Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Finland: CVC Capital Partners has acquired Paroc Group for about Euro700m. Paroc produces stone wool insulation in the Nordic and Baltic regions, has approximately 2100 employees and a pan-European sales presence supported by nine production facilities in Finland, Sweden, Lithuania, Poland and Russia.

In a successful 5-year period under the ownership of its current shareholder group, Paroc has grown its revenues from Euro317m in 2009 to Euro433m in 2013 and EBITDA from Euro46m to Euro80m, which has been achieved through organic growth. The development of the group’s higher-value, higher-margin technical insulation division, aided by investment in the group’s production plant in Trzemeszno, Poland, has represented one of the group’s success stories during this period. Most recently, Paroc has invested in a new facility in Izoplit, Russia, enabling the expansion of existing sales into the rapidly growing Russian market.

“The last five years have been successful, especially given the challenging economic backdrop and we are grateful to our former owners for their support during this period,” said Kari Lehtinen, CEO of Paroc. “We see a strong future for our business, with recovery in many of our markets expected in the coming years, and with our presence in the fast-growing Russian market. We look forward to taking Paroc forward in close cooperation with CVC, which is supportive of our strategy. CVC offers us a depth of experience and a strong track record with value-creating investments, expertise in the building materials sector and in the Nordic region. We are excited to share with CVC the next phase of our growth.”

The transaction has been approved by Paroc’s current shareholder group and the completion of the transaction is subject only to the receipt of customary competition clearances.

US: Unifrax Corp, a producer of ceramic fibre insulation materials, is getting 3.3MW of low-cost hydropower from the New York Power Authority for a pair of expansion projects in the Town of Tonawanda, New York. The work is expected to create 75 new jobs.

The low-cost electricity, about 40% below wholesale power prices, is in addition to US$1.4m in tax credits that the company could receive through the State’s Excelsior Jobs Programme and US$2.5m in tax breaks approved earlier in 2014 by the Erie County Industrial Development Agency.

In one project, Unifrax plans to spend US$18m to build and equip a new 76,000ft² manufacturing plant in the North Youngmann Commerce Centre, a business park next to its current operations. The IDA in August 2014 approved US$1.2m in tax breaks for the expansion project, which Unifrax will use to expand production of polycrystalline fibre that it currently produces in Japan. The company, which needs more capacity for that product, had considered options such as expanding the Japanese plant or building a new plant at one of its other sites before settling on the Tonawanda site. 

In July 2014 the IDA approved US$1.27m in tax breaks for a separate US$33m project in Tonawanda that involved acquiring facilities on Fire Tower Drive that the company already leased, as well as building a new facility there and installing machinery and equipment.

US: Unifrax Corp, a producer of ceramic fibre insulation materials, is getting 3.3MW of low-cost hydropower from the New York Power Authority for a pair of expansion projects in the Town of Tonawanda, New York. The work is expected to create 75 new jobs.

The low-cost electricity, about 40% below wholesale power prices, is in addition to US$1.4m in tax credits that the company could receive through the State’s Excelsior Jobs Programme and US$2.5m in tax breaks approved earlier in 2014 by the Erie County Industrial Development Agency.

In one project, Unifrax plans to spend US$18m to build and equip a new 76,000ft² manufacturing plant in the North Youngmann Commerce Centre, a business park next to its current operations. The IDA in August 2014 approved US$1.2m in tax breaks for the expansion project, which Unifrax will use to expand production of polycrystalline fibre that it currently produces in Japan. The company, which needs more capacity for that product, had considered options such as expanding the Japanese plant or building a new plant at one of its other sites before settling on the Tonawanda site. 

In July 2014 the IDA approved US$1.27m in tax breaks for a separate US$33m project in Tonawanda that involved acquiring facilities on Fire Tower Drive that the company already leased, as well as building a new facility there and installing machinery and equipment.

New Zealand: Fletcher Building has forecast an upturn in earnings as it moves to triple the pace of home building in New Zealand and is involved in a pilot social housing project with the government in Christchurch. The company told shareholders at its annual general meeting that full-year operating earnings in the 2015 financial year could rise by as much as 11% to US$650-690m, compared to US$624m in the 2014 financial year.

US: Owens Corning, a producer of fibreglass reinforcements for composite systems, is building a new advanced technology facility in Gastonia, North Carolina, that will help meet demand for bio-based products. The new, state-of-the-art equipment will add manufacturing flexibility to produce different widths of the company's new Sustaina® non-woven fibreglass fabric. This will enable more customers to use the product in their applications.

Sustaina surfacing and reinforcing glass non-wovens were introduced to the European market in June 2013. The Sustaina solution uses a bio-based binder system with high tensile strength performance and does not contain any formaldehyde. The new plant will be able to produce 4m widths of Sustaina fabric, rather than the narrower width currently produced on existing assets.

"Building a new site is a great opportunity for us to install the newest, most advanced manufacturing technology," said Steven Vermeulen, vice president and managing director, Engineered Solutions. "The line is designed to facilitate the highest level of quality and efficiency and the flexibility to produce the wider veil will help us to get better yields and reduce waste." Sustaina fabric is designed for use in residential and commercial building applications, like cushion vinyl flooring, ceiling backings and insulation facers.