Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Türkiye: The Turkish government has introduced new rules on the minimum thickness of insulation used in urban construction. Buildings in Ankara must be fitted with 9cm-thick insulation, compared to 6cm previously, while those in Istanbul must be fitted with 8cm-thick insulation, compared to 5cm previously. Suar Energy News has reported that this accompanies new government regulations that require all new builds to source at least 5% of their electricity renewably, as part of a drive for Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings (NZEB).

France: Ireland-based Kingspan has closed its acquisition of Ondura Group. The group consists of light roofing producer Onduline, membranes producer CB and waterproofing systems producer Alwitra. It operates plants in four European countries, as well as Brazil, Malaysia, Turkey and the US. Law firm Clifford Chance, a long-term partner of Kingspan, advised the insulation group through the deal.

On 27 September 2022, Kingspan acquired waterproofing membranes producer Derbigum in neighbouring Belgium. Derbigum has recycled 30,000t of bitumen in its operations to date.

Turkey: Assan Panel has added two new insulation boards to its product range. Its new AssanBoard insulation boards consist of a polyurethane (PUR)-polyisocyanurate (PIR) mix, while its new AssanWool insulation boards are made of stone wool. The company says that both boards are suitable for roof trapezoidal sheet, seam system, cassette and curtain wall system use, as well as for use in acoustic applications and fire compartment applications.

Turkey: A fire broke out in an outside area and spread to the main factory and adjacent commercial property at Hunter’s Istanbul polyurethane (PU) plant. The company has stated that nobody was harmed and monitoring for any offsite environmental impacts is underway.

Bahrain: Turkey’s ThermoBor has met with government officials to discuss setting up a regional office. The hub will serve Bahrain and the wider Gulf market, according to the Bahrain News Agency.

Turkey: Austria’s Austrotherm has opened a 400,000m³/yr expanded polystyrene (EPS) plant in Ankara. It is its third insulation plant in the country. The project cost Euro2m. The site has created 14 jobs. The company entered the Turkish market in 2008 and built its second plant near Izmir in 2013.

Hungary: Belgium’s Ravago and Turkeyʼs Beşler Tekstil plant to build a Euro20.5m insulation plant at Alsózsolca. The plant will have a production capacity of 36,000t/yr, according to the Budapest Business Journal. The government is aiding the project with a contribution of just under Euro4m. Once operational the plant is expected to export third-thirds of its output internationally. The unit will also create 90 jobs.

Ravago is a Belgium plastics manufacturer with operations in over 55 countries. Beşler Tekstil is a Turkish textiles producer.

Kuwait: Saint-Gobain and Kuwait’s Alghanim Industries have become joint venture partners in insulation producer Kimmco. Kimmco runs a mineral wool plant in Shuaiba-Kuwait, operating under license from Saint-Gobain Isover. It reported sales of around Euro70m in 2016 selling products in Kuwait and the Middle East.

Saint-Gobain and Alghanim Industries already operate joint venture in Turkey (Izocam) and Saudi Arabia (Siimco). Kimmco, like the other common joint-ventures, will be managed jointly by both partners and will be consolidated in Saint-Gobain's accounts.

Turkey/Luxembourg: Armacell International SA, a Luxembourg-based provider of insulation foams for the equipment insulation market, has acquired OneFlex, a Turkey-based manufacturer of insulation materials for building technology. OneFlex generated a revenue of US$11.2m in 2014. The acquisition will allow Armacell to strengthen its production capabilities and position in Turkey and to expand its footprint across the regions of Middle East, Africa and South-eastern Europe.

Turkey: Saint-Gobain has finalised a deal to buy Atlas Zimpara, a longstanding partner company that makes sandpaper, sanding belts, discs and other abrasive materials. The company operates from a plant in Gebze, an industrial area close to Istanbul. Its products are supplied to the construction, automotive repair and industrial supplies.

Saint-Gobain said that the deal will strengthen its presence in Turkey, where it recently began operating a new organic grinding wheel plant at Eskiehir, 300km south-east of Istanbul. It added that the deal allows it to serve customers from a local industrial base and ‘marks an important stage in the Group's development in fast-growing countries.’