In 1969 Concorde broke the sound barrier for the first time, Anne Jones beat Billie Jean King at Wimbledon, the World Wide Web celebrated its birth and a new Company, Ronacrete, started to trade.

 

These four events were hailed as remarkable; passenger planes flying beyond the speed of sound was mind-boggling, no Brit had held a Wimbledon trophy for decades and the Infant Internet promised information technology on tap. But 40 years on only two of the four remain noteworthy; for Concorde has been scrapped and British ladies remain second-class in world tennis, however the Web is now a standard, and so is Ronacrete.

 

It is easy to apply the word “remarkable” to the Web – a billion and more people consult it every day and use its email to send instant messages globally. So what was so remarkable about Ronacrete in 1969? It was simply that Ronacrete managed a fundamental change in the Building and Civil Engineering professions. Their inspiration was that if one formulated a sand and cement mix with the same care that one needed to exercise with expensive resins, many of the physical properties could be duplicated with a 90% cost saving!

 

In the 1960’s epoxy and polyester resin systems were in standard use for the repair of concrete structures and resins quickly infiltrated almost every industrial sector. They were, and still are, expensive as they are an oil derivative. They demand to be applied to more or less clinically clean, dry surfaces and specialist equipment and labour are a basic requirement. The launch of styrene butadiene polymers changed that fundamental thinking and quickly UK specifiers accepted that change. Thin structural floor toppings, heavy-duty bonds between bricks and concrete, below-ground, waterproof tanking mortars were all formulated using less expensive sands and cements modified with a diluted polymer suspension.

 

Just a few years after the launch of the first generation of Ronafix, the standard Ronacrete polymer, the Federation of Epoxy Formulators and Applicators dropped the word “epoxy” from its title thereby endorsing the Ronacrete ingenious technology.

 

Perhaps the application that most clearly demonstrates the value of this type of polymer technology is the protection of structural steel used in the construction of the headquarters building of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank on Hong Kong island.

 

The structure was designed in tension rather than in the standard compression and the steel required corrosion and fire protection. Conventionally a thick concrete would be used but, working with the Consulting Engineers, Ronacrete developed a polymer/cement/sand/fibre mix that could be sprayed on the surface using modified gunite equipment. The depth of the mortar was only 20mm compared with at least 100mm for concrete; the weight saving was measured in hundreds of tonnes.

 

Ronacrete’s product portfolio remains deliberately limited, and therefore specialised, ensuring the Company is able to fully understand and support its products. Whilst in recent years the range of products has swung back towards epoxy and polyurethane resins, notably for hard landscaping, fast cure slip resistant flooring and performance decorative coatings, the Company is still converting contractors and consultants away from resin to polymer mortars for floor screeding, road repairs and waterproofing.

 

Remaining financially viable, profitable and independent has allowed Ronacrete to seek its own path and enjoy the rewards. Its successes in the UK and Europe and its enterprise in Hong Kong - born out of close and valued relationships in London - has created a success of which the shareholders are proud and which has flatteringly become a targeted asset.

 

Over the 40 years Ronacrete philosophy remains unchanged. All the reliability that the building trade have come to depend on since 1969 is guaranteed. Whilst it has expanded and is now international with factories and a distribution network in many countries the Company is still small enough to care and now big enough to cater for the normal everyday site needs and those unique peculiar projects which demand speed, strength, colour, density or some other facet that require specific product design.

 

The Directors state that they supply business with the personal touch - whenever help is needed, their engineers and chemists are available.

 

The Company is marking its 40th anniversary year with ongoing charitable donations and support of local community projects.