Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

North America: The Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) recorded total polyurethane (PU) production of 4.1Mt in North America in 2023. US Political and Economic Organizations News has reported that applications contributing towards the growth included continuous insulation and spray foam for air barriers.

Director Jason Sloan noted market challenges due to ‘shifts in demand and availability for raw materials,’ but said that producers were adapting to the market dynamics.

US: Global cement producer Holcim has successfully acquired leading US independent spray foam producer SES Foam. SES Foam has a track record of double-digit growth and expects to record sales revenues of US$200m in 2022, according to Holcim. The group says that the producer stands out for its value-added services to contractors, including onsite technical instruction, business consulting, branding and lead generation support.

Global head of solutions and products Jamie Gentoso said “I warmly welcome all SES employees into the Holcim family. With SES’ leadership in thermal insulation, we are expanding our range of innovative systems for sustainable buildings, from roofing to insulation, to enhance buildings’ energy-efficiency. We look forward to entering our next era of growth together.”

US: Switzerland-based cement manufacturer Holcim has agreed to buy SES Foam for an undisclosed sum. The company manufactures spray foam insulation and roofing products. It had forecast net sales of US$200m in 2022. The transaction follows recent acquisitions Holcim in the light building materials market such as Firestone Building Products and Malarkey.

Jamie Gentoso, Head Solutions & Products at Holcim said, “This is another exciting step in the expansion of Solutions & Products, advancing our ‘Strategy 2025 – Accelerating Green Growth’. SES has a proven track record of growth and innovation in thermal insulation with a focus on more sustainable solutions, making them highly complementary to our roofing and insulation business.”

SES Foam was founded in 2009 and is based at Spring in Texas. Its SucraSeal product was the first sucrose-based spray foam insulation to be certified by the US Department of Agriculture for its high bio-based content.

US: Huntsman has reorganised its spray polyurethanes foam (SPF) insulation business, combining subsidiaries Demilec and Icyene-Lapolla under a new leadership team. The company has named as divisional presidents Simon Baker, who will oversee operations in Canada and fast-growing global markets, and Doug Kramer, who will be responsible for the United States. Huntsman polyurethanes president Tony Hankins said, “To bring the two businesses together as one enables Huntsman to provide an unmatched offering of open- and closed-cell insulation products and accelerates the globalisation of our SPF platform.”

US: Huntsman has acquired the spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation producer Icynene-Lapolla from an affiliate of FFL Partners for US$350m. Icynene-Lapolla operates production facilities in Houston, US, and Mississuaga, Canada and made sales in excess of US$200m in 2019. Huntsman chairman, president and CEO Peter Huntsman said, “This combination of companies will provide Huntsman with the largest global array of spray foam technology, integration of raw materials and associates, improving energy efficiency.”

US: Huntsman has announced an agreement to acquire Icynene-Lapolla, a North American manufacturer and distributor of spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation systems for residential and commercial applications, for US$350m from an affiliate of FFL Partners. Icynene-Lapolla operates two manufacturing facilities located in Houston, Texas and Mississauga, Ontario. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2020.

“I am delighted that Icynene-Lapolla is joining our downstream, high-growth MDI urethanes insulation business. Icynene-Lapolla is well recognised by architects, builders and contractors as a market leader in the manufacture and supply of high-performance, energy-efficient building envelope solutions,” said Tony Hankins, the president of Huntsman's Polyurethanes division. He added that the combination of Icynene-Lapolla, with its SPF product range and reflective roof coatings, with Demilec, the SPF business that Huntsman acquired in 2018, would ‘significantly’ strengthen its energy-saving insulation business.

US: Thermoseal has launched three new spray foam insulation products: Thermoseal 360, Thermoseal 800 and Thermoseal One. Thermoseal 360 is an ultra-high yield open cell spray foam insulation. Thermoseal 800 is a new ultra-high R-value open cell spray foam. Thermoseal One is an ultra-high yield, ultra high R-value, one pass, closed cell spray foam insulation. Thermoseal One has also passed the Hurricane Wind Uplift test, which means it is approved for use in Hurricane zones across the US.

Thermoseal manufactures polyurethane spray foam insulation, roofing, and other similar products for the residential, commercial and industrial construction industry.

US: Foam Systems has opened a new spray foam insulation plant at Norwalk in Connecticut. The producer claims it is the only such producer in New England. The company produces products including Thermoseal Spray Foam Insulation, Igloo Foam Insulation and others. It plans to open other plants across the US and provide private label services to other spray foam brands and to anyone who would like a private label spray foam insulation system.

“With the ever-changing environment in the spray foam industry given all the mergers and acquisitions, the only way to survive in the future is to open manufacturing locations across the US. We are fully committed to this effort and have multiple manufacturing facilities across the US under consideration” said Richard Ettinger, General Manager of Foam Systems.

US: Demilec has been awarded the 2018 Polyurethane Innovation Award at Polyurethanes Technical Conference in Atlanta by the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) of the American Chemistry Council (ACC). It won for its Heatlok HFO product, a two component, closed cell, spray applied, rigid polyurethane foam system. Other finalists included ICL-IP America, for its VeriQuelR100 phosphorus-based, reactive flame retardant product, and SWD Urethane, for its Quik-Shield 108YM open-cell spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation product.

US: Huntsman Corporation has acquired Demilec, a manufacturer and distributor of spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation systems for residential and commercial applications, from an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners for US$350m. The transaction is expected to close by the end of second quarter of 2018.

“Demilec has pioneered MDI SPF insulation and coating technologies for over 30 years, building a strong market reputation with architects, builders and designers. Demilec and the entire SPF industry has delivered strong double digit growth, which we expect to be sustained as their technology provides outstanding insulation performance in a world which is increasingly concerned with improving energy efficiency," said Tony Hankins, president of Huntsman's Polyurethanes division. He added that the company would be used to ‘aggressively’ expand the business into international markets.

Demilec has revenues of approximately US$170m/yr and two manufacturing plants located in Arlington, Texas and Boisbriand, Quebec where it produces a products from methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) based SPF formulations. It markets these directly to applicators as well as through distributors. Demilec specialises in both closed cell and open cell formulations, with a focus on products with renewable and recyclable content.