Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

US: Germany-based Knauf Insulation celebrated the 45th anniversary of its US operations earlier in November 2023. The producer first entered the market following its acquisition of the Shelbyville glass wool insulation plant in Indiana in 1978. It has since grown its business from 450 employees at the Shelbyville plant to 1600 employees across six different sites.

Knauf North America CEO Matt Parrish said “Our commitment to innovation and sustainability has been a driving force behind our continued success and we are excited for what the future holds. As we look ahead, we will continue to prioritise our employees, customers, and the communities we serve, with a focus on creating innovative solutions that shape the way we live and build."

Slovenia: Knauf Insulation has celebrated the 60th anniversary of its Škofja Loka mineral wool plant. The plant originally opened in 1958 under the Termika brand. The company also opened the Knauf Insulation Experience Center (KIEXC), a sustainable building showcase. KIEXC will be used to provide an educational base for the latest construction techniques, energy advisory consultations and training.

“Thanks to Škofja Loka’s pioneering research and development we are the cutting edge of innovative solutions such as sandwich panels, fire-resistant rock mineral wool systems and domestic appliance insulation,” said Jean-Claude Carlin, president of the board of Knauf Insulation.

US: Knauf Insulation has celebrated its 40th anniversary in the US. ‘Knauftoberfest’ featured German-themed music, costumes, foods and beers, according to the Shelbyville News newspaper. The German company has its US headquarters in Shelbyville and it started local operations in 1978. At present Knauf operates multiple facilities in the US and it employs around 1900 workers.

US: The Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Association International (RIMA) is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Don Roy of Roy & Son’s, Pat Mascari of Infra and Robert Dittemore of Superior first met in Los Angeles in 1978 to discuss forming a trade association for their industry. An invitation to attend the DOE/FTC hearings on insulation products to represent reflective insulation in Washington DC followed in 1979 with RIMA member Raymond Urias of AIM also joining.

Later, RIMA became an internal association in 2007 with a meeting held in Paris, France. This led to the formation of the International Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Conference (I-RIM Conference).

RIMA-I members represent the association and the industry ASTM Standards, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), ICC and IBC participating in code development and changes and participating in meetings and code hearings throughout the year.