Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Malaysia: Knauf Insulation APAC’s Johor Bahru mineral wool plant has made its first export of unfaced glass wool to Japan. The company said that it has obtained Certification for Japanese Industrial Standards and is now able to begin supplying customers in that market. The 75,000t/yr Johor Bahru plant officially opened in mid-2022. However, the unit reportedly started export glass wool products to Australia in 2021.

Australia: Malaysia-based PGF Capital is preparing to open three distribution centres at Brisbane, Perth and Sydney. The mineral wool insulation producer set up its new regional headquarters in Melbourne in the third quarter of 2022, according to the New Straits Times newspaper. The site at Brisbane is set to become fully operational in March 2023, the site in Perth in May 2023 and the site in Sydney is expected to be operational in the third quarter of 2023.

The expansion drive is part of a project to grow its business in Oceania. Another market that the company is targeting is South Korea. PGF Capital and its subsidiary PGF Insulation said it has started making modifications to its production line at Perai in Penang to meet the local market requirements. it plans to start supplying insulation products to the country later in 2023.

France: Ireland-based Kingspan has closed its acquisition of Ondura Group. The group consists of light roofing producer Onduline, membranes producer CB and waterproofing systems producer Alwitra. It operates plants in four European countries, as well as Brazil, Malaysia, Turkey and the US. Law firm Clifford Chance, a long-term partner of Kingspan, advised the insulation group through the deal.

On 27 September 2022, Kingspan acquired waterproofing membranes producer Derbigum in neighbouring Belgium. Derbigum has recycled 30,000t of bitumen in its operations to date.

Malaysia: Knauf Insulation’s Johor Bahru mineral wool insulation plant has successfully exported its first batch of 80% recycled glass Earthwool glass mineral wool insulation to Perth, Australia. The product uses Knauf Insulation’s ECOSE Technology biological binder and is equipped with new improved clean facing. The company says that it uses compression packaging to optimise shipping volumes.

Chief operating officer David Ducarme said, “Johor Bahru is an extraordinary achievement of commitment from Knauf Insulation colleagues from around the world who came together to work with local teams in unprecedented pandemic circumstances - setting a gold standard in safety - to ensure the highest quality solutions are now available to customers.”

The Johor Bahru glass mineral wool insulation plant has a production capacity of 75,000t/yr and was originally scheduled for completion in 2020. It had an investment of Euro120m. It was built export insulation products to markets in Japan, Australia, Korea, New Zealand and Singapore.

Malaysia: Passive fire protection producer Promat and fibre cement boards producer Kalsi, both subsidiaries of Belgium-based Etex, have rebranded as Etex Malaysia. The company says that the name change “reflects Etex's broader commitment to inspire ways of living through innovation.” PR Newswire Asia has reported that by combining its Malaysian subsidiaries under the Etex Malaysia brand the group aims to strengthen its offerings to local and export Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) markets.

Malaysia: Knauf Insulation plans to build a Euro120m glass mineral wool plant at Johor Bahru. The new unit will have a production capacity of 75,000t/yr. It is scheduled to be completed in early 2020 and will create 180 jobs in Malaysia as well as a further 60 new positions across the region.

“We have seen record sales due to increasing energy costs across Asia and more stringent energy-saving building regulations in countries such as Australia, Japan and Korea,” said Stuart Dunbar, Regional General Manager for the Asia Pacific Region at Knauf Insulation.

The new plant will use up to 80% post-consumer recycled glass in the manufacturing process and feature Knauf patented high compression packaging. All products will be made using Knauf Insulation’s Ecose binder.

The company also intends to use Malaysia’s shipping links to develop new distribution partnerships in South-East Asian countries and strengthen its presence in the markets of Japan, Australia, Korea, New Zealand and Singapore.

Malaysia: PGF Insulation Sdn Bhd plans to build a second mineral wool plant next to its existing plant in Penang and start production in early 2016. PGF has awarded the first phase of the project to a local contractor and work is expected to commence in May 2014. This phase of the project, when completed, will have a capacity of 20,000MT/yr with a focus on batts and boards production.

PGF has started its plant expansion plan due to growing demand for its glasswool products in the Asia Pacific region. The five-acre site was acquired in 2008 for future expansion purposes. PGF's current facility has a production capacity of 20,000Mt/yr. The first phase project will add 20,000Mt/yr and it will be operational in 2016. A second phase will add a further 20,000Mt/yr bringing the total production capacity to 60,000Mt/yr. PGF intends to be become the largest mineral wool manufacturer in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region when the upgrades are completed.

This news article was updated on 3 April 2014

Malaysia: PGF Insulation, a Penang based glass wool manufacturer, has completed its two phase plant upgrade. Starting in 2010, the plant has undergone a plant upgrade that involved changing its curing oven, fiberising technology, melting furnace and adding a new production line. The upgraded plant has a capacity of 20,000t/yr.

PGF says that the increased capacity is needed to cater for the expected growth in Asia Pacific, the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East due to increased awareness of energy efficiency and of the benefits of mineral wool insulation.

Other than the traditional building application, the plant is also able to mass produce superior quality glass wool for Vacuum Insulation Panels.