Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Malaysia: Knauf Insulation APAC’s Johor Bahru mineral wool plant has made its first export of unfaced glass wool to Japan. The company said that it has obtained Certification for Japanese Industrial Standards and is now able to begin supplying customers in that market. The 75,000t/yr Johor Bahru plant officially opened in mid-2022. However, the unit reportedly started export glass wool products to Australia in 2021.

Spain/Portugal: Knauf Insulation Iberia met its company growth objective of 5% year-on-year growth in 2019, a year in which it supplied two major developments: the Government of Catalonia’s administrative complex and the VP Plaza Hotel in Madrid. The latter won the US Green Building Council (GBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certificate, the first hotel to achieve this certification.

Interempresas News has reported that the focus of Knauf Insulation Iberia’s strategy in 2020 will be on maintaining its leadership in the sustainable building sector and in the search for products and solutions aimed at zero energy consumption building conversions and construction. Knauf Insulation Iberia CEO Oscar del Rio said, “Bearing in mind the economic uncertainty derived from the coronavirus crisis, our objective will be to maintain our penetration objectives.”

The company’s growth in 2018 was 10%.

US: The North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) has awarded R-Value Certification to Johns Manville’s fiberglass batt and narrow roll insulation products. NAIMA’s R-Value Certification program is a voluntary program that allows manufacturers to certify that the R-values for their products comply with the thermal performance requirements of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Home Insulation Rule. The have been tested by an independent, third party laboratory and meet the thermal performance required by the FTC. As per the FTC requirements, materials are tested using a standardised test method designed by ASTM International, an organisation that establishes internationally recognised test methods and standards.

US: Rockwool’s Comfortboard stone wool insulation product has been certified by the California State Fire Marshall’s Building Materials Listing (BML) Program. The product is resistant to fire up to 1175˚C and has a 0/0 Smoke Development and Flame Spread rating. The BML Program certifies products based upon an evaluation of test results that include an analysis of required product performance and reliability features. The testing was completed with a State Fire Marshall (SFM) accredited laboratory.

“This listing supports our continued commitment in the promotion of fire safe building practices and helps us deliver on products that will help architects and builders meet the California Title 24 thermal and Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) requirements,” said Mark Bromiley, Vice President of Marketing & Business Development, Rockwool (North America).

US: Owens Corning has received R-value certification across all its fibreglass and mineral wool batts and rolls sold in the US. This validation was awarded from the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) following testing and validation by an accredited third-party laboratory.

Under the program, Owens Corning agreed to have a random selection of products regularly tested to verify compliance with the thermal performance requirements of the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) ‘Labeling and Advertising of Home Insulation’ (16 CFR Part 460) regulation.

The R-value certification represents the latest in third-party verification Owens Corning has earned across its insulation product portfolio. It will be visible on its packaging later in 2019.

UK: Knauf Insulation’s Earthwool RainScreen Slab product has been certified by the British Board of Agrément (BBA) for use in high-rise residential applications. The BBA certification follows the December 2018 update to Approved Document B, which mandates the use of non-combustible materials achieving a Euroclass Reaction to Fire Classification of A1 or A2 s1-d0 in the external walls of certain buildings over 18m in height.

“Non-combustible insulation is the best choice for architects, specifiers and contractors as it will not contribute to the development or spread of fire” said Steve Smith, Head of Product Management and Business Intelligence at Knauf Insulation.

South Korea: FM Global has approved LG Hausys’ phenolic foam as fire-protective by global standards. The US-based mutual insurance company granted Factory Mutual Approval on criteria testing fire-resistance for ceiling boards and wall panels for the insulation product, according to the Korea Herald newspaper. LG Hausys started producing phenolic foam insulation board in 2013. In May 2018 it opened a second production line at its Cheongju plant in North Chungcheong Province. A third production line is scheduled to be completed by early 2020.

Australia: Kingspan Insulation has implemented an integrated management system (IMS) into insulation plant in Somerton. The system has been adopted to comply with ISO 9001, 14001, 45001 and 50001. The site was audited by SAI Global in July 2017 where it received certification as compliant to all four targeted ISO standards.

Germany: BASF has adopted the voluntary Keymark certification scheme for its Styrodur insulation boards made from extruded polystyrene (XPS). The decision follows the decision by the German government to drop the Ü mark for harmonised building products in late 2016. BASF has decided to use Keymark scheme to show that the product has been approved for use in Germany. It is a voluntary product certification awarded by Din Certco, a TÜV Rhineland company in cooperation with the German Institute for Standardisation (DIN).

Belgium: Ursa’s plant in Desselgem has gained ISO 140001 certification for the design, production and sales of glass wool insulation. The international standard specifies all the necessary requirements to establish an Environmental Management System, which will aid the environmental performance of the company. In addition the certification allows the company’s products to be sold more easily in the UK as they can now be readily specified in buildings being assessed under BREEAM, the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method.