Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Belarus: Russia-based TechnoNICOL has bought a 15,000m² site in Minsk. PrimePress News has reported that the producer plans to build a US$333,000 distribution centre and storage facility for insulation and other products at the site. Additionally, the facility will store and distribute products from Knauf Insulation, Cerezit, Beltep, Skyprofile, Typhoon and Ilmax. TechnoNICOL plans to triple the total number of products it sells in Minsk, with a specific focus on its rough interior finishings portfolio.

Kazakhstan: Russia-based TechnoNICOL says that it will invest US$107m in the construction of the upcoming Almaty stone wool insulation plant, up by 82% from its previous estimate of US$59m. The producer began building the plant in August 2023. At that time, it was due to have a production capacity of 1.4Mm³/yr when operational.

Interfax has reported that TechnoNICOL’s head of mineral insulation Vasily Tkachev said "We have fairly big plans for the next three years. We see that the construction sector is growing, construction is being actively supported by the government. We feel the state's support and are moving forward, so that when there is demand there will be product. We're forced to open production earlier, forecasting growing demand."

Uzbekistan: Russia-based TechnoNICOL to invest US$13.1m in the construction of a new extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation plant in Angren. AK&M News has reported that the plant will have a capacity of 300,000m²/yr. It will produce TechnoNICOL’s range of 20 – 120mm-thick XPS insulation. Construction will commence in 2024 and the plant will employ 50 people when operational.

Russia: TechnoNicol expects to commission its upgraded Khabarovsk stone wool insulation plant later in 2023. Local press has reported that the on-going upgrade involves replacement of the plant's rock melting furnaces and fibreisation chambers. When commissioned, the upgraded plant will produce insulation using a biopolymer bonding agent. The producer expects to export its products to the Japan and South Korea markets.

Russia: TechnoNicol plans to invest around Euro350m towards building two stone wool plants as well as other expanded production in other business areas including agricultural applications. A 1.5Mm³/yr stone wool plant will be built in the Novgorod special economic zone, according to the AK&M Information Agency. Construction of a new 1.4Mm³/yr stone wool plant near Almaty in Kazakhstan is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2022. Both project have a combined an investment of Euro127m. Additionally, the insulation producer is reportedly looking for a site to build an additional stone wool plant in the far east of Russia.

The company also plans in 2022 to launch a new production line for stone wool substrates for use in greenhouse farming at a plant in the Rostov region. Around Euro6m will be spent on the upgrade. Once complete the line will be able to supply the Southern Federal and South Caucasus districts. It will be TechnoNicol’s third production line for mineral wool substrates, joining plants at Ryazan and Tatarstan.

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.

UK: Superglass has completed a Euro43m upgrade to its glass wool plant in Stirling, Scotland. Production capacity at the unit has been doubled to 60,000t/yr, according to the Scotsman newspaper. A new furnace, curing oven and an automatic packing system were installed as part of the upgrade. The project was first announced in 2017 following the acquisition of the company by Russia’s TechnoNicol in 2016.

Uzbekistan: Russia’s TechnoNicol is ‘seriously considering’ building a new 1.3Mm³/yr stone wool insulation plant In Uzbekistan. Vasily Tkachev, the head of the Mineral Insulation division of TechnoNicol, said that building a plant in the country would be ‘geographically justified,’ according to the Trend News Agency. He added that ‘significant’ changes in the local regulatory framework were expected regarding the requirements for energy efficiency of buildings during new construction and reconstruction. A final decision on the project will be made following a full assessment of the market and its potential sales regions.

UK: Superglass’ revenue grew by 34% year-on-year to Euro37.9m in 2018 from Euro27.2m in 2017. Its profit rose by 37% to Euro0.65m. The subsidiary of Russia’s TechnoNicol Group said that it benefitted from increased sales, higher selling prices and operational cost efficiencies.

“Demand for glass wool insulation continues to be very strong both domestically and in export markets, and with the major manufacturing investment we’re making in the Stirling site, Superglass is set to double its production output capabilities and capitalise on the opportunity,” said Theresa McLean, Chief Financial Officer for TechnoNicol UK and Ireland.

Russia: TechnoNicol plans to spend around Euro5m on an upgrade to its Chelyabinsk mineral wool plant. The majority of the investment will go towards refurbishing the unit’s production line, according to the AK&M Information Agency. The rest will be spent on installing additional cleaning and treatment systems. Once the upgrade is completed the plant will start producing rolled technical insulation materials based on rock wool. The unit will have a production capacity of 0.27Mm³/yr