Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

UK: Rockwool subsidiary Wetherby Wall Systems has launched SOQEL A2, an external wall insulation system for use below damp-proof course. The system integrates Rockwool’s Coverrock X-2 pre-coated insulation with Heck K+A SL coating and Heck CER mesh. Specification Online News has reported that the system complies with the A2-s1,d0 UK fire standard for buildings over 11m tall.

Technical director Joe Ragdale said “We have worked alongside our Rockwool sister company Heck in Germany to launch this innovative system into the UK market. This solution provides architects and contractors working on remediation projects with a compliant, durable, and efficient way to enhance building safety.”

UK: Denmark-based Rockwool has acquired external thermal insulation composite systems producer Wetherby Building Systems. Reuters has reported that the newly acquired company will now operate as part of Rockwool Wall Systems, under the name Wetherby Wall Systems. The integration parallels that of previous Rockwool acquisitions in other markets, like Fast Wall Systems in Poland and Heck Wall Systems in Germany.

Rockwool CEO Jes Munk Hansen said “The share of stone wool insulation in the Wetherby business has been growing steadily, and we will be completing this transition to a fully stone wool-based portfolio, as we have done in other markets in the past.” He added that this will advance Rockwool’s transformation of the construction sector towards non-combustible façades.

Wetherby Building Systems managing director Bob Deane said “There is a long-standing relationship between Wetherby and Rockwool, and the match is strong on all significant drivers.”

Spain: Knauf Ibérica has announced the launch of Etiks, a façade system comprised of Aquapanel Outdoor mineral wool and expanded polystyrene boards. Alimarket-Construcción News has reported that the system is compatible with Knauf ColorMix technology, enabling rapid on-site colouring of finishes or primers.

Product manager Isabel Gómez said "The external thermal insulation composite system is very interesting for refurbishing or constructing buildings for energy efficiency, greater comfort and savings in air conditioning."

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.

Spain: Norway-based BEWi has concluded a deal for the acquisition of an 80% stake in Aislamientos y Envases. Aislamientos y Envases operates three Spanish insulation plants, where it produces its expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation products, including boards for underfloor heating and panels for external thermal insulation composite systems.

BEWi CEO Christian Bekken said “Through this acquisition, we are expanding our geographic footprint into Spain, primarily within the market for insulation solutions." Bekken added "There is a huge need to make buildings in Europe more energy efficient, to reduce CO₂ and energy costs.”

France: Saint-Gobain says it has been preparing continuity plans for its gas-consuming insulation plants in Europe to ensure the flexibility of production to operate using less energy or that from alternative sources. Over half of its 25 insulation plants in Europe have an electricity-powered furnace and additional investments are being undertaken to use alternative power sources. The group noted that raw materials, freight and energy costs were growing, especially in Europe. It said that it had hedged around 80% of its natural gas and electricity purchasing needs for 2022 and around 60% for 2023.

The group’s sales grow by 14.5% on a like-for-like basis to Euro38.4bn in the first nine months of 2022 compared to Euro32.9bn in the same period in 2021. Strong sales growth was reported in all business lines although sales were driven in particular by the group’s High Performance Solutions business and its Asia-Pacific and North America regions.

By business segment the group said that businesses serving global construction customers in its High Performance Solutions division reported record sales. It added that they continued to benefit from strong trends in textile solutions for external thermal insulation systems (ETICS) due to demand for sustainable construction.

France: Saint-Gobain’s sales grew by 24.6% year-on-year to Euro22.1bn in the first half of 2021 from Euro17.8m in the same period in 2020. Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) nearly doubled to Euro3.25bn from Euro1.64bn. Both sales and earnings were also higher than the comparable period in 2019.

“These first-half 2021 record results surpass even our second-half 2020 performance. This success reflects the profound positive changes in our organisation from Transform & Grow,” said Benoit Bazin, chief executive officer of Saint-Gobain. “It also reflects structural changes in our markets, which should show an acceleration in growth over the coming years.”

The group added that it had integrated its Strikolith subsidiary into the main business. It acquired the Netherlands-based exterior insulation systems producer in late 2020.

Romania: France-based Saint-Gobain has acquired Duraziv, a producer of adhesives and other construction chemicals. The group said that the purchase would allow it to expand its range of interior and exterior finishing solutions. It also hopes the move will drive an improvement in the energy efficiency of buildings in Romania thanks to external thermal insulation solutions (ETICS) based on locally-produced stone wool and mortars. This latest addition follows the recent acquisition of Russia-based Adhesive Scientific and Production Company, a producer of polyurethane (PUR) and epoxy products.

France: Saint-Gobain’s third quarter results for 2020 for its High Performance Solutions division were supported by external thermal insulation products (ETICS). The group said that, “activities serving the construction Industry held up well in the nine-month period, and in the third quarter when sales were virtually stable thanks notably to ETICS.” Despite this sales decreased for the division in both the third quarter and the first nine months of 2020.

The building materials producer’s overall like-for-like sales fell by 7.2% year-on-year to Euro27.9bn in the first nine months of 2020 from Euro32.4bn in the same period in 2019. However, overall sales improved by 3.2% year-on-year to Euro10.1bn in the third quarter of 2020.

Netherlands: France-based Saint-Gobain has announced its acquisition of internal finishing and exterior insulation systems specialist Strikolith for an undisclosed price. Strikolith employs 50 people at its Raamsdonksveer, North Brabant plant and generated sales of Euro19.5m in 2019.

Saint-Gobain said, “The complementarity of Strikolith with Saint-Gobain's existing businesses enhances the group's solution offering and in particular allows it to strengthen its offering in External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS) and in construction chemicals in the Netherlands, reinforcing Saint-Gobain's leading position in energy-efficient renovation in Europe.”