancy. Moreover it is without joints, making it a strong and seamless barrier against water seepage. Dr Fixit Roofseal is another excellent brush applied product that is recommended for new roofs. It should be directly applied on the concrete slab and it creates an impermeable layer under the conventional system like Brickbat coba (BBC), Mud phuska and China mosaic.

Another heavy duty cementitious waterproof coating for new roofs is the Dr. Fixit Roofseal Flex. It is a two component product, consisting of a powder component and polymer. The slurry thus formed by mixing the two, is applied on new roofs and it forms a seamless, highly elastic, non-toxic waterproofing layer on the roof with a life expectancy of 7 years.

 To begin with, tell us about the new products which Pidilite has launched recently?

Recently we have launched Raincoat cool and Newcoat cool. Raincoat cool is a coating for the walls which does water proofing and insulation both. We launched Dr. FixIt raincoat 10years back that  established as a leader for external coatings, that acted as a water proof coat on walls

We have introduced a new product called Raincoat Cool which has insulation credential apart from water proofing. It reduces the temperature of surface area. This product will improve the comfort for the people living inside their residences.

Newcoat Cool is a product used for water proofing and insulation of terraces. NewCoat has again been there for 10 years.Wenow have a top up to provide insulation. The heat is either absorbed or reflected back.

How has the business been so far?

Business may be sluggish but I must mention, just before or even during the rainy season business picks up. Demand of our product shots high. And post rainy season it is the month of November where all the repairing starts so we look forward to envisage good business in times coming.

Your business largely depends on the projects or also on the unorganised sector?

Actually, Core of the business lies inunorganised sector. So we cater to different spheres: The unorganised sector where people buy from the retailers, second one is the mass housing market,the third one belongs to high end sphere .i.e. Hotels corporate,  houses, SEZs etc.Factories and Infrastructure are the fourth one. We have got solutions for all the different spheres.

What are your short term objectives as of now?

Just keep on expanding the market. Short term or Long term… We do only one thing.

Any expectations from time coming?

No. We just keep at it because we have to create the path. How soon it will be, how fast it will be, I don’t know,nobody knows.