China: Danish insulation maker Rockwool International has announced that its board of directors have approved a plan to construct a plant in China costing around Euro110m. The new plant will be constructed in Tianjin, approximately 150km from Beijing in northern China. The plant is expected to be ready by the end of 2014 and will have a capacity of more than 120,000t/yr of mineral wool insulation.
"We have seen a good sales development since we acquired the Australian company CSR's insulation activities in southern China in 2010," said Rockwool division managing director for East Division Theo Kooij. "So far the majority of our sales have gone to industrial insulation. With the new plant in the northern part of China we can now target the promising market for building insulation, which has the potential to become the biggest in the world over time. High-rise buildings, where fire safety is a serious concern, stand out as a promising segment for our non-combustible insulation. The national and regional authorities in China are now expressing a high interest in improving the fire safety of insulated buildings."
In 2011, sales in Asia accounted for 5% of the total group sales for Rockwool and this share is expected to grow in the coming years. China is the group's biggest single Asian market.
