Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

US: The board of directors of Owens Corning has elected Brian Chambers as its new chairman. He succeeds Mike Thaman, who has decided to retire in April 2020. Chambers became chief executive officer (CEO) and was elected to the board in April 2019. He has been with the company for over 15 years, and throughout his career, has held a number of senior operating roles across a range of businesses and locations.

Sweden: BEWiSynbra Group has appointed Jonas Siljeskär as its new chief executive officer (CEO) with effect from the start of 2020. He succeeds Rik Dobbelaere, who has been the CEO of BEWiSynbra since mid-2018, following BEWi’s acquisition of Synbra in May 2018. Dobbelaere will remain as an advisor to the company and the intention is to propose to the general meeting to elect him as a new member of the board in BEWiSynbra.

Siljeskär has been deputy CEO of BEWiSynbra since mid-2019, with full responsibility of all operational aspects of the company, and prior to this he was the chief operating officer (COO) and managing director of BEWiSynbra RAW.

Sweden’s BEWiSynbra Group is a vertically-integrated producer of expandable polystyrene (EPS) products, including packaging, components and insulation.

Uzbekistan: AFKA Group has ordered a basalt wool production line from Italy’s STM Technologies. The 6Mm³/yr unit will be based at the former Tashkent Mechanical Plant site. More than 150 jobs will be created when the new plant opens. No value for the order has been disclosed.

Azerbaijan: Russia’s Penoplex has held a ground-breaking ceremony for a new insulation board plant it is building in Hajigabul district. The project is part of an interstate partnership between Azerbaijan and Russia, according to the Trend News Agency. Penoplex operates eight plants in Russia, one plant in Kazakhstan and one plant in Uzbekistan.

US: Huntsman has announced an agreement to acquire Icynene-Lapolla, a North American manufacturer and distributor of spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation systems for residential and commercial applications, for US$350m from an affiliate of FFL Partners. Icynene-Lapolla operates two manufacturing facilities located in Houston, Texas and Mississauga, Ontario. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2020.

“I am delighted that Icynene-Lapolla is joining our downstream, high-growth MDI urethanes insulation business. Icynene-Lapolla is well recognised by architects, builders and contractors as a market leader in the manufacture and supply of high-performance, energy-efficient building envelope solutions,” said Tony Hankins, the president of Huntsman's Polyurethanes division. He added that the combination of Icynene-Lapolla, with its SPF product range and reflective roof coatings, with Demilec, the SPF business that Huntsman acquired in 2018, would ‘significantly’ strengthen its energy-saving insulation business.

Romania: Switzerland’s Sika has announced its purchase of Adeplast, a mortars and thermal insulation producer, subject to clearance from Romanian anti-trust authorities. Adeplast generates Euro109m/yr across its four plants. Sika’s Europe, Middle East and Africa regional manager Ivo Schädler spoke positively of ‘exciting crossselling opportunities’ and the possibility of increased market penetration.

US: The building products manufacturer Johns Manville has announced its acquisition of ITW Insulation Systems, which specialises in low-temperature polyisocyanurate foam insulation and metal jacketing solutions, for an undisclosed price. Business Wire has reported that the deal is scheduled for closure in December 2019. Johns Manville CEO and president Mary Rhinehart said that the acquisition ‘will give greater versatility to Johns Mansville’s robust and well-rounded portfolio of insulation solutions.’

Denmark: Rockwool’s sales for the nine months to 30 September 2019 were Euro2.0bn, up by 3.2% from Euro1.9bn in the corresponding period of 2018. Its earnings before interest and taxes over the period were up by 7.8% year-on-year at Euro278m in the first nine months of 2019 from Euro258m. The company forecast annual sales growth of 2% - 5% and no change in EBIT margin from 12.8% in 2018. Rockwool vice president Michael Zarin noted positively Rockwool’s stonewool insulation’s versality in tackling many of today’s biggest sustainability and development challenges.

Spain: Isover has launched APTA Arena, a new product in its APTA sand mineral wool line. It says it is intended for interior divisions offering high thermal and acoustic performance. The product is also made from over 50% of recycled materials and can be fully recycled after use.

Ireland: Kingspan’s sales for the first nine months of 2019 rose by 8% year-on-year to Euro3.43bn. However, its sales in the third quarter fell by 2% year-on-year due to slowing sales in the UK. Sales of insulated panels saw a ‘substantial’ reduction in order intake in the UK in the third quarter reducing by more than 15% in volume versus the same period in 2018. European and American markets were stable with the exception of Germany. Insulation board sales were affected by slowing sales in the UK, Ireland and Germany. The group expects these market trends to continue into the first quarter of 2020 at least.