Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Canada: Icynene has launched two new light density spray foam insulation products: Icynene Classic Ultra and Icynene Classic Ultra Select. A key feature for the new products is the elimination the requirement to paddle mix by hand prior to application with the introduction of an expanding blade mixer. The insulation producer also says that the new products offer significantly better cohesion than existing Icynene open-cell spray foam insulation products. The foams can also be sprayed at drum temperatures from 15℃ for Icynene Classic Ultra and from 20℃ for Icynene Classic Ultra Select

“The introduction of Icynene Classic Ultra and Icynene Classic Ultra Select demonstrates our commitment to delivering customer-valued innovation in the insulation category. Sprayers no longer need to paddle mix the resin material or wait for the liquid to warm up, so they can quickly start spraying these two high quality, high yielding products,” said Mark Sarvary, president of Icynene.

US: Canada’s Icynene has offered to buy Houston-based Lapolla Industries for US$160m. Under the terms of the merger agreement Icynene will acquire all the outstanding shares of Lapolla. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals. Both companies produce polyurethane spray foam (SPF) insulation products.

"Icynene is thrilled to partner with Doug Kramer, the President and chief executive officer (CEO) of Lapolla, and his team as Icynene and Lapolla combine businesses to create an innovative leader in high yield SPF manufacturing and distribution," said Mark Sarvary, CEO of Icynene.

France: Icynene Europe, the European division of spray foam insulation manufacturer Icynene, has purchased Isolat France, a polyurethane insulation distributor. The acquisition will allow Icynene to sell light density spray foam insulation, obtain a Conformité Européene (CE) marking for spray foam insulation and to establish a presence in France.

“The acquisition reinforces Icynene’s commitment to growth within the European market with direct sales to contractors. Operating across two dozen European countries, Icynene Europe will now have a comprehensive product mix of open- and closed-cell spray foam insulation products that we will manufacture in Europe,” said Bertrand Lauret, Managing Director of Icynene Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

US: Lapolla Industries’ spray foam sales revenue increased by 21% year-on-year to US$41.7m in the first half of 2017 from US$34.4m in the same period in 2016. Overall its sales including its smaller coatings business rose by a similar amount and its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 7% to US$4.26m from US$3.98m. It attributed the result to increased uptake of spray foam insulation in the market.

Germany: BASF has launched an updated version of its Elastospray LWP spray foam insulation. The product has been changed to respond to European Union (EU) plans to reduce fluorinated gas emission by two-thirds by 2030. Hydrofluorocarbon blowing agents in the product have been replaced with more environmentally friendly alternatives.

US: Johns Manville’s Corbond open cell spray foam (oc SPF) has met the requirements for application without a prescriptive ignition barrier in sealed unoccupied attics for commercial and residential projects. The approval eliminates the need to apply a separate fire protective coating. The achievement is detailed in a code compliant research report, CCRR-1079, from Intertek.

“We are committed to providing the highest quality service and products to our customers, which is why we are constantly improving upon our broad range of insulation solutions,” said Bob Wamboldt, senior vice president and general manager of Insulation Systems at Johns Manville. “By optimising JM Corbond oc SPF to achieve new code compliance, we are helping our customers achieve performance goals in less time and with fewer materials.”

JM Corbond oc SPF is a two-component, low-density, non-structural insulation system designed for commercial, residential and industrial applications.

Saudi Arabia: Honeywell and Bayer Pearl are targeting the Saudi Arabian market with a spray foam system that uses a proprietary Honeywell liquid blowing agent.

“We are delighted that Bayer Pearl has formulated their new spray foam system with Solstice Liquid Blowing Agent and are encouraged that Saudi Arabian leaders are considering implementing these new technologies to further enhance their economy and society,” said Amir Naqvi, regional marketing leader at Honeywell Fluorine Products.

The announcement follows a workshop in Riyadh entitled ‘Sustainable Solutions for polyurethane Foam’ that has looked at organic insulation. In the wake of the Saudi 2030 Vision development plan it is anticipated that 1.5m new homes will be required in the country and energy demands will also grow. Demand for thermal insulation is expected to rise in line with this.

Middle East: Honeywell has joined hands with Bayer Pearl to introduce a new spray foam system in the Middle East region.

A joint venture between Bayer MaterialScience AG and Pearl Insulation Materials Industries, the company said that it will deploy the solstice liquid blowing agent (LBA) technology from Honeywell in its new polyurethane spray foam insulation to offer homeowners in the region excellent thermal insulation performance and reduced energy consumption with lower global-warming impact.

Honeywell and Bayer Pearl had developed the new polyurethane spray foam system using the new blowing agent to be the most economical and competitive when assessed by performance and overall cost effectiveness.

"This first application of a PU spray foam system with a fourth-generation blowing agent in a construction project in the UAE underlines Bayer Pearl's commitment to sustainability. We evaluated several options to meet the sustainability requirement of GWP less than 5 in the region and found foam with Solstice LBA to be the best solution," said Jose-Antonio Diaz-Lopez, the Head of Application Development at Bayer Pearl.

The Bayer Pearl spray foam insulation system has already been used in residential applications, with the system applied to the roofs of residential villas in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, UAE, by Water Seal. "As one of the leading spray insulation companies in UAE, we have experience using all types of foam blowing agents for spray foam," said Muhammad Asghar, Managing Director for Water Seal. "We have found Bayer Pearl's product with Solstice LBA to be the best available polyurethane spray foam solution in meeting sustainability requirements without compromising on insulating properties."

US: Bayer MaterialScience has appointed Bill Brengel as the general manager for the spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation and roofing materials business. In this role, Brengel will lead the sales, customer service, product and application development, and manufacturing groups with a focus on excellence and profitable growth.

Brengel has over 25 years of operations and business leadership experience in industries such as chemicals, plastics and building materials. He also has experience in business strategy and organisational growth and has led various business improvement initiatives. He holds a mechanical engineering degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a business degree from Coe College. He has served on a variety of boards and industry associations

"Bill has an excellent combination of strategy and process," commented Jerry MacCleary, President of Bayer MaterialScience NAFTA region. "His hands-on work ranges from production, to sales and marketing and overall health of the business. He is extremely goal oriented with a constant focus on quality. With his experience, Bill will be a champion for both our customers and our internal team."

US: Element Partners, a growth equity firm focused on investing in businesses providing innovative products, software and services to the energy and industrial markets, has executed a definitive agreement to sell Icynene to FFL Partners.

Established in 1986, Icynene manufactures and supplies spray foam insulation. In the past 25 years, more than 3Bnft² of Icynene spray foam insulation has been installed in nearly 500,000 residential and commercial projects.