Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

France: Saint-Gobain’s sales grew by 24.6% year-on-year to Euro22.1bn in the first half of 2021 from Euro17.8m in the same period in 2020. Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) nearly doubled to Euro3.25bn from Euro1.64bn. Both sales and earnings were also higher than the comparable period in 2019.

“These first-half 2021 record results surpass even our second-half 2020 performance. This success reflects the profound positive changes in our organisation from Transform & Grow,” said Benoit Bazin, chief executive officer of Saint-Gobain. “It also reflects structural changes in our markets, which should show an acceleration in growth over the coming years.”

The group added that it had integrated its Strikolith subsidiary into the main business. It acquired the Netherlands-based exterior insulation systems producer in late 2020.

France: Denmark-based Rockwool plans to begin building a new stone wool insulation plant at Soissons, Aisne department in 2022. The new plant will use an 80%-reduced-CO₂ electric melting production method previously employed at Rockwool’s Moss insulation plant in Norway in 2020. The company says that, when commissioned in 2024, the new plant will generate 130 jobs.

France and Southern Europe regional managing director Rafael Rodriguez said, “We are pleased that our investment in Soissons will enable us to better support the government’s ambitious efforts as well as the social and economic development of the local communities. With our more than 40-year history in France, this new facility is a natural next step for us in a market that continues growing in importance.”

Romania: France-based Saint-Gobain has acquired Duraziv, a producer of adhesives and other construction chemicals. The group said that the purchase would allow it to expand its range of interior and exterior finishing solutions. It also hopes the move will drive an improvement in the energy efficiency of buildings in Romania thanks to external thermal insulation solutions (ETICS) based on locally-produced stone wool and mortars. This latest addition follows the recent acquisition of Russia-based Adhesive Scientific and Production Company, a producer of polyurethane (PUR) and epoxy products.

US: France-based Saint-Gobain has awarded a contract to MTI Instruments to supply its Digital Accumeasure non-contact measuring technology. The group will use the product to measure closed-cell foam density in its production process. It said that the partnership aims to increase the number of process improvement products which reach plant implementation.

Saint-Gobain Competency Research Laboratories smart manufacturing team leader Mickael Boinet said "We chose MTI Instruments' Digital Accumeasure product for many reasons. The non-contact technology was just one of the pluses.” He added "We investigated various impedance measurement companies in Europe, but ultimately determined that the amplifier made by MTI Instruments was superior."

France: Unilin has renamed its product ranges for greater international clarity. The Le Moniteur des Artisans has reported that the Isocombo range of insulation will now be called Utherm Comfort and the Trilatte, Rexolight, Rexotoit, Rexolatte and Thermiwall ranges will now be called Usystem. Product names will additionally inform of application, for example ‘roof’ or ‘wall,’ and type of insulation. Interior panels will lastly bear a colour name.

The producer also announced the launch of a new logo.

France: Saint-Gobain’s third quarter results for 2020 for its High Performance Solutions division were supported by external thermal insulation products (ETICS). The group said that, “activities serving the construction Industry held up well in the nine-month period, and in the third quarter when sales were virtually stable thanks notably to ETICS.” Despite this sales decreased for the division in both the third quarter and the first nine months of 2020.

The building materials producer’s overall like-for-like sales fell by 7.2% year-on-year to Euro27.9bn in the first nine months of 2020 from Euro32.4bn in the same period in 2019. However, overall sales improved by 3.2% year-on-year to Euro10.1bn in the third quarter of 2020.

France: LafargeHolcim subsidiary LafargeFrance has relaunched its Airium mineral foam, a concrete block additive, for a new application, namely roof insulation. The company says that Airium has a lifespan of 50 years and “retains heat in winter like most insulation, while also preserving buildings’ freshness in summer” thanks to its phase shift time of over nine hours.

Lafarge France developed the new application in partnership with coatings producer PRB. It said, “We select premium applicators (blowers) from suppliers from LafargeHolcim’s screeds and PRB coatings network. The PRB and Airium partnership thus takes on its full meaning and ensures quality service to new users.”

France: Saint-Gobain’s Point.P construction materials and building products distribution brand has put together a specific range of bio-sourced insulation materials. The materials include wood fibre and hemp-based materials. Point.P says that these products account for 10% of the insulation market. The new range has been developed in response to new expectations expressed by trades professionals and individuals.

France: Switzerland-based Sika has entered production of facemasks at its Dexel building materials plant in Les Salles du Gardon, Gard department. Sika says that the plant produces 15,000 masks/day ‘almost entirely from Sika products.’ It will distribute the masks around customers and employees and has received an order for 165,000 masks.

Sika Europe, Middle East and Africa regional manager Ivo Schädler said, “We find ourselves in an exceptional situation that confronts us with new challenges on an almost daily basis, especially in those countries worst hit by coronavirus. Our top priority is to protect our employees, their families, and our customers – which also includes finding unconventional ways of helping them.”

France: Saint-Gobain’s net profit in 2019 was Euro1.45bn, up by 207% year-on-year from Euro474m in 2018. Its net sales were Euro42.6bn, up by 1.9% from Euro41.8bn in 2018. Saint-Gobain chairman CEO Pierre-André de Chalendar praised the year’s performance in spite of a ‘less supportive market environment in the second half.’ He said, “For 2020, in a more uncertain market environment, Saint-Gobain should continue to benefit from its attractive positioning and from the results of its ‘Transform & Grow’ initiative, and is targeting a further like-for-like increase in operating income with an uncertainty about the impact of the coronavirus.”