Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

UK: SIG’s sales revenue grew by 17% year-on-year to Euro3.12bn in 2022 on a like-for-like basis. Market demand fell in the second half of the year with particularly slowed growth in Poland and Ireland although growth increased in the Benelux region. The group said that its commercial strategy had strengthened its positions in the markets in which it operate. It observed that although input price inflation eased in the second half of 2022 it had slowed revenue growth. The company also reported a one-off loss of around Euro5.60m in the second half due to Avonside, a large UK-based roofing contractor and one of the group's largest customers, entering financial administration.

Benelux Region: Building insulation and packaging group Synbra is consolidating its position in the Benelux Region, which encompasses Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg, with the acquisition of the local expanded polystyrene (EPS) activities of Knauf Insulation.

Synbra's subsidiary, IsoBouw Systems, is set to take over the region's Knauf manufacturing and sales operations, including an EPS plant in Oosterhout Municipality, Holland, by 1 August 2014. The Oosterhout plant produces EPS and wood wool products, although IsoBouw Systems said that it plans to close the EPS unit.

Synbra's Etten-Leur said that the acquisition is a strategic move for IsoBouw, which will continue to supply EPS insulation products from its own plants in the Wijchen, Someren and Oldenzaal Municipalities in the Netherlands.

"IsoBouw is the EPS specialist in the Benelux Region," said IsoBouw's general manager, Will Kemperman. "The acquired business unit fits perfectly with our current activities. This gives us even more space to focus on innovative product developments." The move will also strengthen the position of its existing customers in the market.

Knauf Insulation retains a glass wool production facility at Visé, Belgium as well as EPS plants in Germany at Wadersloh, Bad Waldsee and Hermeskeil. The firm also operates extruded polystyrene (XPS) plants in France, Italy and the UK.