Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Greece: Austria-based Austrotherm has acquired insulation producer Monosi for an undisclosed sum. PlastEurope News has reported that Austrotherm will retain Monosi’s Chalkida extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation boards plant and its branding. As a result of the acquisition, Austrotherm now controls 29 European plants.

Austrotherm previously announced on 26 September 2024 that it was in on-going negotiations to acquire a further insulation producer in Türkiye.

Austria: Multiple actors across the Austrian insulation, construction and environmental management sectors have launched a nationwide expanded polystyrene (EPS) recycling pilot. Initiative leader Fraunhofer Austria Research aims for the project, entitled EPSolutely, to establish a circular economy for EPS insulation based on its on-site collection service. Participants include insulation producers Austrotherm, Hirsch Porozell and Steinbacher Dämmstoff. The Kleine Zeitung newspaper has reported that the service provides reuseable bags and manages workflows via an app. The pilot will conclude in December 2024, with the outcomes informing a possible industrial-scale roll-out. Insulation producers have reportedly invested in new separation equipment to meet the requirements of the materials.

Steinbacher Dämmstoff head of research and development Maximilian Bernard said "The biggest challenge is the varying quality of the material delivered. The differences range from different colours to different raw materials such as extruded polystyrene (XPS) to various foreign substances such as screws and plaster residues. Despite these differences, a consistent quality of the new EPS panels must be guaranteed."

Austria: Law firm Schoenherr says that it advised Austrotherm on merger control filings for the latter’s acquisition of the expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation business of building materials producer Brucha. Prior to completion of the deal, Austrotherm employed 1400 people and produces insulation at 26 plants in 12 countries in Central and Southeast Europe and Türkiye.

Bulgaria: Austrotherm Bulgaria plan to invest €1.53m in an expansion to a warehouse at its Sofia insulation plant. Local press has reported that the project is scheduled for completion in late 2024.

General manager Diana Chobanova said "The investment we are launching today will allow Austrotherm Bulgaria to strengthen its leadership position as the most sustainable producer of insulation on the Bulgarian market."

Austria: Austrotherm plans to raise the prices of its expanded polystyrene (EPS) and extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation products by up to 15% from 25 September 2023. The insulation producer said earlier in August 2023 that production reductions and unexpected plant shutdowns had increased the costs of its main raw materials.

Croatia: Austria-based Austrotherm plans to invest Euro12m in the construction of a new expanded polystyrene insulation plant in Zabok, near Zagreb. SeeNews has reported that the plant is scheduled for commissioning in early-mid 2024. When operational, Austrotherm expects it to employ 30 people.

Chief executive officer Klaus Haberfellner said "More than 60% of Croatian homes are poorly insulated or not insulated at all." He added "There is also significant potential for insulation of buildings on the popular Croatian Adriatic coast."

Austria: Austrotherm has invested Euro20m on an upgrade to its extruded polystyrene (XPS) production capacity at its Purbach insulation plant. The project added a production hall with new extrusion technology supplied by Germany-based KraussMaffei Group. The expansion has also created 20 new jobs at the site. A further upgrade to the plant will be built in 2023 when a photovoltaic system will be installed on the roof of the hall.

Romania: Austrotherm has commissioned its third Romanian insulation plant in Calan, near Deva, Hunedoara County. The new Euro6m facility will produce the company's Austrotherm EPS and Austrotherm EPS-Plus expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation, and also houses office spaces and storehouses. Sales manager Roxana Ghioca said that the storage capacity will enable the site to supply the Transylvanian market with Austrotherm's EPS and extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation product offering.

Austrotherm managing director Klaus Haberfellner said “Transylvania is among the Central and Northwestern Romanian regions currently with a good economic situation. One third of Austrotherm Romania's topwinds are generated in this region. The existing EPS plants - which are situated a long distance from this have already reached their capacity limit." Addressing Romania's need for insulation, Haberfellner said "If not now, when does saving energy make more sense? The dramatic increase in energy prices has long since arrived in Romania."

Romania: Austria-based Austrotherm has concluded an agreement to acquire 100% ownership of extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation panels producer Zentyss. Zentyss operates a plant in Arad, Transylvania.

Austrotherm managing director Klaus Haberfellner said "This acquisition increases the security of supply and the range of products for customers in Romania and neighboring countries. The central location of Arad enables the optimisation of transport routes to customers, which means that CO₂ emissions can be massively reduced." He concluded "Our leadership position in XPS in Romania is now well secured. I am particularly pleased to welcome 106 new colleagues to our company."

Austria: Austrotherm plans to raise the prices of its extruded polystyrene (EPS) insulation and expanded polystyrene (XPS) insulation products in response to “very strong” increases in raw materials, energy and transport costs. The latest round of price increase will take effect in early April 2022. The producer added that it could not rule out re-introducing monthly quantity quotas if order intake remained high.