Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Romania: Belgium-based Knauf Insulation has agreed to acquire the Târnăveni glass wool plant from Gecsat for an undisclosed sum.

Dominique Bossan, the group chief executive officer of Knauf Insulation, said “The Romanian acquisition will support Knauf Insulation’s growth ambitions and add extra capacity to meet increasing demand for our solutions across the Eastern European and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) regions.” He added that the company plans to upgrade the plant after the acquisition has been completed.

Slovakia: Knauf Insulation’s plant at Nová Bana produced 104,000t of mineral wool in 2021. Plant director Marián Tkáč told the News Agency of the Slovak Republic (TASR) that the unit reached this record volume despite Covid-19 restrictions, rising input costs and maintenance on the production lines. The plant also installed a flue-gas desulfurisation unit as part of an environmental upgrade in 2021. Despite the high production volume in 2021, Tkáč said that demand for insulation remained high and delivery times were growing.

Spain: Etex has signed a deal with Germany-based Xella Group for the acquisition of its subsidiary URSA. The Belgium-based group says that the move confirms its portfolio shift towards lightweight construction materials. URSA produces its expanded polystyrene (EPS), extruded polystyrene (XPS) and glass and mineral wool insulation across a total of 13 sites and has operations in 20 European countries.

Chief executive officer Bernard Delvaux said “The acquisition of URSA confirms the portfolio shift initiated a few years ago by Etex to become a global leader in lightweight and modular construction. This acquisition is a strategic fit for Etex combining a new growth platform with a strong focus on sustainability. I have been truly impressed by both the quality of the management at URSA and its sound business model. I look forward to welcoming our new teammates to Etex and embarking on a prosperous future together.”

Russia: TechnoNicol plans to carry out an upgrade at its Khabarovsk basalt mineral wool insulation plant. The planned project will fully automate production at the plant and double its capacity. The producer expects the upgrade to improve safety, sustainability and product quality.

US: Denmark-based Rockwool has commissioned its new Ranson stone wool insulation plant in Jefferson County, West Virginia and started commercial production. The company has hired 110 people to work at the 43,000m³ facility. It says that the plant will employ a total of 150 once production has ramped up in mid/late 2021. It is equipped with fuel-flexible melting technology, enabling operations to switch to natural gas from coal. This can reduce the plant’s CO₂ emissions by 30%, according to the company.

Chief executive officer Jens Birgersson said “In the US, as in Europe and Asia, there is a growing demand for Rockwool’s non-combustible, recyclable stone wool insulation. The West Virginia facility will help meet that demand in North America. We are proud that our products play such an important role in reducing the energy consumption and carbon emissions associated with buildings, and do so in a safe, sustainable manner.”

Ireland/UK: Knauf Insulation has launched a new packaging including new designs across the whole range, an upgrade to its compression technology and more environmentally-friendly packaging.

The new packaging designs feature bigger and clearer product names. Products are colour-coded into thermal conductivity groups consistent across the whole glass mineral wool range, and essential features such as the Euroclass A1 reaction to fire classification and Ecose Technology, Knauf Insulation’s unique bio-based binder, are more easily identifiable. The Earthwool brand has been phased out to simplify the branding structure, and a new brand, Rocksilk, has been introduced for its rock mineral wool product range. The insulation producer says that a further upgrade of the compression technology on the glass mineral wool range enables, on average, 15% more insulation per roll and 25% more packs on each pallet for slabs.

“We’ve listened to our customers, but we have also been proactive, trying to pre-empt future needs,” said Vanessa Rae, Marketing Director at Knauf Insulation Northern Europe. “We know how important it is to choose the right product for the application quickly, and move and store it efficiently, whether in-branch or on-site. We also know that sustainability matters more than ever, so we’ve taken these steps to reduce our products’ carbon footprint further so customers can rely on us to help them tick the green boxes for their projects.”

France: Denmark-based Rockwool plans to begin building a new stone wool insulation plant at Soissons, Aisne department in 2022. The new plant will use an 80%-reduced-CO₂ electric melting production method previously employed at Rockwool’s Moss insulation plant in Norway in 2020. The company says that, when commissioned in 2024, the new plant will generate 130 jobs.

France and Southern Europe regional managing director Rafael Rodriguez said, “We are pleased that our investment in Soissons will enable us to better support the government’s ambitious efforts as well as the social and economic development of the local communities. With our more than 40-year history in France, this new facility is a natural next step for us in a market that continues growing in importance.”

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.

Spain: Saint-Gobain Isover has launched the Geowall range of stone wool insulation. The range consists of Geowall 34, Geowall 35 and Geowall 37. The company says that the range replaces its Acustilaine products. It is non-hydrophilic and uncoated for excellent thermal and acoustic performance. It called Geowall the ‘optimal choice’ for the design and execution of laminated gypsum board systems.

UK: The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) has awarded Knauf Insulation’s Supafil range of blowing glass wool insulation with Declare Red List Free Certification. The label signifies that the products contain none of a list of agreed harmful chemicals. The company says that its Supafil range, which is produced using 80% recycled glass, is the first blowing wool solution in Europe to receive the certification.

Director of housing and specification Matt Prowse said, “For the first time, people can see the environmental impact of individual construction products at a glance, in a clear and transparent way. For architects and housebuilders, using products with the Declare label – like the Supafil range – is good for business. It ensures installer wellbeing and is a powerful point of difference to customers in a competitive market.”