Housing in Southern Africa November 2015

Handheld power mixers The use of spades or similar tools to perform mixing operations often results in a mix of questionable quality when screeds and epoxies are involved. Industry Buzz, Events & Products M ayday Equipment identified the need to address this issue and has introduced a range of handheld power mixers to the market. mixing time frame by as much as 50%.

The Xo 55 Duo hand- held power mixer is equippedwith the Hexafix fast coupling devicewhich ensures tool-less stirrer changes. It is a forced ac- tionmixer that incorporates counter rotating stirrers for intensive thorough mixing. The Xo 1 is a compact and lightweight one-gear model that is typically usedwithWK stirrers for mortar, plaster and screed applications. The Xo 6 is suited to more demanding ap- plications where higher performance levels are required. Used together with the MK stirrer range it is ideal for concrete, heavy mortar and epoxy resin mortar applications. Different stirrers can be used de- pending on the viscosity of the liquid and variants are available for liquid, powdery or semi liquid, and powdery materials. All stirrer surfaces are pow- der coated and have highly stable welded connections and are manu- factured from high quality materials to ensure extended life cycles. The

Recognising that no two mixing jobs are identical, the Collomix range of handheld power mixers is avail- able in a number of variants. Mayday Equipment will be marketing the Xo 1, Xo 6 and Xo 55 Duo models, with a variety of stirrer accessories for vari- ous applications. The models have power ratings respectively of 1 010 W, 1 600 W and 1 450 W with mixing volumes of 40 and 90 litres. All models have been designed for ease of operation. An increase in the height of each handheld power mixer means that operators can stand up- rightwhenmixing is beingperformed. This, together with the ergonomically shaped shell-type handle, eliminates back pain and results in decreased fatigue levels. The attractive and functional design includes the incorporation of an extremely high performing motor and transmission components aswell as acceleration electronics that allow variable RPM control. The counter rotating handheld power mixers are easy to use even in heavy and viscous materials and effectively reduce the A fter several quarters of slack- ening growth, home improve- ment spending is projected to pick-up pace moving into next year, according to the Leading Indicator of Remodelling Activity (LIRA) released by the Joint Centre for Housing Stud- ies of Harvard University. The LIRA shows that annual spend- ing growth for home improvements will accelerate from2.4% last quarter to 6.8% in the second quarter of 2016. “Home improvement spending continues to benefit from the up- swing in housing market conditions

Bathrooms, Kitchens & Plumbing, Energy Efficiency, Green Building & IBTs, Bricks & Paving To advertise contact Brenda Grossmann on 011 622 4770 or email brendag@crown.co.za Our Next Issue H O U S I N G in Southern Africa The handheld power mixers are engineered and built to pro- vide increased operational safety and reliability even in the harsh- est operating conditions. Mayday Equipment is able to provide a full assessment of customers’ specific requirements together with advice on the best handheld power mixer and stirrer combination for each application. ■ circular protective ring protects mix- ing buckets and provides a smooth and reliable operation.

Remodelling spending accelerates in 2016

including new construction, price gains, and sales,” says Chris Herbert, Managing Director of the Joint Cen- tre. “Strengthening housing market conditions are encouraging owners to invest in more discretionary home improvements, such as kitchen, bath- rooms and additions, and necessary replacements such as roofing and doors.” “We expect remodelling activity to strengthen through the first half of 2016,” says Abbe Will, research analyst in the Remodeling Futures Program at Harvard. ■

H O U S I N G in Southern Africa www.housinginsamagazine.co.za

Siemens team: Carsten Fertig and Torsten Hesse.

November 2015