Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

UK: Denmark-based Rockwool is reportedly in ‘advanced talks’ to acquire a 9.3 hectare site in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands from Birmingham City Council. The site comprises Zone B of the Peddimore industrial estate, which is approved for light industrial production. Estates Gazette Interactive News has reported that the purchase advances Rockwool's on-going strategic expansion of its presence in the UK.

Germany: BASF is set to expand production of its Neopor graphite-enriched expanded polystyrene (EPS) at its Ludwigshafen plant in Rhineland-Palatinate by 50,000t/yr. From its commissioning in 2027, the expanded line will help BASF to meet increased demand for the material. Neopor serves as raw granulate for use in the production of insulation materials for building envelopes. The company says that it offers a 30% greater heat retention than traditional EPS.

Director Stephan Kothrade said "Neopor is classified as a 'Pioneer' in the highest category of the Sustainable Solution Steering (Triple-S) sustainability assessment which BASF uses to evaluate all its products, and is part of BASF's Sustainable Future Solutions."

Russia: TechnoNICOL has installed a new glass furnace and polymerisation chamber at its Serpukhov glass wool plant in Moscow Oblast. AK&M News has reported that that the upgrade will expand the plant’s glass wool capacity to just under 2Mm³/yr and enable it to produce a total of 300 different types of insulation. TechnoNICOL is investing US$18m in the project, which uses equipment from Russian suppliers and is intended to reduce the sanctioned nation’s reliance on imports.

Germany: The Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety, and Energy Technology in Oberhausen is reportedly looking for partnerships through which to commercialise its new aerogel-based insulation. WAZ Plus News has reported that the insulation consists of porous beads made of 99% air.

Materials from the Fraunhofer Institute’s pilot plant have featured in construction projects including in the historic Hanseatic Quarter of Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, and the town hall of Hohen Neundorf in Brandenburg.

UK: Denmark-based Rockwool has acquired external thermal insulation composite systems producer Wetherby Building Systems. Reuters has reported that the newly acquired company will now operate as part of Rockwool Wall Systems, under the name Wetherby Wall Systems. The integration parallels that of previous Rockwool acquisitions in other markets, like Fast Wall Systems in Poland and Heck Wall Systems in Germany.

Rockwool CEO Jes Munk Hansen said “The share of stone wool insulation in the Wetherby business has been growing steadily, and we will be completing this transition to a fully stone wool-based portfolio, as we have done in other markets in the past.” He added that this will advance Rockwool’s transformation of the construction sector towards non-combustible façades.

Wetherby Building Systems managing director Bob Deane said “There is a long-standing relationship between Wetherby and Rockwool, and the match is strong on all significant drivers.”

Ireland: Kingspan says that its latest modifications to its GreenGuard GG300 insulation boards have further reduced their thermal conductivity to 0.033W/mK. Specification Online News has reported that the producer says that this will facilitate slimmer construction while still meeting U-values, especially important in high compressive strength-applications such as inverted roofs and flooring. Accordingly, the boards are now also available in a new, slimmer 180mm thickness. The entire range of GreenGuard GG300 boards integrates with Kingspan's BIM Designer software platform.

Europe: Market research company Freedonia Group has forecast a 3% composite annual growth rate in European insulation demand over the five-year period between 2023 and 2028. This will result in a market value of €9.44bn, corresponding to volumes of 3.2Mt, in 2028. Drivers of the anticipated growth include tighter fire safety regulations and the cost effectiveness of mineral wool insulation.

UAE: A researcher team at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) has developed a novel bio-polyester insulation based on polyhydroxybutyrate derived from date pits. The material has a thermal conductivity of below 0.1W/mK, with 80MPa compressive strength and 6 – 14MPa tensile strength. EurekAlert News has reported that the materials is also below 6% water absorbant.

Team leaders Amal Mlhem and Thomas Teklebrhan said that the bio-polyester insulation can lower the CO₂ emissions of commercial insulation and offer a biodegradable alternative.

US: The Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) has awarded construction, automotive and packaging products company Woodbridge the 2024 Polyurethane Innovation Award. The award acknowledges Woodbridge’s advancement of life-enhancing products and initiatives over the two-year period of June 2022 – June 2024.

Woodbridge vice president, advanced products and chemical technology, Mike Irwin said "We are pleased that Woodbridge has been honoured with the prestigious CPI Award. Our scientists have developed a proprietary process to seamlessly integrate biogenic carbon into our polyurethane foam. The result is TrimVisible BIO, a novel product that reduces CO₂."

CPI director Jason Sloan "CPI congratulates Woodbridge on this remarkable achievement. Sustainability is at the top of mind for manufacturers and the value chain. Woodbridge's TrimVisible BIO illustrates how polyurethanes are helping drive progress with durable solutions, and CPI is proud to recognise and honour Woodbridge on this cutting-edge innovation."

Greece: Austria-based Austrotherm has acquired insulation producer Monosi for an undisclosed sum. PlastEurope News has reported that Austrotherm will retain Monosi’s Chalkida extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation boards plant and its branding. As a result of the acquisition, Austrotherm now controls 29 European plants.

Austrotherm previously announced on 26 September 2024 that it was in on-going negotiations to acquire a further insulation producer in Türkiye.