Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

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.

Poland: Stepan Company has completed the relocation of its European R&D and Technical Service centre to new laboratories in Wroclaw. The expanded facilities will serve Stepan's business in insulation foams as well as the diverse Coatings Adhesives Sealants and Elastomers (CASE) business. In addition to providing increased space for its growing team of scientists, the expanded facilities include a wide range of test and production equipment to support Stepan's customers with innovation and technical development projects.

The specialist and intermediary chemical production company also confirmed that the expansion of its polyester polyol facility in Brzeg Dolny will be completed in mid-2016, with the addition of a new reactor. The new asset is required to support Stepan's growth in the CASE business for its European customers.

"The completion of this expansion to our facilities in Poland marks a significant milestone in our growth story within the European polyester polyol industry. Commitment to these plans by Stepan is an endorsement of our growth strategy,” said Roger Stubbs, Vice President, Polymers Europe.

Russia: TechnoNicol plans to launch production of its polyisocyanurate (PIR) foam insulation plant in the Ryazan region on 24 May 2016. The new plant will have a production capacity of 30Mm². Investment in the project amounts to Euro22.6m according to local press. The plant was originally scheduled for launch in the autumn of 2015.

UAE: Hira Industries has launched a polyethylene insulation plant in Al Ghail, Ras Al Khaimah. The factory will produce and export Aerofoam technical foam around the world. It has an area of 11,600m² and employs 150 staff.

"With the wealth of construction projects in the region, the demand for aerofoam products is tremendous and we are seeing rapid growth year on year. Events such as Dubai's Expo 2020 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar have further driven the industry. Our move to set up the new facility is strategically planned," said Manish Hira, managing director of Hira Industries.

Hira Industries operates eight plants in the heating, ventilating and air conditioning sector. It was established in 1980.

India: Jindal Mectec will inaugurate its new US$11m polyurethane foam (PUF) panel plant on 5 April 2016. The plant in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh will have a production capacity of 1.8Mm². State chief minister Shivraj Singh will officially inaugurate the site.

"The new plant set up with a capital outlay of US$11m is built on a 10-acre plot. It is based on the latest European technology to manufacture insulated PUF panels for the refrigerated and industrial buildings segment, using an ozone friendly process," said Jindal Mectec Chairman Pawan Jindal.

The new plant is intended to meet the needs of industrial customers in central and western India. The plant will employ 150 people when fully operational.

China: Evonik has started building a plant to produce organically modified specialty silicones in Shanghai. The project is part of a global investment initiative that started with the construction of a first expanded production plant in Essen, Germany that became operational in late 2014. The new facility is being constructed at the Multi-User-Site (MUSC) in the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park, with completion planned for mid-2017. No exact figure for the high double-digit million Euro project was specified.

"We want to expand our specialty silicones production capacities in Asia to serve the rising demand with local production.” That is why we are enlarging our production capacities in this region," said Klaus Engel, the chairman of the Evonik Executive Board.

Romania: Proinvest Group will complete a Euro10m sandwich panel plant in 2018. The first phase of the project, worth Euro3m, was completed in February 2016 with the commissioning of the first production line for sandwich panels with mineral wool core for roof and walls. The line has a capacity of 1Mm²/yr. The second phase of the project will be completed in 2018 with the commissioning of a new production line of sandwich panels, the company said in a press release.

The Romanian steel processing company is based in Pascani, northeastern Romania. It owns four plants and has more than 350 employees.

US: Carpenter Co. has opened a new expanded polystyrene (EPS) plant in Elkhart, Indiana. The new plant will supply the upper Midwest markets. It will be fully operational in March 2016.

"We are excited to expand our effective marketing area into the Midwest area of the country," said Larry King, vice president Insulation Division of Carpenter.

The Elkhart EPS facility will be managed by Richard Thain, who previously worked at the Carpenter EPS plant in Lakeland, Florida. Carpenter currently operates EPS production facilities in Fogelsville, Pennsylvania, High Point, North Carolina and Lakeland, Florida.

US: Kingspan has announced a US$25m investment for its Frederick County, Virginia insulation plant. It plans to add 15 new jobs, buy new equipment and upgrade the facility.

The plant has about 120 employees, according to Ed Bates, a Director of Manufacturing and Technology at Kingspan. "We're moving forward with the project," said Bates. "It's underway and we'll probably complete it in 2017. We've already initiated some hiring and we'll complete the hiring by 2018."

The Frederick County plant is Kingspan's only facility in the US that makes building wraps and insulation. The company, however, has other facilities in North America and around the world.

The uptick in the building industry factored into the expansion, according to Bates. "It's not back at the level it was at its peak in 2006, but we've seen a nice rebound in construction and there's high demand for insulation products due to their energy efficiency," said Bates. "It's a great time to invest."

Ireland: Belgian laminate floors producer Unilin has announced the acquisition of Irish insulation boards manufacturer Xtratherm. The acquisition will make Unilin an important player in the growing market of insulation materials. Xtratherm is also active in Belgium. The company inaugurated a new plant in the summer of 2015 for insulation boards in Feluy, specifically for the European continent.