Denmark: Rockwool Group has become a founding member of a new cross-political network ‘Energy Solutions’ between business and members of the European Parliament. The new networking group is intended to build links between political groups and industry when discussing common policy options to meet the EU 2030 energy and climate ambitions as part of the European Energy Union.

Energy Solutions was started by Morten Helveg Petersen, Vice President to the European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE Committee) and a member of the European Parliament, together with founding members from four different political groups in the European Parliament and member states including Angelika Niebler, Miroslav Poche, Ian Duncan and Mr. Claude Turmes. Industry is represented by companies such as 3M, DONG Energy, Danfoss, GE, Grundfos, EDF, EoN, Microsoft, Panasonic, the Rockwool Group, Schneider Electric, Siemens, Velux and Vestas.

India: Jindal Mectec will inaugurate its new US$11m polyurethane foam (PUF) panel plant on 5 April 2016. The plant in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh will have a production capacity of 1.8Mm². State chief minister Shivraj Singh will officially inaugurate the site.

"The new plant set up with a capital outlay of US$11m is built on a 10-acre plot. It is based on the latest European technology to manufacture insulated PUF panels for the refrigerated and industrial buildings segment, using an ozone friendly process," said Jindal Mectec Chairman Pawan Jindal.

The new plant is intended to meet the needs of industrial customers in central and western India. The plant will employ 150 people when fully operational.

UAE: Kingspan Kooltherm and Kingspan KoolDuct products have ben awarded Dubai Central Laboratory (DCL) Product Conformity certification. The insulation products were manufactured at Kingspan’s plant in Pembridge, UK. DCL Product Conformity ensures that manufactured products adhere to requirements set by the Dubai Municipality.

"Having DCL Product Conformity means that the the Kooltherm range and KoolDuct products, alongside the PalDuct portfolio, carry the maximum potential for specification within projects across Dubai," said Sarmad Fakhri, managing director of Kingspan Insulation to Construction Week Online.

China: China National Building Material Company's (CNBM) net profit has fallen by 83% year-on-year to US$157m in 2015. Its revenue fell by 17.8% to US$15.4bn. China's largest cement producer has blamed the loss of profits on a steep drop in cement sales due to a national slowdown in fixed-asset investments, infrastructure construction and real estate investments.

The state-owned building materials company also produces gypsum wallboard, insulation materials and ceiling systems. Revenue from the sale of lightweight building materials fell by 7.6% to US$1.09bn as the price of gypsum wallboard fell. However, revenue from mineral wool insulation sales and composite materials rose by 25.3% to US$501m due to increased sales of pipes, tanks and rotor blades.