Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Austria: Isobasalt, a subsidiary of Austrotherm, plants to build a mineral wool plant at Grosswilfersdorf. The plant is scheduled to start operation in the second quarter of 2017 and the plant will have a production capacity of 250,000t/yr. The unit is expected to create 50 jobs.

Poland: Rockwool has inaugurated a Euro80m mineral wool production line at its Cigacice plant. The new line will allow the introduction of a new portfolio focusing on products for flat roofs and exterior walls. It will also allow for improved product quality, higher production efficiency and improved environmental credentials.

“The investment in Poland not only gives us the opportunity to take advantage of the latest technology in producing innovative stone wool solutions, we are now also positioned for further growth,” said CEO Jens Birgersson. He attended the inauguration with the managing director of Rockwool Polska Andrzej Kielar and other local Polish authority figures.

Russia: TechnoNicol has completed the construction of a mineral wool plant in the Rostov region. The plant is currently undergoing commissioning and testing with operation planned for mid-July 2016. The company has invested Euro44m into the site. Once operational the plant will be able to produce six groups of products, including more than 90 types of basalt-based thermal insulation products.

The roofing and insulation producer has also announced that it intends to build a Euro44m mineral wool plant in Kazakhstan. Irek Allayarov, director of the company’s mineral isolation department, said that the company is in the process of selecting potential sites for the unit. A final decision will be made by the end of 2016.

Germany/Japan: Covestro and Nanodax have signed an agreement on the development of new polycarbonate composites reinforced with mineral wool. Nanodax has developed a special process for the manufacture of these products that uses mineral wool as reinforcing filler for plastics. It has a small diameter and is more flexible than glass fibres.

“Our development cooperation is targeting diverse application areas for polycarbonates reinforced with mineral wool, and will open up new prospects for both companies. In particular, we are aiming at advantages in surface appearance and material processing. Cost reductions for customers are expected through an optimised injection moulding manufacturing process,” said Michael Schmidt, Head of Business Development for Polycarbonates Asia Pacific at Covestro.

The joint development work will be performed primarily at Covestro’s Polymer Research & Development Center (PRDC) in Shanghai, China.

Covestro, formerly Bayer MaterialScience, is a global supplier of polycarbonates and has expertise in their processing and application. Nanodax is a venture company with a portfolio including heating-style glass wool charging system technology, a special additive on the nano level, incombustible, ultra lightweight glass wool board with very good thermal insulation properties, and sound isolation.

Russia: Mineral wool consumption fell by 12.8% year-on-year to 34Mm³ in 2015. Previously, consumption of heat insulation materials grew by 7% per year on average between 2010 and 2014, according to CM PRO. Continued decline in insulation consumption volumes are expected in 2016.

Mongolia: Mongol Basalt LLC and Italy's Gamma Meccanica have signed a US$18m agreement to produce mineral wool insulation materials and purchase a production line.
The agreement was signed during the visit of Mongolian Minister of Industry Dondogdorj Erdenbat to Italy. Mongol Basalt has also entered loan negotiations with the Intesa Sanpaolo banking group to receive funds to buy equipment. The loan will be guaranteed by the Italian Export Credit Agency (SACE).

Poland: Petralana has completed the construction of a mineral wool plant in Bytom. The plant will employ almost 200 people and produce 41,000t/yr of mineral wool.

Russia: Paroc intends to expand its production in Russia by 1.5 times to 45,000t in 2015. So far in 2015, its capacity utilisation rate is 100%. In 2014, Paroc's Tver plant sold 29,000t of mineral wool.

Paroc is investing US$121m in a new thermal insulation production plant in Tver. The project will be implemented in three stages; 2011 - 2013, 2014 - 2016 and 2017 - 2020. The new plant will produce up to 50,000t/yr of mineral wool.

UAE: The Ministry of Environment and Water is set to issue a decree to regulate the production of mineral wool and fiberglass industries. The new regulations are intended to increase the environmental sustainability and performance of the industries. They will set out applications and pollution control techniques. Producers will also be required to prepare an environmental management plan specific to their operations.

US: Rockwool has started production at its Marshall County, Mississippi mineral wool plant. The US$164m plant, the Danish insulation producer's first in the US, is expected to be fully operational by mid-2015. The plant will employ 150 people and produce more than 100,000t/yr for the North American market.

"The new plant will enable us to increase our sales for insulation products in the USA. We have been experiencing double-figure growth rates in the North American market over recent years and there is still considerable potential for growth in the market, which is mainly dominated by glass fibre and plastic foam products," said Trent Ogilvie, President of Roxul, Rockwool's subsidiary in North America. Over the last year the company has experienced such an increase in demand that the it has been forced to import from Europe.