Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Singapore: A team at Nanyang Technological University has developed new insulating tiles made of a wood-decaying fungus. Asia Research News has reported that the tiles have a hexagonal design and are textured to mimic elephant skin in order to maximise cooling. The wood component is bamboo microfibres, making the tiles entirely biodegradable. Singapore’s National Research Foundation and ETH Zurich funded the research.

Romania: Knauf Insulation România announced the start of operations at its new Târnăveni glasswool insulation plant in Mureș County on 22 January 2025. Transilvania Business News has reported that the plant will produce up to 75,000t/yr of insulation for local and export markets. Knauf Insulation România invested €140m in construction of the plant, which first commenced in March 2023. The producer acquired another, existing plant at the site in May 2022, investing €4m in its modernisation.

Knauf Europe, Middle East and Asia Regional CEO Dominique Bossan noted the growth of demand for insulation in South East Europe.

Russia: TechnoNICOL plans to invest US$1bn in automating logistics across its mineral wool plants by 2026. Russian-owned AK&M News has reported that the investments will go towards the installation of automated loading equipment and plant digital twins. This is expected to more than double labour productivity to 180,000m³/yr per worker. Plants scheduled for automation upgrades in 2025 include the Serpukhov and Chudov glasswool insulation plants.

TechnoNICOL’s total investments in automation and digitisation totalled US$2.75m in 2024.

Russia: TechnoNICOL and the Corporation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic (KRDV) have agreed to build a new US$29.3m, 400,000m³/yr stone wool insulation plant in Khabarovsk Krai. When commissioned in late 2026 or early 2027, the plant will be TechnoNICOL’s third in the krai and will employ 140 people. Russian-owned AK&M News has reported that surveys and design documentation for the plant are scheduled for submission in June 2025.

Ukraine: City authorities in Dnipro, Eastern Ukraine, have installed insulation in six blocks of flats under the national Energodim renovations programme. Business World Magazine News has reported that work is also underway at seven further blocks of flats. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development supplied loans for the renovations.

Dnipro lies 130km inside Ukraine’s front line against the on-going Russian invasion of the country.

Germany: Karl Bachl Kunststoffverarbeitung, a long-time distributor of Styrodur extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation, has entered into an agreement to acquire the producer from chemicals company BASF. Plastverarbeiter News has reported that Styrodur’s 50 employees will stay on at BASF. The deal is scheduled for completion by 30 June 2025.

World: AZOBuild has reported findings that the global aerogel insulation market will grow at an estimated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21% up to 2030. This would more than quadruple its total value, to US$3.8bn.