Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

UK: Veolia UK has introduced a new technology that it claims will transform non-recyclable paper and cardboard from household waste into a pulp called Pro-Fibre. The material can then be used in a range of products such as insulation and construction materials.

According to Veolia, the UK recycles about 815Mt/yr of recovered fibre, about 70% of the paper generated in the country. However, many different types of paper are rejected from recycling facilities because they have been contaminated with glass, sand, plastic, metal, food or grease. The contaminated paper has traditionally been sent to landfill or energy recovery facilities.

With its new system, Veolia will be able to convert the material into a recyclable material. It is investing Euro1.27m into the new technology at its facility in Sheffield, England, which will be able to treat up to 20,000Mt/yr and produce up to 14,000Mt/yr of Pro-Fibre. The process includes identifying and capturing the non-recyclable fibre fragments, pulping, cleaning, screening and a mechanical pressing stage.

The Pro-Fibre process includes five steps that will enable the removal contaminants to create a pulp that can replace virgin materials currently used in the construction and packaging industry, including insulation materials and biodegradable pots. Veolia is working with a specialist partner from the paper industry, which will analyse the properties of the Pro-Fibre so the companies can determine the product's commercial potential. The first batch of pulp is expected to be produced in early 2015. According to Veolia, Pro-Fibre can be manufactured either wet or dry and is suitable for businesses looking for a cost-effective and sustainable feedstock.

UK/Canada: Kingspan Group has announced that it will buy the building products division of Vicwest Inc for US$136m in cash, inclusive of debt and reorganisation costs.

Kingspan said that the acquisition will be structured as the purchase by Kingspan of Vicwest and the simultaneous transfer of the Westeel business and assets to Ag Growth International. The total estimated consideration payable is US$333m, of which Kingspan will fund US$137m and AGI will fund US$196m. The acquisition of the building products business will be funded from Kingspan's existing credit facilities.

The division being bought comprises three insulation panel production plants and a number of profiling facilities across Canada and the US. Revenues for the year that ended 31 December 2013 were US$224m and pro forma earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) was US$11.7m. The unit had gross assets of US$111m at 30 June 2014.

UK: Kingspan has reported 7% year-on-year growth in its third-quarter 2014 revenue, partly due to an upturn in the UK property market. It now expects to deliver a full-year trading profit in the region of Euro144m, up by 17% from the year ago period. Net debt at the end of September 2014 was Euro39.1m lower than at the same point in 2013, at Euro108m.

UK: Matilda's Planet, a company that develops and manufactures domestic energy-saving products, is hoping to create 55 new jobs after launching its latest insulation system for solid-walled homes. Matilda's Planet said that it will be able to increase manufacturing capacity at its Kenfig Hill plant, near Port Talbot, following a multi-million euro investment backed by Euro565,472 business finance from the Welsh Government.

The extra capacity will be used to produce its Matilda's Blanket product, which was developed in-house using patented technology and is designed to insulate older stone or brick houses that have no cavity walls. It is estimated there are around eight million solid wall homes in the UK that have no insulation, while 34% of homes in Wales were built prior to 1919, before cavity walls became the norm.

Matilda's Blanket uses a slim-line modular panel system which differs from most existing products on the market. The material is stronger than traditional wallboard while each system is made-to-measure using computer-aided design, pre-fabricated and delivered in kit form, so a room can be fully fitted and decorated in a day. Matilda's Blanket has been tested and measured by organisations such as the National Physical Laboratory and the Energy Saving Trust and has been credited with cutting fuel bills typically by around 40%.

"We wanted to keep it in Wales and Welsh Government support ensured it was viable to do so," said David Evans, founder of Matilda's Planet. "We look forward to ramping up production, launching Matilda's Blanket and creating local jobs."

UK: Owens Corning, which operates an insulation plant in Selkirk, Scotland, plans to begin using a nearby warehouse within the next three months. The company is consolidating three smaller warehouses within 30km radius of the Selkirk insulation plant into the new West Yard Road warehouse, which will be operated by a third-party logistics company. The warehouse will employ about 20 people.

"It will simplify logistics and result in stronger service for our customers," said Chuck Hartlage, Owens Corning's spokesperson. "We will do this with an improved cost structure."

UK: More than Euro3.25m was issued to households through the new Green Deal Home Improvement Fund during the scheme's first week, which ran from 9 June 2014 to 15 June 2014, according to industry estimates. Some 1736 applications were made for the fund, which offers households in England and Wales up to Euro9494 cash back for making energy-efficient home improvements.

"We've changed the Green Deal to make it simpler and faster for people to make their homes more energy efficient," said Energy and Climate Change secretary Ed Davey. "Under the new incentive scheme domestic energy customers can get up to Euro1249 for installing two measures from an approved list and / or up to Euro7495 for installing solid wall insulation, in addition to up to Euro125 refunded for their Green Deal Assessment."

The scheme also entitles those who have bought a property in the 12 months prior to application to qualify for up to an additional Euro625 if they carry out energy-efficiency improvements.

UK: Advanced Insulation (AI) has acquired Manuplas, which specialises in the manufacture and supply of floatation and protection products for the global marine and offshore energy markets.

"The acquisition of Manuplas enhances AI's market diversification by providing further penetration into our existing offshore markets while simultaneously increasing our presence and breadth of product offerings in the marine sector," said AI's managing director Andrew Bennion. AI's turnover has increased from Euro3.68m in 2008 to Euro24.5m in 2013.

Manuplas has over 50 employees at its two manufacturing plants in Plymouth, Devon, the second of which was acquired in early 2013 to accommodate the increase in production of offshore products and to further improve general productivity. As a result of the acquisition, Manuplas has dissolved its commercial reseller and distribution agreements with Fendercare Marine.

UK: The Construction Products Association (CPA) has appointed John Sinfield as its new chairman. Sinfield is managing director of Knauf Insulation in Northern Europe. The CPA represents the Euro48.6bn-turnover UK construction products and materials sector.

Sinfield replaces Geoff Cooper, chief executive of Travis Perkins, in the role. Sinfield said, "Given all the political uncertainty over the coming year, with regulatory doubt over energy security, costs and carbon measures, we need manufacturing to be underpinned by a vibrant, long-term, cross-party industrial strategy which enables the UK to capture supply chain advantages for firms here in this country. I look forward to leading efforts to help bring key players together to find a way forward."

UK: A Salford housing association has begun a pilot project to trial a new type of party cavity wall insulation. The project will see the new mineral wool insulation fitted to separating walls between terraced and semi-detached houses in City West Housing Trust's properties in Greater Manchester, UK.

The housing association, which owns and manages 14,600 homes in Salford, is undertaking the project with Knauf Insulation using the company's ECOSE Technology, which creates insulation using formaldehyde-free binder technology and naturally occurring and recycled raw materials.

If the pilot is successful, customers could save Euro73 - 109/yr on their energy bills. Additionally, household carbon emissions will be reduced by between 0.33 - 0.50t/yr per home. The performance of the insulation will be monitored by Leeds Metropolitan University, the Mineral Wool Insulation Manufacturers Association and Knauf Insulation.

"Through our commitment to the green agenda we are ensuring our properties can be as energy efficient as possible and offer value for money for our customers," said City West head of supply chain and sustainability Garry Vaughan.

UK: Energy savings of 63% have been achieved following the installation of multiple Saint-Gobain systems in a world-first retrofit research project.

Saint-Gobain worked with the Energy House at Salford University, Greater Manchester, UK to prove that whole-house, fabric first retrofitting of homes can deliver significantly reduced energy costs, lower CO₂ emissions and remove 50% of air leakage.

The Energy House at Salford University is a typical 1919 terraced house that has been reconstructed in a fully environmentally controllable chamber, in which climatic conditions can be maintained, varied, repeated and patterns monitored. The type of building used in the study represents 21% of UK housing stock and is classed as a hard-to-treat property due to its poor energy efficiency derived from solid wall construction.

The Energy House at Salford University included Saint-Gobain systems from British Gypsum, Glassolutions, Isover and Weber to bring high levels of thermal efficiency. The approach of the project was to measure the whole-house performance post-installation using off-the-shelf Saint-Gobain systems and standard installation techniques, making the results repeatable across the UK's hard-to-treat housing stock.