Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

UK: Insulation specialist Celotex is set to launch its 'Insulating Scotland' campaign on 28 September 2015 when the company's custom designed campervan begins a Scotland roadshow.

Aiming to educate architects, contractors and their distribution partners to simplify their route to regulatory compliance, the 'Insulating Scotland' campaign will see Celotex travel around Scotland to deliver a series of technical clinics.

"Our 'Insulating Scotland' campaign will ensure that industry professionals across Scotland can easily access all they need to know about the new Section 6 Building Regulations," said Paul Evans, head of marketing at Celotex. "With further reductions in CO₂ emissions required for Scotland, Celotex product and service solutions will continue to help simplify compliance to these new levels."

The two-week roadshow will see the Celotex team travelling to a number of locations across Scotland. To minimise the environmental impact, Celotex has implemented a series of initiatives to offset more CO₂ emissions than released, ensuring the campervan tour is carbon positive.

Singapore: Insulation foams producer Armacell has been recognised for its pioneering initiative on environmental certification in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. The recognition came from UL Environment, which presented Armacell with an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Certification during a workshop on Indoor Air Quality and Environmental Product Declarations.

Lisa Meier, UL Environment vice president and global general manager, acknowledged Armacell as the first company to receive EPDs from UL Environment in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. Stephen Hodson, general manager of marketing APAC, said that, "The EPDs are highly important for providing product information to designers of green buildings in Asia."

Armacell's latest EPDs cover seven premium products that are sold across the Asia Pacific region. The initiative, said Armacell's technical manager for APAC Peter Cheng, makes Armacell the first insulation company to receive EPDs from UL Environment in APAC.

Demand for EPDs is growing in response to a change in green building guidelines and design practices. The US Green Building Council's LEED green building programme is now placing emphasis on life cycle assessment (LCA) based environmental reporting and transparency, rewarding points for the use of products with EPDs and LCAs as part of the Material and Resources (MR) Credits. Outside of the US, four of the top ten countries for LEED-certified buildings are in the APAC region: India, China, Korea and Taiwan.

US: GLT Products has announced its expansion into the Gulf Coast Region with the addition of new production plants in La Porte, Texas. The new building and facilities will be under the GLT Fabricators name.

The new plant will enable GLT Fabricators to meet the North American demand for ASTM standard industrial insulation solutions and products. Additionally, the company will offer a number of V-Groove pipe insulation choices, which is new to the GLT Products Company. GLT Fabricators will also offer other fabricated pipe insulation products, including:Pipe covering - 90º elbows, 45º elbows, tees and curved segments; Cellular glass; Extruded polystyrene; Mineral wool; Polyisocyanurate; Phenolic. 

"We needed new production facilities closer to our customers and end users. The inherent advantages of being able to meet tight delivery deadlines will help reduce our fabrication cost and lead-times. We needed a plan for 2015 and beyond to address the growth forecast we are predicting," said Timothy F Scott, president of GLT Fabricators.

Poland: Petralana has completed the construction of a mineral wool plant in Bytom. The plant will employ almost 200 people and produce 41,000t/yr of mineral wool.

US: USI, a national construction services provider of installed insulation and related services to builders, contractors and homeowners, has announced the acquisition of Smith Insulation, a Louisburg, North Carolina-based full-line insulation services contractor.

Founded in 1979 by Timothy Smith, family-run Smith Insulation has shown steady growth. The company employs approximately 35 personnel and serves the Raleigh, Durham and Roanoke Rapids markets. After closing, Smith will become branch manager and Duane Smith will maintain his current role as production manager.

In addition to the North Carolina markets served by Smith Insulation, USI has an existing branch serving western North Carolina and parts of Virginia. "We are excited how this acquisition further increases our presence in North Carolina," said Bill Varner, president and CEO of USI. "Bringing Smith's expertise, valued people and assets to USI is a significant opportunity for us. We expect a smooth transition and enhanced value for both our current and future customers."

"Joining forces with USI provides us with a whole new level of resources. USI shares our values of teamwork, trust and integrity that are so crucial in a relationship-driven industry. Our combined best practices and focus on service leaves me very optimistic about the future," said Timothy Smith.