NATRATEX HEADS TO LONDON BUILD 2017

NatraTex, one of the leading brands of attractive and innovative hard-landscaping solutions, is exhibiting at the London Build Expo at Olympia London next month.

NatraTex, NatraTex Colour, NatraTex Cotswold and NatraTex ColdLay have been widely adopted in many landscaping and development projects across the UK. The NatraTex team of specialists will be at the show to discuss the various landscaping solutions on offer.

Some of the latest NatraTex projects have been completed at Cheltenham Racecourse and Pimperne School, as well as care homes, housing developments and local highways.

The stand at the show will demonstrate the versatility of the products, which can be used for all landscaping requirements. Tailored products are also available for heavy duty applications and remedial work.

Known for their aesthetic differences to black tarmac, NatraTex and NatraTex Colour offer a vibrant and exciting finish with the same durable qualities and performance as traditional asphalt. Both materials can be specified in a range of different colours, including buff, red, green, blue, grey and salmon to create a new landscape that complements or contrasts with its surroundings. Manufactured by the BituChem Group, NatraTex pioneered the market for durable and coloured asphalt.

Two new innovative products have recently emerged from NatraTex’s research and development programme. NatraTex Cold-Lay is a quick repair product for use in small areas such as bollard replacements or small utility reinstatements. The company has also developed NatraTex Heavy Duty 10mm, specially designed for highways applications that see heavy vehicular use.

NatraTex Cotswold has proved to be a particular favourite due to its attractive and stylish reflection of Cotswold Stone. The material has been used to create footpaths and small roadways that are surrounded by modern buildings using light stone. The materials are supplied to the site hot and can be fully applied in one application at any time of the year. The application is completed using conventional equipment and sets quickly to reduce any road or facility closures.

NatraTex Colour has been widely used in commercial applications that require a splash of colour. Often used to match the corporate colours of a building or to create multi-use games areas (MUGA), NatraTex Colour can significantly reduce the cost of a project by eliminating the need for surface or demarcation paints.  NatraTex Colour can also be used to highlight safety or cyclist routes.  The material uses the same clear synthetic binder technology to maintain the durability of the surface.  This also ensures that the vibrancy of the aggregates do not fade as a result of regular pedestrian or vehicular use.

The NatraTex team has developed its range of materials to offer unrivalled reliability and performance, which are just two of the great benefits that the materials hold. Visit NatraTex at the show to find out more about how the products can be used to enhance landscaping projects.

Further information is available from NatraTex on 01594 826768 or 07584 311266, by emailing: mark@natratex.co.uk or by visiting the company’s website at www.natratex.co.uk

EXPLAINING MORE ABOUT NATRATEX HARD LANDSCAPING

A new animated video on NatraTex explains the versatile and colourful nature of this leading brand of hard landscaping material.

The video has been produced as a creative way of showing the company’s work in residential areas, retail, regeneration and recreation. These include roads, car parks, housing estates and playgrounds.

Hard landscaping is a vital part of any development. The NatraTex asphalt products are divided into two distinctive lines, NatraTex Cotswold and NatraTex Colour, and are extremely low maintenance and long lasting.

NatraTex asphalt has been designed and developed to be as straightforward to apply as possible. This great quality has made it popular as it helps to keep projects within the required timescales and budgets.

The parent company’s BituChem logo features widely throughout the video as the camera follows the roads to show the asphalt at work, allowing viewers to see both NatraTex Colour and NatraTex Cotswold as they would appear in reality.

The second half of the video shows how the products are made and then laid at different depths. Each area is scanned over to reveal the variety of depths that are suited to each of the surfaces.

To view the video, visit https://youtu.be/16dvAY8I9Ro

The hard-wearing, compact finish of NatraTex has made it a popular choice for businesses all over the country. The asphalt surface course used to create the smooth surfaces reduces the risk of the surface deteriorating, causing potholes and breakages and therefore eliminating any trip hazards.

The materials are supplied to the site hot and can be fully applied in one application at any time of the year. The application is completed using conventional equipment and sets quickly to reduce any road or facility closures. NatraTex’s design team works closely with its customers and tailors the aggregate type to suit the contract specification.

Reel Effects is an animation studio which produces 2D and 3D promotional videos for businesses. The short films are custom made to help clients engage with new and existing customers more effectively by only communicating the most essential information.

Further information is available from BituChem on 01594 826768 or 07584 311266, by emailing: mark@natratex.co.uk or by visiting the company’s website at www.natratex.co.uk

NATRATEX RETURNS TO LANDSCAPE SHOW FOR ANOTHER YEAR

NatraTex, Stand C65, Landscape Show, 19-20 September 2017

NatraTex, one of the leading brands of attractive and innovative hard-landscaping solutions, will be on display at the Landscape Show at Battersea Park in London again this September.

NatraTex, NatraTex Colour, NatraTex Cotswold and NatraTex ColdLay have been widely adopted in many landscaping and development projects across the UK. The NatraTex team of specialists will be at the show to discuss the various landscaping solutions on offer.

Some of the latest NatraTex projects have been completed at Cheltenham Racecourse and Pimperne School, as well as care homes, housing developments and local highways.

The stand at the show will demonstrate the versatility of the products, which can be used for all landscaping requirements. Tailored products are also available for heavy duty applications and remedial work.

Known for their aesthetic differences to black tarmac, NatraTex and NatraTex Colour offer a vibrant and exciting finish with the same durable qualities and performance as traditional asphalt. Both materials can be specified in a range of different colours, including buff, red, green, blue, grey and salmon to create a new landscape that complements or contrasts with its surroundings. Manufactured by the BituChem Group, NatraTex pioneered the market for durable and coloured asphalt.

Two new innovative products have recently emerged from NatraTex’s research and development programme. NatraTex Cold-Lay is a quick repair product for use in small areas such as bollard replacements or small utility reinstatements. The company has also developed NatraTex Heavy Duty 10mm, specially designed for highways applications that see heavy vehicular use.

NatraTex Cotswold has proved to be a particular favourite due to its attractive and stylish reflection of Cotswold Stone. The material has been used to create footpaths and small roadways that are surrounded by modern buildings using light stone. The materials are supplied to the site hot and can be fully applied in one application at any time of the year. The application is completed using conventional equipment and sets quickly to reduce any road or facility closures.

NatraTex Colour has been widely used in commercial applications that require a splash of colour. Often used to match the corporate colours of a building or to create multi-use games areas (MUGA), NatraTex Colour can significantly reduce the cost of a project by eliminating the need for surface or demarcation paints.  NatraTex Colour can also be used to highlight safety or cyclist routes.  The material uses the same clear synthetic binder technology to maintain the durability of the surface.  This also ensures that the vibrancy of the aggregates do not fade as a result of regular pedestrian or vehicular use.

The NatraTex team has developed its range of materials to offer unrivalled reliability and performance, which are just two of the great benefits that the materials hold. Visit NatraTex at the show to find out more about how the products can be used to enhance landscaping projects.

Further information is available from NatraTex on 01594 826768 or 07584 311266, by emailing: mark@natratex.co.uk or by visiting the company’s website at www.natratex.co.uk

NATRATEX USED FOR WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY PATH AND VIEWING PLATFORM AT CHELTENHAM RACECOURSE

NatraTex, one of the leading brands of hard landscaping products, has recently been used to create a disabled access footpath and viewing area at Cheltenham racecourse.

NatraTex Cotswold is the flagship product of the NatraTex range. It combines the key ingredients from their other hard landscaping products to form a durable, fully bonded, buff coloured natural aggregate surface course.

Laying the wheelchair-friendly path and viewing platform at the racecourse was a first for NatraTex, which specialises in residential, retail, regeneration and recreation projects. These include roads, paths, car parks, housing estates and playgrounds. The hard-wearing finish of NatraTex has made it a popular choice for businesses all over the country. The asphalt surface course used to create the smooth surfaces reduces the risk of deterioration, leading to potholes and breakages. On this occasion, it was used because it provides significant programme savings compared to other aesthetic surfaces.  It was important to have the area ready for the annual Gold Cup festival.

Cheltenham racecourse plays host to the best jumping action in the world. Over a 19-month period, from 2013-2015, a number of areas at the racecourse were redeveloped as part of a £45million project. This year, the NatraTex Cotswold disabled access path and viewing platform were added to make viewing the races even easier.

NatraTex asphalt has been designed and developed to be as straightforward to apply as possible. This great quality has made it popular as it helps to keep projects within the required timescales and budgets.

Further information is available from NatraTex on 01594 826768 or 07584 311266, by emailing: mark@natratex.co.uk or by visiting the company’s website at www.natratex.co.uk

NEW IMAGE REFLECTS BITUCHEM’S GROWING POSITION IN TWO MAJOR MARKETS

This month sees the launch of a brand new image and identity for the BituChem Group, one of the key players in highways surfacing and hard landscaping products.

The new image is befitting of a company which has evolved and grown considerably in recent years and which is respected as an innovator as well as a problem-solver providing bespoke solutions to the needs of the two marketplaces it serves.

Retaining the previous colours of red and blue, the new logo style for BituChem projects a modern image deserving of a company as it constantly moves with the needs of the market and that is driven by customer service.  The ‘B’ roundel used by the company for so many years lives on as a subtle branding device attached above the new logo. 

Since the company was established in the Royal Forest of Dean in 1984, BituChem has grown to a company employing 35 people with sales of some £14 million per annum.  BituChem’s Managing Director, Roger Lord, commented, “We are delighted with the company’s progress in recent years which has allowed us to invest over £1million in research and development to innovate new products and processes in our industry.  We are proud to launch our new image which we think mirrors our position as one of the leaders in our markets.”

Alongside the new look BituChem logo, is a new brand image for NatraTex, the company’s established product range in hard landscaping.   The new brand logo has evolved to convey the natural aggregates used and the range has been simplified to NatraTex Cotswold for all buff surfaces whether pedestrian or trafficked and NatraTex Colour for all colours available other than buff.

BituChem has come a long way in the last three decades or so when a handful of staff started producing highway emulsion and bituminous roofing products on two acres of land leased on a small industrial estate.  Today on a purpose-built six acre site with heavy investment in research and development and production facilities, BituChem works with highways engineers and landscape architects to supply specialist surface subcontractors with the right product for a host of applications in road and landscaping.  The company provides all of its customers, whether multi-national blue chip organisations working in the Far East or small local SMEs, with products that are the best available on the market and with a professional and friendly service that is second to none.

Innovation is the key to all that BituChem does and the company continues to listen and respond to what its customers tell them they need.  Latest examples are PolyBond Duo, a multi-use polymer-modified bond coat developed in collaboration with a major customer; LockChip, an innovative sealed surface dressing system; and AirPatch, its bespoke emulsion designed to be chemically compatible with aggregrate that is being used to undertake a pothole repair.

BITUCHEM IMPROVES LANDSCAPE FOR COLESHILL MEMORIAL PARK

Hard-landscaping specialists, Bituchem, have recently been involved in the refurbishment of Coleshill Memorial Park in North Warwickshire.

The Memorial Park is in the process of being transformed with new equipment and facilities for all ages to encourage local people to stay in the town. Bituchem’s Natratex Cotswold was specified by architects Moore Environment to provide a smooth durable surface for a new adventure playground and pedestrian footpaths.

Located in North Warwickshire, Coleshill Memorial Park’s adventure playground now provides a high quality facility and a fun play area for children. Coleshill Town Council is delighted with the scheme, a spokesperson commenting “We are particularly happy with the golden colour of the pathways. It really lifts the park in these dull and dark winter days”.

1200 square metres of Bituchem’s 6mm Natratex Cotswold was used to resurface the adventure playground and footpaths in the Memorial park, and the project was completed in September 2016.

Bituchem’s Natratex is the company’s ‘flagship’ product and has been used for various applications in parks and playgrounds prior to the application at Coleshill Memorial Park, due to its safety benefits and modern aesthetics. The material is created using naturally- occurring aggregates bound with Bituchem’s specialist clear resin binder to give it the complete compactness that it requires. The Cotswold aggregate offers an aesthetically pleasing alternative to a traditional tarmac finish, with the same long-lasting qualities as asphalt.

The hard-wearing, compact finish of Natratex has made it a popular choice for parks and playgrounds, similar to that of Coleshill Memorial Park. The resin binder used to create the smooth surface reduces the likelihood of the material deteriorating and causing potholes or other breakages, eliminating trip hazards and making the surface much safer for young children and pedestrians.

Further information is available from Bituchem on 01594 826768 or 07584 311266, by emailing: mark@bituchem.com or by visiting the company’s website at www.bituchem.com

BITUCHEM’S HEAVY DUTY MATERIAL USED TO BRIGHTEN ROAD IN REDBRIDGE

Bituchem’s hard-wearing Natratex Cotswold landscape material has been used to re-surface a road in the Woodford Bridge area of Redbridge.

Approximately 6000sq.m of the Natratex Cotswold 10mm Heavy Duty in buff was applied by Kenson Contractors to the town’s main street which now offers a durable and aesthetically pleasing highway that complements the surroundings of the London Borough.

The specialist heavy duty material is a development of Bituchem’s flagship product, designed especially to withstand the constant flow of traffic whilst maintaining a long-lasting natural finish. These highly durable qualities make the material particularly suitable for a wide range of applications that see regular vehicular use.

The natural coloured pigments of Natratex Cotswold form a buff finish to create an attractive surface that brightens and stands out in comparison to a traditional black asphalt surface. The material is also reflective of Cotswold stone, which is increasing in use across urban and rural environments to create a modern, elegant setting. In using the natural-coloured material, the newly surfaced road stands out from the surrounding areas, and makes it more aesthetically pleasing.

As Bituchem’s leading product, Natratex has proved popular for a wide range of applications due to its durability and low maintenance qualities. The mechanics and functionality of the material is similar to traditional asphalt as it can be laid and compacted at the same nominal thickness, using conventional equipment, making it a top choice for both private and public sector projects.

Available in a variety of aggregate colours, the Natratex material offers a solution to complement or contrast with the surrounding environment, making it a popular specification with landscape architects. The coloured aggregates used to create the vibrant appearance are bound using a resin-binder for a smooth, seamless surface that will not deteriorate in performance or colour. The strong binder also ensures that the material will not create cracks or potholes from frequent use, so that very little maintenance is required once applied.

Suitable for both pedestrian and vehicular areas, Natratex Cotswold is a versatile material that can be applied for new construction, overlays or regeneration projects with the heavy duty alternative for heavily trafficked areas. The material has also been developed by the company to offer a porous option for schemes requiring a sustainable drainage solution, doing away with noticeable conventional drains.

Further information is available from Bituchem on 01594 826768 or 07584 311266, by emailing: mark@bituchem.com or by visiting the company’s website at www.bituchem.com

BITUCHEM IMPROVE DELIVERY SERVICES WITH NEW ADDITION TO FLEET

The Bituchem Group has introduced a new addition to its fleet of delivery vehicles for its specialist surfacing materials to offer quicker deliveries to customers across the UK. The new tipper lorry has come with the continuing increase in the demand for the company’s Natratex and Colourtex products in a range of domestic and commercial applications.

In expanding the delivery fleet, the hard landscaping specialists are able to offer an improved delivery timeframe on applications further afield from the company’s base in Gloucestershire.

Mark Stott, Commercial Manager at Bituchem commented, “Our surfacing products are increasingly being used on applications across the UK, with our customer base reaching all parts of England and Wales. We have made the decision to expand our delivery fleet to ensure that we have the resources to reach all of our customers at a time that is necessary to them. It is extremely important that the delivery of the material is on time so that the project runs efficiently and in having more vehicles we can offer deliveries tailored to each application with no delays.”

With more vehicles now available, Bituchem can now offer quicker deliveries to sites in London and South East England where projects would often be waiting a longer period of time for the delivery to site.

Bituchem’s Natratex and Cotswold materials are supplied to sites hot and can be laid in one fast and simple application to reduce the time and cost of a project. The materials can be laid all year round and require very little maintenance once it has been applied. These qualities have made them a popular choice amongst specifiers for a wide range of landscapes that require a surface that is both hard wearing and aesthetically pleasing.

Considered to be the company’s ‘flagship’ product, Bituchem’s Natratex has proven extremely popular in both the private and public sector and has been used for a variety of applications, including National Trust properties, domestic driveways, decorative pathways, public parks and commercial landscapes. Made using natural coloured aggregates and a clear resin binder, the Natratex range is available buff, salmon or red offering a long-lasting, attractive surface with the same durable qualities as standard asphalt materials. Bituchem has recently developed a new version of the material and is now offering Natratex Porous a sustainable drainage alternative without the need for pipework or other conventional systems.

The company also offers a colourful and decorative material that can be used to liven up any landscape. Colourtex is made using coloured aggregates for a vibrant surface to be used in school playgrounds, MUGA schemes or to highlight designated cycle or foot paths or safety routes. Available in red, green, blue and buff, Colourtex offers architects and specifiers the opportunity to be creative with their projects whilst still offering an extremely durable and long-lasting coloured finish.

Bituchem has also improved its company website to offer more product information, company news and details on previous applications to ensure that all relevant material is easily accessible for its customers and specifiers.

Further information is available from Bituchem on 01594 826768 or 07584 311266, by emailing: mark@bituchem.com or by visiting the company’s website at www.bituchem.com

LOCKCHIP SECURES A LONGER LIFESPAN FOR SURFACE DRESSED ROADS

LockChip is a spray on road preservation solution from the Bituchem Group that prolongs the life span of surfaced dressed roads by further securing the chippings to improve chip retention. LockChip is applied to newly surface dressed roads to provide a blackened surface and increase stability of the surface dressing.

Proving a cost effective way to maintain a high quality of road, the LockChip system instantly improves the aesthetics while being beneficial to council budgets. The fast and simple application allows the road to be reopened to traffic in as little as an hour with CO₂ emissions dramatically reduced, as the whole road isn’t required to be replaced.

LockChip is an over spray of specially formulated polymer modified bitumen emulsion that is applied to the new dressing by using the conventional spray tankers. The LockChip emulsion coats the surface of the microtexture and macrotexture to lock in loose chips and seal it to retard against the onset of the weathering process, which helps to minimise the risk of early failure especially in ‘stress’ areas such as bends, junctions and work entrances.

The short break time of an hour, weather depending, allows the road to be reopened to traffic relatively quickly, reducing disruption that road works can cause. Ideally applied after the second sweeping of the newly laid chippings, LockChip stabilises the surface dressing to minimise ‘flyers’ and the issues associated with the aftercare, especially on high speed roads.

The hazard posed to passing vehicles due to loose chippings causing damage is reduced as is the annoyance caused to residents in urban areas. It also helps to reinforce parts of the road where natural conditions such as shade affect the dressing as well as where areas have a high rate of chipping lose that occurs due to site characteristics.

Alongside the innovative highway preservation products, the Bituchem Group manufactures and supplies its Natratex and Colourtex asphalt surface courses to the surfacing contractors throughout the UK. Supplied hot and laid conventionally like any ‘blacktop’, Natratex and Colourtex use a clear binder with coloured or natural aggregate to achieve long lasting, aesthetically pleasing, maintenance free pedestrian and highway surfaces.

Further information on LockChip is available from Bituchem on 01594 826 768 or 07584 311 266, by emailing: mark@bituchem.com or by visiting the company’s website at www.bituchem.com

LEADING SURFACING PRODUCTS NOW VIEWED EASILY ON SMARTPHONES AND TABLETS

The Bituchem Group, one of the leaders in road and path surfacing products, has just launched a brand new website www.bituchem.com which features responsive design, re-formatting for tablet, smartphone or PC to optimise the viewing experience and provide useful information quickly.

All the company’s products are easily found using the menu tabs and different market applications show case study examples of its products used whether for commercial, domestic, parks, leisure or education.

The company’s Natratex and Colourtex hard landscaping surfacing products have enjoyed great success for their hardwearing properties and good looking finishes. The website gives full details of the Natratex surface which has a fully bonded surface with a specially formulated clear binder and decorative aggregate.   Bituchem’s Colourtex material uses a similar formula and high durable colours in the clear binder combined with complementary coloured aggregates to ensure long lasting colour through product life. As a result, Natratex is specified where natural looking stone finish is required and Colourtex where colour might be required for demarcation, such as cycle paths and supermarket car parks.   Bituchem can now offer its Natratex surface as a porous option for the SUDS market.

For the highways market, Bituchem Emulsions has long served the industry and all its main products are featured on the website, whilst FortSeal and LockChip are given special emphasis. Both products have been welcomed by the industry with FortSeal providing a fast solution for preserving existing highways and increasing their longevity. LockChip is a special product which is used as part of surface dressing of roads to improve early and longterm chip retention.

The new Bituchem website carries a full news section of product stories, company news and the latest projects and there are links to Bituchem’s social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. From a technical viewpoint there are full media downloads of datasheets available on every single product which are a great help to specifiers looking for the right product on their next projects. There is also a full search facility and an email response form for making an enquiry direct to Bituchem.

Further information is available by visiting the Bituchem website www.bituchem.com or by calling Bituchem on 01594 826768 or emailing mark@bituchem.com