Malaysia: PGF Insulation, a Penang based glass wool manufacturer, has completed its two phase plant upgrade. Starting in 2010, the plant has undergone a plant upgrade that involved changing its curing oven, fiberising technology, melting furnace and adding a new production line. The upgraded plant has a capacity of 20,000t/yr.

PGF says that the increased capacity is needed to cater for the expected growth in Asia Pacific, the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East due to increased awareness of energy efficiency and of the benefits of mineral wool insulation.

Other than the traditional building application, the plant is also able to mass produce superior quality glass wool for Vacuum Insulation Panels.

US: Owens Corning has announced its receipt of UL-certified ISO compliant Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for its Unfaced and Kraft-Faced EcoTouch^(R) PINK^(R) FIBERGLAS^(TM) Insulation with PureFiber^(R) Technology and its Unbonded LooseFill Insulation. An EPD is an internationally-recognised, standardised tool that reports the environmental impact of goods or services.

An industry first for fibreglass building insulation in North America, the EPDs describe the environmental impact of the insulation products based upon an established set of product category rules and independently verified life cycle assessment (LCA) data from cradle-to-grave. Through the LCA process, products are evaluated on several parameters including raw material production and transportation, product manufacturing and plant operations, product packaging, transportation and distribution of the insulation products and end of life impact.

"The UL-certified EPDs for our EcoTouch^(R) Unfaced and Kraft-Faced Batts and Unbonded LooseFill Insulation reflect our commitment to sustainability and our pledge to be transparent about our products' environmental performance through certification by credible third parties," said Gale Tedhams, director of sustainability for Owens Corning. "The EPDs are a valuable tool, providing the next-level of product information for architects, builders and specifiers to help them meet certain criteria for green building and make sustainable purchasing decisions."

Owens Corning's new EPDs underline insulation as a key contributor to a building's overall energy-efficiency, helping to reduce the energy required to maintain a comfortable living or work environment. Typically, insulation saves 12 times as much energy in its first year in place as the energy used to produce it. That means that the energy consumed during manufacturing is saved during the first four to five weeks of product use.

Egypt: GlassRock Insulation Company, part of regional mining platform Ascom, has reported the successful completion of the commissioning phase of its new production line for glass wool. The new production line will produce 20,000t/yr of glass wool increasing the plant's total production to 50,000t/yr, of which 30,000t/yr is mineral wool.

"We are exceptionally proud to be manufacturing these strategic insulation materials, which can be used as both residential thermal insulation and as acoustic insulation. Our products can help to significantly reduce the impact of the energy crisis that Egypt is currently facing," said chief executive officer Bechir Dardour. According to Dardour the glass wool insulation that will be produced in GlassRock's Sadat City Free Zone plant is being manufactured principally with local materials.

In September 2012 GlassRock announced the launch of its first mineral wool production line. The company is now targeting exports to key markets in Europe, North Africa, the Gulf Cooperation Countries and Turkey.

US: Johns Manville (JM), a Berkshire Hathaway company and global building products manufacturer, has announced that Todd Raba, its president and CEO, will relinquish his position with the company. Effective 13 November 2012, Mary Rhinehart will be the new president and chief executive officer of JM.

"I thank Todd for his leadership. He has worked diligently during a tough economic environment to effectively position the company for future success. Todd spent the last five years focusing on positioning JM for the future and I thank him for the work he did in moving the business forward," commented Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.

Rhinehart is currently the senior vice president and chief financial officer of JM. She has been with the company since 1979. Her background includes management and bottom-line responsibility for a business unit, global treasury and strategic business development, including directing a variety of acquisition activities. She has held finance leadership roles in most of JM's businesses. Additionally, during her career at JM, Rhinehart has had responsibility for compensation, benefits management, community relations, global supply chain and organisational planning.

Rhinehart has spent her long and successful career focusing on the interests of JM employees and customers. "I am proud to have worked for this great company for over 30 years," she said. "Throughout it all we have succeeded as a company due to our people and the powerful relationships we have with our customers. I am excited about this new opportunity and am committed to continuing to move us forward. JM is a great company. We could not have a better owner than Berkshire Hathaway and I could not have a better role model than Warren Buffett."

Buffett added, "Mary is exactly the CEO we like to hire. She is passionate, smart and she truly cares about JM customers and employees. She'll add tremendous value to JM going forward, and I couldn't be more enthused to have her taking on this role after all that she's already accomplished at JM."