Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

World: Market research firm Future Market Insights (FMI) has forecast a composite annual growth rate of 6% in the global polyisocyanurate (PIR) insulation market up to 2033. This will result in 81% decade-on-decade growth to US$25.6bn in 2033. FMI noted technical developments affecting the use of customised PIR boards in the prefabricated construction as a main driver of the growth. Nationally, the market will have a CAGR of 8% in China, 7% in India, 6% in the UK, 5% in Canada and 4% in Germany.

FMI said “In the rapidly changing world of PIR insulation, innovation and sustainability have emerged as dynamic forces reshaping the industry’s trajectory. The market is going through a fundamental shift, moving beyond its traditional role of providing insulation and into uncharted territory where cutting-edge technologies are poised to redefine its boundaries.”

France: Saint-Gobain reported sales of €23.5bn in the first half of 2024, down by 6% year-on-year from €25.0bn in the same period in 2023. The group reduced its capital expenditure by 5% to €583m. €255m (47%) of this was invested in new capacity, down by 7%. Group earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) dropped by 2% to €3.65bn from €3.74bn. During the reporting period, Saint-Gobain accelerated efforts to reinforce its profitable growth profile with acquisitions in the light and sustainable building materials segments in Australia, Canada, India and the Middle East. Saint-Gobain said that it exceeded 67% of operating income being generated in “high-growth geographies,” namely North America, Asia and emerging countries. It now expects “double-digit” operating margins in 2024, for the fourth consecutive full year.

Chair and CEO Benoit Bazin said "Our first-half results once again demonstrate the success of Saint-Gobain's new profile, reflecting the group's ability to adapt to different macroeconomic environments and to continue to outperform. The roll-out of our comprehensive range of sustainable and innovative solutions and the resulting enhancement in our mix, together with our decentralised organisation by country with accountability on commercial performance and on proactive cost management, have enabled us to deliver a new record operating margin and strong free cash flow generation. I am very grateful for our teams' dedication and their contribution to the group's consistent improvement in its performance."

North America: The North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) has reported that its members recycled 1.36Mt of materials in their insulation products in 2023. Recycling Today News has reported that the main fraction used was glass, at 1.18Mt, 87% of the total. 1.15Mt of this (77%) was used in insulation production in the US, and 191,000t (23%) in Canada. NAIMA's industry-wide recycling programme has diverted 47Mt of recycled materials into insulation production since 1992.

NAIMA president and CEO Curt Rich said "Our industry continues to demonstrate its commitment to using recycled materials in the production of these essential products. With increased focus on whole building decarbonisation, insulation products will be a critical component of that activity. Sourcing recycled materials is one way we can decrease our environmental impact while producing essential insulation materials that ultimately lower building emissions."

North America: Wood fibre insulation producer TimberHP has entered into a North American distribution contract with CertainTeed. Under the contract, CertainTeed will distribute TimberHP’s products across North America, including as its exclusive distributor in Canada. When fully launched, the offering will include TimberHP’s loose fill, batt and rigid board insulation.

CertainTeed Canada CEO Julie Bonamy said "Driven by our purpose of making the world a better home, this exclusive partnership with TimberHP enhances the sustainable solutions we are bringing to our stakeholders throughout Canada."

TimberHP CEO Joshua Henry said "It is a huge vote of confidence in our technology and our team at TimberHP to partner with a brand as innovative and impactful as CertainTeed. It is essential that we mould the future of construction to be exceptionally easy, effective, energy-efficient and sustainable, and we look forward to addressing those industry needs together."

Canada: Saint-Gobain completed its acquisition of Building Products of Canada at the start of September 2023 for an undisclosed sum. The privately-owned company manufactures residential roofing shingles and wood fibre insulation panels. It has 460 employees and three manufacturing plants, at Montreal in Quebec, Edmonton in Alberta and Pont-Rouge in Quebec. Saint-Gobain says that the purchase is intended to establish its position worldwide in light and sustainable construction. The acquisition was first announced in June 2023.

Canada: The Competition Bureau of Canada has cleared France-based Saint-Gobain to acquire Building Products of Canada. Building Products of Canada produces wood fibre insulation panels, among other materials for construction. Saint-Gobain says that the company complements its subsidiary CertainTeed Canada’s existing operations. It expects to complete the acquisition on 1 September 2023.

Canada: Saint-Gobain has entered into a definitive agreement to buy Building Products of Canada for around Euro925m in cash. The privately owned company manufactures residential roofing shingles and wood fibre insulation panels. The acquisition is intended to reinforce Saint-Gobain’s position in light and sustainable construction in the Canadian market. Closure of the transaction is subject to customary conditions and expected by the end of 2023.

Benoit Bazin, chief executive officer of Saint-Gobain, said “This is an important and logical step for Saint-Gobain, allowing us to establish a leading position in roofing in Canada, completing our offering for the building envelope which we have reinforced with the recent Kaycan and GCP acquisitions. It completes our offering of solutions for light and sustainable construction in Canada as we have done successfully in the US.”

Denmark: Rockwool’s net sales grew by 27% year-on-year to Euro3.91bn in 2022 from Euro3.09bn in 2021. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 6% to Euro638m from Euro602m. The group reported a strong start to 2022 with high demand for its stone wool insulation products. In the second half of the year it noted a decline in construction activity in key markets. However, it increased its prices leading to increased sales. By region the group said that sales grew in Europe and Asian markets, were flat in the US and declined in China.

Chief executive officer Jens Birgersson said, “Looking forward, we expect construction activity to continue slowing down in the coming period. We anticipate the energy efficiency agenda in both Europe and North America will accelerate renovation rates in the mid-term and create higher demand for our circular and non-combustible stone wool. We will continue to invest in more capacity to support our long-term growth”.

Together with the group’s chair Thomas Kähler, he also defended the company’s decision to continue the ownership of a subsidiary in Russia. “If we were to depart Russia, our factories and the intellectual property rights to our unique technology would most likely be nationalised or otherwise transferred to local players. Since the factories operate independently of our head office, they would continue to operate - just under different ownership. It therefore remains our view that retaining the business in Russia is the least bad option available to us. And of course, we will continue to comply with all international sanctions.”

Rockwool said that it had added production capacity for its Grodan agricultural stone wool range at its plant in Toronto, Canada and capacity for its Rockfon stone wool ceiling panel range at its Cigacice plant in Poland. In China it had opened a new plant at Qinyuan in December 2022 to replace its mineral wool unit at Guangzhou, which closed in September 2022. It also reported that plans to build a new stone wool plant at Soissons in France had been delayed due to a local legal challenge. Notable upgrades in 2022 included the start of a conversion project to electric melting technology from fossil fuels at the Flumroc plant in Switzerland, with a commissioning date scheduled for 2024. This project follows a similar one at the Moss plant in Norway that was completed in 2020.

US: Owens Corning has announced a new line of extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam insulation products called Foamular NGX. It is set to go on sale in the US and Canada in January 2021. It says that the proprietary blowing agent in the products deliver a 90% reduction in global warming potential (GWP) without sacrificing product performance. It is Underwriters Laboratory (UL) listed, Factory Mutual (FM) approved and compliant with regulations set to take effect in Canada and some US states in January 2021. The environmental benefits of the products will be reflected in a new Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). The new product line will retain the signature Owens Corning pink colour.

US: DuPont plans to launch new extruded polystyrene foam insulation products in its Styrofoam brand with reduced global warming potential (GWP) from the start of 2021 to meet its 2030 Sustainability Goals and comply with adopted and upcoming state and provincial hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) regulations throughout the US and Canada. The company also expects a reduction in embodied carbon to be reflected in an updated Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), which will be available with the new products.

"We are taking a thoughtful, phased approach to launching this latest Styrofoam innovation to ensure we are providing a sustainable, code-approved solution that does not sacrifice the performance our customers have come to trust," said Tim Lacey, Global Vice President & General Manager, DuPont Performance Building Solution.