Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Spain: Óscar del Río has been appointed as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Knauf Insulation Iberia. He suceeds Daniele Cerutti, according to Alimarket. Del Río has worked for Knauf for 18 years in a variety of different roles. He started at Knauf Industries, one of the subsidiaries of the group dedicated to the manufacture of expanded polystyrene insulation, as a regional commercial manager. Later he becacme head of sales for Knauf Insulation in 2007 and commercial director for the Mediterranean region in 2014. He was appointed as the director general of Knauf Insulation Iberia in November 2017.

Belgium: The European Insulation Manufacturers Association (Eurima) has supported a European Parliament vote approving a 35% European Union (EU) energy efficiency target. The adopted proposals on the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) and the EU Governance regulation has also strengthen Article 7 (Energy Efficiency Obligation Schemes).

“With yesterday’s votes, ‘Energy Efficiency First’ now starts to become more than a slogan. When 76% of our efforts towards COP21 must come from energy efficiency, tapping into the savings resting in the buildings sector we are cost-effectively bridging the gap between reality and the COP21 objectives. In this respect, the outcomes of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, EED and EU Governance show that the Parliament is ready to send a strong signal to the Council,” said Jan te Bos, the Director General of Eurima.

Ireland/US: Ireland’s Kingspan has invested US$10m to buy a minority stake in Invicara, US-based a provider of software for the construction industry. Invicara has developed products that integrate with Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology, allowing collaboration between partners on construction projects such as architects, engineers and contractors. Louise Foody, Kingspan's Director of Digital and Brand, and Mike Stenson, Head of Innovation at Kingspan, will also join Invicara’s board of directors.

"For manufacturers of building systems and solutions, digitalisation enabled by technologies like BIM is a game changer. At Kingspan, we aim to leverage digital technologies to further align our offerings with our customer's needs and more efficiently collaborate with owners, designers, and contractors at every stage of the building lifecycle," said Foody.

BIM Assure, the first product built on the Invicara platform allows owners to access, validate, and report on model data. The product is currently in use on projects in North America, Ireland, the UK, Australia and Singapore.

US: IKO, a producer and distributor of roofing and insulation products, has joined the Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association (PIMA).

“As an association of manufacturers committed to promoting and improving polyiso products, we benefit when we unite behind common goals. IKO’s participation in PIMA will strengthen our role as the unified voice for the North American polyiso industry,” said Justin Koscher, president of PIMA.

The association helps its members share information on policy and technical changes and supports polyiso products. Its other polyiso manufacturing members include Atlas Roofing Corporation, Carlisle Construction Materials, Firestone Building Products, GAF, Johns Manville, Rmax and Soprema.

Italy: Switzerland’s Sika has purchased a majority stake in Index Construction Systems and Products, a manufacturer of insulation, roofing and waterproofing products based near Verona. The acquisition is intended to extend Sika’s position in the Italian market and offer advantages in Southern Europe and North Africa. No value for the transaction has been disclosed.

“Index is a proven industry leader and together we will hold a strong number one position in the Italian roofing market. On account of its high research and development competence, and expandable production capacity, Sika will establish the new site as its Southern European production hub for bituminous systems, with potential to also serve the Middle East and Africa,” said Paul Schuler, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Sika.

Index’s product portfolio consists of bituminous membranes for roofing and waterproofing, products for thermal and acoustic insulation, as well as waterproofing and repair mortars. The company mainly serves customers in Italy, but also in more than 100 other countries worldwide. Index was established in 1978 by Luigi Carlon, who has owned and run the company since then. To ensure a smooth transition, he will keep a minority stake and continue to contribute to the management of the company as the chairman of the board of Index.

Kuwait: Saint-Gobain and Kuwait’s Alghanim Industries have become joint venture partners in insulation producer Kimmco. Kimmco runs a mineral wool plant in Shuaiba-Kuwait, operating under license from Saint-Gobain Isover. It reported sales of around Euro70m in 2016 selling products in Kuwait and the Middle East.

Saint-Gobain and Alghanim Industries already operate joint venture in Turkey (Izocam) and Saudi Arabia (Siimco). Kimmco, like the other common joint-ventures, will be managed jointly by both partners and will be consolidated in Saint-Gobain's accounts.

UK: SIG’s revenue from continued operations rose by 7.5% on a like-for-like basis to Euro3.2bn in 2017. This was supported by a rise in the group’s Insulation & Interiors revenue in the UK, bolstered by rising prices. Reviving construction markets in Europe also aided performance. The group will announce its full financial results in March 2018.

US: New board members have taken posts at the Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Association (RIMA) International for 2018. Doug Kinninger of Fi-Foil Company becomes the new president, Sergio Luconi of Prodex has become the vice-president and Wes Hall of Reflectix remains as secretary and treasurer. Mike Boulding of Mitex International has also joined as a director.

Canada: Icynene has launched two new light density spray foam insulation products: Icynene Classic Ultra and Icynene Classic Ultra Select. A key feature for the new products is the elimination the requirement to paddle mix by hand prior to application with the introduction of an expanding blade mixer. The insulation producer also says that the new products offer significantly better cohesion than existing Icynene open-cell spray foam insulation products. The foams can also be sprayed at drum temperatures from 15℃ for Icynene Classic Ultra and from 20℃ for Icynene Classic Ultra Select

“The introduction of Icynene Classic Ultra and Icynene Classic Ultra Select demonstrates our commitment to delivering customer-valued innovation in the insulation category. Sprayers no longer need to paddle mix the resin material or wait for the liquid to warm up, so they can quickly start spraying these two high quality, high yielding products,” said Mark Sarvary, president of Icynene.

Hungary: Building materials producer Masterplast has been awarded a Euro0.8m grant from the government for its foam insulation plant at Kal. The grant will be used as part of a Euro1.6m upgrade at the site, according to the MTI-Eco news agency.