Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

UK: Denmark-based Rockwool has launched its NyRock stone wool technology in the UK. The insulation producer says that the new product offers the “lowest lambda stone wool insulation available in the UK.” It is manufactured using a new patented production process and offers a thermal conductivity as low as 0.032W/mK. One of its key features is that it can deliver better insulation with comparatively thinner constructions compared to similar products. It also offers the usual benefits of stone wool insulation including durability, recyclability, acoustic properties and fire resistance. NyRock technology will be rolled out across a range of Rockwool insulation products during 2022.

South Korea: KCC Corporation is upgrading its Gimcheon and Munmak glass wool plants. A second production line is being built at the Gimcheon plant in Gyeongbuk and the production capacity of the existing production line is being increased at the Munmak plant in Gangwon-do. The upgrade projects will be completed in October and March 2023 respectively. Once finished the combined projects will increase the company’s total production of glass wool by 80,000t/yr.

KCC says that it is making the investment in inorganic insulation production capacity in response to revisions to local building regulations. It added that the law was changed in 2021 due to several fire-related incidents. The upgrades are also expected to reduce production costs per unit.

US: Huntsman Corporation has started commercial operation of a new US$180m methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) splitter at its Geismar plant in Louisiana. The new splitter will allow the chemical manufacturer to produce more grades of MDI than previously. Company president and chief executive officer Peter Huntsman attended an inaugural event as well as the Jeff Landry, the Attorney General of Louisiana.

“The new splitter reinforces our strategy of delivering value over volume by creating a more differentiated product portfolio,” said Tony Hankins, president of Huntsman’s Polyurethanes division. “It enables us to provide our customers in automotive, furniture, construction, adhesives and coatings markets with more options for innovative, sustainable polyurethanes products.”

Huntsman produces a range of chemicals including polyisocyanurate (PIR) and polyurethane (PUR) building insulation products.

UK: Denmark-based Rockwool has appointed Hedley Thompson as Rockwool’s Recladding and Façades Sector Manager in the UK. The position is a newly created role in the company. Thompson’s appointment is the first step in the creation of a new team which will target housing associations, local authorities and housebuilders.

Hedley has worked for Rockwool UK since 2014 in the position of Technical Specification – Façades. Prior to this he held a variety of technical and operations roles with the construction sector.

Libya: Al-Hosn International Company for Building Materials Industry has partnered with China and Germany-based Zenith to establish an insulated concrete block plant. The Benghazi Chamber of Commerce has held a meeting with the companies to discuss their plans.

US: Owens Corning has announced its conclusion of a deal to buy polyurethane (PU) foam insulation producer Natural Polymers. The companies say that Natural Polymers president and CEO Benjamin Brown will take on an innovation leadership role at Owens Corning following the completion of the transaction.

US: The National Insulation Association (NIA) has joined the US Department of Energy’s Better Climate Challenge initiative as an ally. Allies play a lead role in raising awareness of the initiative, which aims to reduce CO₂ emissions across US industrial plants and buildings.

US: Switzerland-based cement manufacturer Holcim has agreed to buy SES Foam for an undisclosed sum. The company manufactures spray foam insulation and roofing products. It had forecast net sales of US$200m in 2022. The transaction follows recent acquisitions Holcim in the light building materials market such as Firestone Building Products and Malarkey.

Jamie Gentoso, Head Solutions & Products at Holcim said, “This is another exciting step in the expansion of Solutions & Products, advancing our ‘Strategy 2025 – Accelerating Green Growth’. SES has a proven track record of growth and innovation in thermal insulation with a focus on more sustainable solutions, making them highly complementary to our roofing and insulation business.”

SES Foam was founded in 2009 and is based at Spring in Texas. Its SucraSeal product was the first sucrose-based spray foam insulation to be certified by the US Department of Agriculture for its high bio-based content.

Ireland: Kingspan says that it expects to record a profit of Euro415m in the first half of 2022, up by 26% year-on-year from Euro329m in the first half of 2021. The company noted that its global backlog of insulated panels orders fell by 2% year-on-year in volume on 31 May 2022, having previously been up by 19% year-on-year on 31 March 2022. It said that order volumes nonetheless remained above 2019 levels.

France: Groupe Berkem and Soprema have launched Pavatex, a wood fibre-based insulation panel. Groupe Berkem says that it developed a bio-based polyphenolic fungicide for use in the panel. The partners say that development of the product took 30 months.

Groupe Berkem chair and CEO Olivier Fahy said “The development of a unique solution that meets the needs of the market is the result of the collaboration between our two groups and the pooling of our technical expertise. For Groupe Berkem, this collaboration agreement is part of our continuous commitment to supporting the transition of chemical substances to eco-responsible and bio-based solutions.”