Screed division ever more important going forward

Mr Hillringhaus, what do you actually need screed for?

Screed is needed, among other things, to level floors, ensure stability and support thermal and sound insulation. Sound insulation and thermal insulation are very important in residential construction. If I were to apply a floor covering directly to the concrete floor of an apartment, the whole building would hear the occupant in his or her every move. And thermal insulation is becoming increasingly important, especially in view of energy efficiency targets.

The overall screed construction ensures that a heating system heats the room and not the concrete slab. Screed is also still used in industry, as it contributes to the stability, load-bearing capacity and durability of the floor.

What has changed in the screed industry in recent years?

Before 2020, there wasn’t a single master craftsman qualified for the trade of screed laying, so until then practically anyone could call themselves an expert. In addition, important factors such as the shrinkage behaviour and dimensional stability of screed have only recently been included in the governing standard. All of this has ensured that screed as a topic has become much more important. In general, it can be said that the screed industry has taken major steps forward in terms of technology, quality and sustainability in recent years.

“We have succeeded in significantly enhancing our profile in the marketplace while also gaining considerable market share.”

Tim Hillringhaus

How is the Screed division organised at MC?

We offer a broad product range that enables us to fulfil the requirements I just mentioned very well. It is divided into two segments. The application segment includes products for the production and improved handling and workability of screeds. In the special solutions segment, we have products that enable the production of floors for special requirements, such as are encountered in industry. This also includes systems that can be used to quickly and safely repair damage to screeds both old and new.

In addition, I have built up a bright, pro-active team over the last three years which currently consists of four sales employees and an application engineer. In this constellation, we have been able to significantly enhance our profile in the market and gain substantial market share in Germany – naturally benefiting from the expertise available to us from within the entire MC Group. We want to further expand the model and the successes it engenders, and then take whole thing out and beyond Germany’s borders.

What are you planning for the future?

We want to further publicise our product range and our service capability so as to add further to our market share. In the long term, we also want to work with the companies in the MC Group to offer a complete package for floors, from concrete and screed to tiling or coatings.

Our aim is to be able to say to architects and building owners: ‘We offer a complete MC system capable of meeting every requirement encountered in floor construction.’ The combinations involving our fast flooring systems in particular offer huge potential in this regard.