News

Meet Torben Zederkof, who joined Alfix as head of the technical department on 1 December.

A qualified mason with years of experience from similar positions, Torben brings a solid base of professional expertise and experience to his new role. His decision to join the Alfix team was largely founded on the opportunity to work with the responsible transition in the construction industry.

Why did you accept the offer of a position at Alfix?
I’m impressed with Alfix’s 60-year history of working with high-quality products and professional systems for the construction industry. In addition, I find the company’s responsible profile and dedication to employee well-being highly attractive. As I see it, all these aspects form a stamp of quality for the confidence Alfix strives to engender in customers, partners and employees alike.

The combination of professional technical focus and the opportunity to take responsibility for the day-to-day management of a technical department staffed by experienced and highly competent colleagues tipped the balance and led me to accept the position.

What tasks will you be handling in the technical team?
Alfix’s technical department serves as a backup for our sales consultants. We are a dynamic team and we genuinely enjoy working together to tackle challenging assignments and provide the best possible advice. We’re happy to pull on our work clothes, test the different products and devote ourselves to finding solutions to challenges for our customers, who have confidence in the service – and, in particular, the responsibility and workmanship – that Alfix is rightly famous for delivering.

Why did you choose Torben for the job?
Frank Pingel, Development Manager, fields this question:
Torben’s broad palette of skills and service-minded approach makes him a valuable colleague and the ideal day-to-day manager of our technical department. I’m convinced that Torben’s experience, background and dedication will make a positive contribution to the technical department and help Alfix stand even stronger in the industry.

This magnificent villa in Kolding, Denmark, features a host of beautiful details that stand as a testament to the dexterity and skill of the mason. The building has recently undergone comprehensive renovation inside and out.

So which product was used to repair the fine details and ensure they once again stand out clearly and beautifully? Alfix DuraPuds 650 rapid was chosen as the repair render because it can be used for repairs and levelling in layers up to 50 mm thick. At the same time, it hardens quickly and is ready for finishing work after just 3–4 hours.

In addition, Alfix DuraPuds 710 thin coat bonding mortar was used for the fine details and finishing work. It is a product than can generally be used as the substrate for finishing render and as a finished top layer.

Tile adhesive and grout in one
Alfix EpoxyFuge 20 is an acid-resistant tile adhesive and grout in a single product. It is ideal for both installing and grouting ceramic, mosaic and quarry tiles.

Benefits of the new grout
EpoxyFuge 20 closely resembles cement-based grout, which has a lighter consistency and is therefore easier and quicker to blend and work with than conventional epoxy grouts. It is precisely to obtain this benefit that we are now launching this new product. In addition, the new grout is easier for craftsmen to wash down, clean and finalise during installation than traditional epoxy grouts. It is ideal for joint widths of up to 20 mm without having to add the Epoxy Tix agent.

Other properties

• Can withstand high mechanical load
• For interior and exterior use
• Joint widths from 1–20 mm
• Smooth and easy to work with
• EC1 PLUS labelled (extremely low emissions with regard to interior climate)

Suggested uses for Alfix EpoxyFuge 20

• Swimming pools
• Food industry
• Chemical industry
• Workshops, car showrooms and car washes
• Terraces, stairs and balconies

It is usual to use an Alfix EpoxyFuge 1025 product as an expansion/elastic grout in such environments.

Coloured to match other grouts
Alfix EpoxyFuge 20 is available in titanium grey. The colour has been chosen to match one of Alfix’s cement-based, industrial grouts, IndustryFuge – CeraFill 18 (titanium grey), and the type of expansion/elastic grout that is recommended for use with Alfix EpoxyFuge 20: Alfix EpoxyFuge 1025.

Please note that the new EpoxyFuge 20 replaces the previous C2 Epoxy product, which has been discontinued.

Additional information
Click here to find out more about EpoxyFuge 20: Alfix EpoxyFuge 20

Introduction to Alfix PlaneMix 90 Plus
Alfix PlaneMix 90 Plus is a low-carbon screeding mortar that can be worked up and rendered to create a bonded surface. It is ideal for levelling, smoothing and repairing subfloors – in wet rooms, for example, with subsequent tiling.

The mortar features excellent processing properties when rendering surfaces. It is designed for projects where speed and rapid strength development are not crucial factors.

Third product in the new Plus range
Alfix PlaneMix 90 Plus is the first screeding mortar in Alfix’s new Plus range. In Alfix terminology, “Plus” means greater environmental consideration in relation to comparable Alfix products, in that the composition of Plus products, and the choice of raw materials used in them, is designed to show the greatest possible consideration for the environment and OHAS. At the same time, these products retain the essential properties and strengths for which Alfix is well known.

As such, Alfix PlaneMix 90 Plus is the first dry mortar screeding product to feature the low-carbon cement (Futurecem™). In order to reduce carbon consumption even further, residual powder from Alfix production units has been used as filler in the product. To provide a specific example, reusing residual powder meant that the first production run of the new screeding mortar in mid-April 2023 saw the reuse of two big bags (1.5 tonnes) of residual powder that would otherwise have been used as road aggregate.

The new screeding mortar is EMICODE EC1 PLUS-certified, which documents a minimal impact on the indoor climate. The product is supplied in FSC®-labelled paper sacks (FSC® N003719) that feature a new type of moisture-barrier inner film made of 100% recycled plastic.

Please note that the other two products in the Plus range are the Swan-labelled tile adhesives Alfix ProFix Plus and Alfix LetFix Plus.

Obs, de andre to produkter i Plus-serien er de Svanemærkede flisekæbere, Alfix ProFix Plus and Alfix LetFix Plus

Benefits for the mason?

• The semi-dry mortar is easy to work with and to level
• The surface is easy to render and to close
• Solid surface strength and next-day drying
• Applicable manually or by pump

Click here to find out more about Alfix PlaneMix 90 Plus

Alfix had very specific parameters in mind when developing their first quick-setting render – the first to be added to its product range.

“The need for investment in construction efficiency is ever-growing. Materials, solutions, methods and advice on and for construction efficiency have never been more in demand and relevant. That’s the backdrop for Alfix’s decision to bring out its first-ever quick-setting plaster. From the mason’s perspective, they want to see the plaster beginning to bond an hour into the setting process. The product we have created is very efficient, but also easy to work with and gives the mason the flexibility they need in their daily working lives,” says Kim Mathiasen, Innovation Manager at Alfix.

Masons factored in
Alfix DuraPuds 650 rapid has been developed specifically with repairs to masonry, both internal and external, in mind. It was felt that the need was greatest in this area.

“We consulted with those involved on-site, and involved them from the very start. We obtained feedback to make sure that the products would have the right properties and qualities,” Mathiasen tells us, continuing:
“The masons were really enthusiastic about the product as a substitute for the cement mortar, which they tend to mix themselves on-site. The speed of it is the most important factor, as it can put them a day ahead in their work. We also received positive feedback about the product’s strong adhesive properties, and the fact that it has the same hardening time regardless of whether you use 10, 25 or 50 mm of render.
The render is also shrinkage-compensated, which reduces the likelihood of tearing, scratches and cracking,
regardless of the thickness of the layer.

“Despite the emphasis on efficiency with our new render, it doesn’t mean we have compromised - it still has the strong technical properties that all Alfix products have,” the Alfix Innovation Manager confirms.
Efficiency, quality and technique

The quick-setting plaster is perfect for jobs such as repairing walls and embedding cables. Open to diffusion, the flexible plaster can be adjusted easily by the contractor. Its smooth texture makes use of a mortarboard easy. The result of this is a nicely sealed surface that is easy to work with.

“In terms of its application, Alfix DuraPuds 650 rapid will seem familiar to masons; the difference is that, by avoiding having to stand there mixing sand and cement at the construction site, the job will be more efficient, higher quality and improve technique,” Mathiasen explains.
As Alfix DuraPuds 650 rapid sets in just three to five hours, saving the mason a lot of time, Alfix believes that the product will soon become a permanent resident in the mason’s van for use on unforeseen repair and levelling jobs.

“The render is different from other similar products and fills a gap on the market. Our competitors have gone in a different direction and are focusing on optimising trowel technique. We, however, have chosen to focus more on the rendering technique, as we believe this is more beneficial on larger surfaces,” the Innovation Manager finishes.

The first pallets of Alfix DuraPuds 650 rapid have already been produced at the factory in Kolding. As such, the product is ready to take its place at construction sites all around Scandinavia.

As the definition goes, “a world of difference” means making a big difference. And that is our ambition here at Alfix too. We would like to help customers and partners to achieve a higher level of sustainability via our products and systems, which is also why the Alfix vision is worded to reflect that we aim to succeed and inspire in our work – all with the bigger picture in sight. Link to ‘About Alfix’ on the website, where the written vision can be found

Certifying the difference made
The UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an ideal framework for the work on sustainability in 2023. We have adopted this framework at Alfix – to make a difference. This has also resulted in Alfix becoming SDG-certified, in autumn 2022. We are doing all this to ensure there is documentation of and progress made on the SDGs. Part of the documentation process has been for accredited certification company Bureau Veritas to audit, evaluate and rate Alfix. This certification process reviews everything from strategic targets to specific product development and factory operations in relation to strategically chosen SDGs and sub-goals at the company.

See certificate - Click here!

This is set to continue until autumn 2025, with Bureau Veritas visiting Alfix again each year to audit them. From a strategic perspective, Alfix is focusing in particular on SDG No. 8: Decent work and economic growth and SDG No. 12: Responsible consumption and production, as it is with these two SDGs that Alfix, in its capacity as a Danish construction material producer, can make the biggest difference and have an impact. It is also working towards three secondary SDGs, rounding off efforts to take a holistic and proactive approach to more sustainability at the company.

A Danish manufacturer in a country that makes a difference
With the SDGs safely in the Alfix toolbox, we now turn our attention to the country which, although small, is still making a big difference. Alfix was founded in Kolding, Denmark, almost 60 years ago and remains family-owned and 100% Danish.

We are proud of our position, and maintain a close proximity to construction sites in Scandinavia at all times. That proximity is both physical and mental. There isn’t much distance between the Alfix factory in Kolding and the tradesmen, which is a plus for the overall climate balance of the construction projects, given the many pallets of building materials that need to be transported.
This desire for local on the Scandinavian market makes a difference and means ‘less-travelled kilometres’, i.e. with the manufacturer at a short distance from many of the distributors and construction sites.

Alfix is 100% Danish-owned, with its factory and facilities all located in Kolding. We believe that this in particular makes a difference when it comes to meeting the demand for innovative products suitable for their market. This also ties in with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and documentation; after all, sustainability is essential to demand on the Scandinavian markets. That’s why sustainability is such an important factor at Alfix, and has a major role to play in all of our activities. This includes having a major bearing on product development, as well as being a determining factor when it comes to prioritising certain types of products to launch on the market. Over the past year, we have introduced a total of three ‘Plus products’. Alfix Plus products are premium products with a higher level of sustainability woven into their core: everything from optimised and more sustainable raw materials to more sustainable packaging, in other words.

Experience the difference
For everyone at Team Alfix, the ambition is the same: for our customers and partners to notice the difference in their experience with us.