Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

US: Johns Manville (JM) plans to build a new blowing wool production line at its Winder glass wool plant in Georgia. Construction is expected to start early in 2026 and the new line will be operational in mid-2027. When this project is complete, JM will employ more than 350 people in Winder.

“Climate Pro insulation continues to see strong growth and demand in the market,” said Bob Wamboldt, president and CEO of Johns Manville. The new production line is intended to give JM easier access to Central and East Coast markets in the country.

UK: Rockwool has submitted a Section 73 application to Birmingham City Council in support of its plans to build a factory at a site in Peddimore, Minworth. The plant would be only its second in the UK. The application requests permission to vary some of the details in the current planning permissions at Peddimore to suit Rockwool's specific proposal. If approved, Rockwool will then submit a more detailed reserved matters application later in 2025 or early 2026. Once detailed plans are developed there will be another round of community consultation. Rockwool hopes that construction can begin in 2026, with production starting in 2029.

Rockwool's proposed new factory will feature proprietary electric melting technology and boost supply capacity for UK and Ireland customers while also supporting its global sustainability plans. The Peddimore site at Minworth has been designated specifically for manufacturing and logistics uses and is part of a long-running regeneration and development project.

Rockwool’s UK and Ireland managing director Nick Wilson said "Since we announced our intentions to expand the business into the West Midlands, we have had an opportunity to share our plans with the community and are very grateful to those who have provided feedback. We are taking all feedback into consideration as we develop the plans and have included the community's observations so far in our Section 73 application to the council. We look forward to meeting with community members again in the coming months."

Russia: TechnoNICOL says that it will invest US$219m in new mineral wool plants and plant upgrades in Russia throughout 2025, as part of a drive to raise its capacity to 5Mm³/yr by 2030. Interfax has reported that projects include the upcoming Krasnosulinsky stone wool insulation plant in Rostov, scheduled to open in late 2026. In Moscow, the company is investing US$46.2m to rebuild it Serpukhov glass wool plant, scheduled for completion in April 2026. At its Ryazan plant, meanwhile, TechnoNICOL is installing a 1.25Mm³/yr mineral wool recycling line and captive power plant, with a combined investment of US$29m.

Indonesia: A new tariff on imports of mineral wool will enter effect in Indonesia later in February 2025. China Trade Remedy Information News has reported that that the government will set the duty at US$1.24/kg of product for its first year in force. It will subsequently decline to US$1.12/kg in 2026 and US$1/kg in 2027.

The Indonesian Committee on Safeguards first initiated a safeguard investigation into mineral wool dumping in July 2023 and announced its positive ruling on the matter on 16 September 2024.

Spain: Saint-Gobain has launched a €40m expansion and upgrade to reduce CO₂ emissions by 70% at its Azuqueca insulation plant in Castilla-La Mancha. The producer will replace the plant’s existing furnace with a new electric one. When operational in early 2026, the upgraded line will expand the Azuqueca plant’s capacity by 40%. The furnace will run on renewable electricity sourced under a power purchase agreement signed with utilities provider Endesa in 2022.

Russia: TechnoNICOL plans to invest US$11m in automating logistics across its mineral wool plants by 2026. Russian-owned AK&M News has reported that the investments will go towards the installation of automated loading equipment and plant digital twins. This is expected to more than double labour productivity to 180,000m³/yr per worker. Plants scheduled for automation upgrades in 2025 include the Serpukhov and Chudov glasswool insulation plants.

TechnoNICOL’s total investments in automation and digitisation totalled US$2.75m in 2024.

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.”

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.

Sweden: Owens Corning subsidiary Paroc has applied to expand its Hällekis insulation plant to 115,000t/yr of stone wool production capacity as part of an on-going upgrade. Nordic Daily News has reported that the company is also electrifying the plant and implementing recycled raw materials use. When commissioned, the upgraded plant will process 100,000t/yr of recycled minerals.

Romania: Knauf Insulation has announced the completion of its new 100Mm²/yr mineral glass wool plant in Târnăveni, scheduled for inauguration by the end of 2024. With an investment of approximately €140m, the facility has a capacity of 75,000t/yr of mineral glass wool. This output will meet both domestic and regional market demands and create 100 jobs.

Adrian Garofeanu, general manager of Knauf Insulation Romania and Bulgaria said “In the second half of 2024, we are inaugurating the new Knauf Insulation unit in Romania. It is a remarkable success of the team, which will turn Târnăveni into a key location on the map of the international production of mineral glass wool.”