Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

UK: Knauf Insulation plans to upgrade two of its glass wool insulation plants in the UK at a cost of Euro53.7m. The upgrades consist of a packaging equipment upgrade at the Cwmbran, Torfaen, insulation plant and the replacement of the furnace and connected equipment at its St Helens, Merseyside, insulation plant, as well the acquisition of land adjacent to the latter from NSG Group. As a result of its upgrade, the Cwmbran plant will begin producing insulation slabs as well as rolls and blowing wool. The company said that the investments are a response to anticipated glass wool insulation demand growth on the back of the government’s Future Homes Standard energy efficiency policy.

Managing director Neil Hargreaves said “This series of investments will boost capacity as well as improve the range, availability and sustainability of our products.”

US: CertainTeed plans to invest US$32m in a capacity-expanding upgrade to its Chowchilla, California, glass wool insulation plant. The producer will install a new furnace, kiln and oxygen generation unit at the facility. It says that the upgrade will increase the plant’s capacity by 13% and reduce its carbon footprint by 4000t/yr.

US: Saint-Gobain plans to invest a total of US$400m in expansions to its operations including insulation operations at four US sites. The group says that the sites are located in California and the Southeastern US. It said that the new capacities will apply the most advanced available technologies for industrial performance, safety and sustainability. This will reduce waste by 50% and CO2 emissions by 20% from current levels, according to the company.

Saint-Gobain said it hopes that the investments will strengthen its leadership in North America and accelerate its growth in the region by enriching its comprehensive range of solutions for light and sustainable construction.

Russia: Rockwool plans to install a new mineral wool production line at its Vyborg insulation plant in Leningrad oblast. The producer says that the expanded plant will have 50% lower CO₂ emissions than before the expansion due to an efficiency increasing upgrade to its melting technology.

Rockwool plans to invest Euro200m in expansions and efficiency improving upgrades in Russia ‘in the coming years,’ creating 70 new jobs.

Africa: UAE-based BCI Holding plans to expand its polyurethane (PUR) plant in Egypt. Arab Finance News has reported that the company also intends to establish to new PU plants, in Algeria and Nigeria. For the realisation of these plans, it will partly rely on a US$30.0m financing package from the International Finance Corporation. The PU supplier expects the moves to generate 80 new direct jobs. It said its strategy aims to combat poverty and create jobs by supporting the growth of the private sector in the Middle East and Africa. It added that the new plants will also help strengthen regional integration and technology transfer, and the development of regional supply chains.

Poland: Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki says that his government will spend Euro7.2bn on measures to reduce air emissions including financing home insulation. Other measures in the programme include support for ‘green’ heating system, according to Radio Poland. The announcement follows the government’s support for a bill in March 2018 banning low-quality coal for domestic use.

According to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), 33 of Europe's 50 most polluted cities are in Poland. The WHO estimates that around 50,000 citizens die each year due to air pollution-related conditions.

Ireland/US: Ireland’s Kingspan has invested US$10m to buy a minority stake in Invicara, US-based a provider of software for the construction industry. Invicara has developed products that integrate with Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology, allowing collaboration between partners on construction projects such as architects, engineers and contractors. Louise Foody, Kingspan's Director of Digital and Brand, and Mike Stenson, Head of Innovation at Kingspan, will also join Invicara’s board of directors.

"For manufacturers of building systems and solutions, digitalisation enabled by technologies like BIM is a game changer. At Kingspan, we aim to leverage digital technologies to further align our offerings with our customer's needs and more efficiently collaborate with owners, designers, and contractors at every stage of the building lifecycle," said Foody.

BIM Assure, the first product built on the Invicara platform allows owners to access, validate, and report on model data. The product is currently in use on projects in North America, Ireland, the UK, Australia and Singapore.

UK: Belgium’s Recticel plans to invest at least Euro20m towards increasing its production capacity by at least 50% of rigid polyurethane foam (PIR) panels for thermal insulation for the construction market. Start of production is planned for the third quarter of 2018. The polyurethane foam producer plans to take advantage of stricter insulation standards and regulations, higher energy prices and the growing market awareness for the product.

“This investment is consistent with the growth strategy of our Insulation business. It brings substantial additional production capacity to enable Recticel to continue to serve its customers in the United Kingdom and to grow with them,” said chief executive officer Olivier Chapelle.