Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Russia: Penoplex has launched production of a new brand of general use polystyrene for the production of heat-insulation boards. It uses additives to improve the solution of foaming agents used in the production of extruded polystyrene foam.

Penoplex is a Russian manufacturer of construction, decorative and finishing materials from polymers. The company started in 1998 when it launched Russia’s first production line to manufacture heat-insulating materials made of extrusive expanded polystyrene under the Penoplex trademark.

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.

Russia: Saint-Gobain has increased its share in the Tambov-based heat insulation producer Isoroc from 74.9% to 100%. The plant's capacity exceeds 100,000t/yr. The French company obtained permission from the Federal Antimonopoly Service to increase its share of Isoroc in late 2015.

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.

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.

Russia: Saint-Gobain has obtained the Federal Antimonopoly Service's permission to purchase 74.9% of the voting shares in the heat insulation materials producer Isoroc, based in Tambov Oblast. When the sale completes the French company will own 100% of Isoroc.

Russia: TechnoNicol intends to invest Euro65.3m to establish a cluster of automated insulation materials plants in Khabarovsk, Russia.

The project is expected to generate more than 270 new jobs. The units, which will utilise stone wool and extruded polystyrene foam to produce insulation materials, is expected to support domestic demand, reduce the cost of construction products by 25% and improve the energy-efficiency of buildings in the region by 46%. TechnoNicol also plans to increase its exports to the Asia Pacific region and the Americas.

Azerbaijan: Russia's TechnoNICOL wants to establish cooperation with Azerbaijan by 2016 to supply the country with insulation materials for industrial and civil projects.

General director of TechnoNICOL's mineral insulation department Irek Allayarov said that it plans to supply Azerbaijan from TechnoNICOL's new 1.3Mm³/yr plant in Krasny Sulin Industrial Park in Rostov, Russia. He added that close proximity to the borders with several countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) would make exports ideal. Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Armenia have all been targeted.

"The plant's products include general construction, technical insulation and materials for fire protection systems. In the future we will consider the production of agricultural products, such as insulation used for the construction of greenhouses," said Allayarov.

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.

Russia: TechnoNicol continues the construction of a polyisocyanurate (PIR) foam insulation board plant in Ryazan, despite the possible decline in demand in the construction market. The plant will have a production capacity of 2Mm³/yr. The launch is scheduled for autumn 2015, following investments of Euro21.2m.

TechnoNicol believes that the new material will be prospective, as PIR is not currently produced in Russia. The share of PIR in the European market of insulation materials for commercial facilities amounts to 40% and grows by around 3%/yr. About 76% of flat roofing in the USA is built using PIR boards. TechnoNICOL expects PIR to capture 2% of the insulation market in Russia by 2018, which currently stands at 47.5Mm³/yr.