Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Germany: Insulation installation start-up Varm has secured €5.7m in seed funding to expand its operations across Europe. The round was led by Emerge and Pale Blue Dot, with contributions from Noa, Foundamental and previous investors.

CEO Christian Gruener said “We are building a scalable infrastructure for insulation. This funding will help us expand and innovate, making insulation more accessible and affordable for everyone.”

US: Continental Materials has appointed Ralph Bove as senior vice president strategy and growth. The company newly created the role for Bove, as part of its efforts to enhance its national presence in roofing distribution. Bove’s background includes both branch and executive management levels in national and regional independent roofing distribution. Continental Materials says that his leadership will help to ensure the continuous improvements needed to meet current and future demand and changes in the roofing industry. Continental Materials produces fibre insulation boards for roofing, alongside other materials for roofing systems.

President and CEO Peter Fischer said "We are excited to make this addition to our team. Ralph's experience in the roofing distribution business and his vast industry knowledge makes him a strong asset as we continue to expand our business and product offerings nationally. With the addition of Ralph and his professional capabilities, we continue to show our commitment to the industry with strategic growth and additional support for our valued customers."

North America: Wood fibre insulation producer TimberHP has entered into a North American distribution contract with CertainTeed. Under the contract, CertainTeed will distribute TimberHP’s products across North America, including as its exclusive distributor in Canada. When fully launched, the offering will include TimberHP’s loose fill, batt and rigid board insulation.

CertainTeed Canada CEO Julie Bonamy said "Driven by our purpose of making the world a better home, this exclusive partnership with TimberHP enhances the sustainable solutions we are bringing to our stakeholders throughout Canada."

TimberHP CEO Joshua Henry said "It is a huge vote of confidence in our technology and our team at TimberHP to partner with a brand as innovative and impactful as CertainTeed. It is essential that we mould the future of construction to be exceptionally easy, effective, energy-efficient and sustainable, and we look forward to addressing those industry needs together."

New Zealand: Germany-based building products and systems producer Sto has concluded a deal to acquire its New Zealand distribution partner Stoanz. Sto says that it expects to complete the acquisition on 1 April 2024.

Sto is the market leader in external wall insulation systems in New Zealand. Its other products and services include façade elements and concrete repairs.

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.

Australia: Malaysia-based PGF Capital is preparing to open three distribution centres at Brisbane, Perth and Sydney. The mineral wool insulation producer set up its new regional headquarters in Melbourne in the third quarter of 2022, according to the New Straits Times newspaper. The site at Brisbane is set to become fully operational in March 2023, the site in Perth in May 2023 and the site in Sydney is expected to be operational in the third quarter of 2023.

The expansion drive is part of a project to grow its business in Oceania. Another market that the company is targeting is South Korea. PGF Capital and its subsidiary PGF Insulation said it has started making modifications to its production line at Perai in Penang to meet the local market requirements. it plans to start supplying insulation products to the country later in 2023.

UK: Insulation distributor Galaxy Insulation & Dry Lining has opened a new depot in North Shields, Tyne and Wear. Business Desk has reported that the company selected the location for the 3440m² to better serve customers in the North East of England. It currently employs 225 people across its eight locations in South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Merseyside, West Midlands, Bedfordshire and Greater London. Stephen Mann will direct operations at the new facility.

Managing director Tracy Shepherd said, “We have always wanted a presence in the North East but knew it was vital to have a local team with the right experience and understanding of what customers in the area expect. We are certain we now have the right team, led by Stephen, to deliver the competitiveness, expertise and service that the businesses in the area deserve.” He added, “Our model is to keep things as simple as possible so the team on the ground have everything they need to provide the best customer service possible.”

Canada: CertainTeed Canada has started a multi-year partnership with CanWel Building Materials for the distribution of glass mineral wool insulation products via CanWel’s networks. CanWel has added CertainTeed’s insulation products to its Lumber, Building Materials channel. CanWel has its headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia and it distributes a range of building materials, lumber, and renovation products.

France: Saint-Gobain has announced the sale of its subsidiary Civil Engineering Materials Distribution (DMTP) to Frans Bonhomme Group on 29 November 2019 for Euro70m. This brings the total value of Saint-Gobain’s 2019 divestments to Euro3.3bn. It has stated that it will proceed with the sale of its assets, in spite of having exceeded its target of Euro3.0bn before 1 January 2020.

Canada: Germany’s Evonik has appointed Canadian chemical distributor of specialty raw materials, Emco-Inortech, as its national distributor for the polyurethane coatings, adhesives and sealants and elastomers (CASE) market in Canada. Emco-Inortech is based in Terrebonne, Quebec with regional public warehousing throughout the country.

“Polyurethane is a versatile material ideally suited for a wide range of CASE applications and with Emco-Inortech knowledge of the local CASE markets, we hope to further develop our Canadian business,” said Peter Hohl, Vice President Americas, Comfort & Insulation, Evonik.