Insulation industry news from Global Insulation
UK: An investigation by the BBC’s Panorama news program has alleged that a safety test for Celotex’s RS5000’s polyisocyanurate foam (PIR) insulation board product used extra fire retardant in safety tests. The programme believes that a different product was eventually sold to the public. It also accused the subsidiary of Saint-Gobain of mis-selling the insulation with misleading marketing.
Celotex said that it was unaware of this allegation and had not identified anything that would support it. It is investigating this allegation as a ‘matter of urgency.’ It added that it had not used any special formulation for a recent successful BS-8414 system test in May 2018 or Class 0 fire testing.
Celotex suspended supply of RS5000 PIR insulation board in June 2017 following its use as part of the rainscreen cladding system in the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower. The building had a fire in June 2017 that killed 72 people.
British Rigid Urethane Foam Manufacturers’ Association warns against misleading claims about foam insulation
29 June 2017UK: The British Rigid Urethane Foam Manufacturers’ Association (BRUFA) has warned against ‘misleading’ claims being made in relation to the Grenfell Tower fire ahead of a government investigation. In a statement the body for the rigid polyisocyanurate (PIR) and polyurethane (PUR) Insulation Industry in the UK said it would challenge and correct any misleading allegations about the incident and provide information to assist an ‘accurate’ analysis. It added that the PIR and PUR insulation industry is an established and responsible one with a usage of over 50 years in the construction sector.
“We have a growing concern that misleading claims, supported by selective data are gaining traction and being reported as facts. If this supposition takes hold before the enquiry has established the truth of the matter, there is a danger it will lead to the wrong conclusions and decisions, that will do nothing to improve the future safety of buildings, including high-rise tower blocks. It may also lead to behavioural changes that could be detrimental to the future welfare of the built environment,” said BRUFA.
The UK government has appointed Martin Moore-Bick, a former judge, to head the public inquiry into the fire. As well as investigating the incident, the inquiry is expected to recommend changes to national building regulations.
UAE: Kingspan Insulation has started manufacturing its PalDuct Hydro System product, panels with a polyisocyanurate (PIR) insulation core faced with aluminium foil, at its plant in Dubai. The company has changed its manufacturing process by installing a pentane tank at the plant to make the product, according to Gulf Construction. The panels have a density of 48 - 50kg/m3 and in a thickness of either 20mm and 30mm. A company spokesman said that the product can be specified by engineers for projects required to comply with local regulations such as a Estidama in Abdu Dhabi.
TechnoNicol to launch PIR foam insulation plant
13 May 2016Russia: TechnoNicol plans to launch production of its polyisocyanurate (PIR) foam insulation plant in the Ryazan region on 24 May 2016. The new plant will have a production capacity of 30Mm2. Investment in the project amounts to Euro22.6m according to local press. The plant was originally scheduled for launch in the autumn of 2015.
Russia: TechnoNicol continues the construction of a polyisocyanurate (PIR) foam insulation board plant in Ryazan, despite the possible decline in demand in the construction market. The plant will have a production capacity of 2Mm3/yr. The launch is scheduled for autumn 2015, following investments of Euro21.2m.
TechnoNicol believes that the new material will be prospective, as PIR is not currently produced in Russia. The share of PIR in the European market of insulation materials for commercial facilities amounts to 40% and grows by around 3%/yr. About 76% of flat roofing in the USA is built using PIR boards. TechnoNICOL expects PIR to capture 2% of the insulation market in Russia by 2018, which currently stands at 47.5Mm3/yr.