Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

US: Demand for insulation in the US is forecast to rise by 7.8%/yr to reach US$8.9bn in 2016, according to a new report by the Freedonia Group. The report says that the advance will be driven by a rebound in building construction expenditures from a depressed 2011 base. Further growth will be spurred by changes in building codes and continuing consumer interest in reducing energy consumption and utility bills. It also says that home and building owners will add or upgrade insulation to achieve these goals.

Freedonia says that the residential market will post the most rapid gains until 2016, advancing at a double-digit pace as housing starts to rebound. Moreover, builders will construct homes with larger amounts of insulation to make them more desirable to potential buyers. Residential insulation demand will also be supported by the attic re-insulation and home improvement and replacement markets. Insulation demand in the non-residential market will reportedly also see solid advances. Rebounding non-residential building construction expenditures, particularly in the office and commercial segments, will promote gains.

Fibreglass insulation accounted for the largest share of insulation demand in 2011 with 48%. The report says that fibreglass insulation will remain the market leader in 2016, with demand rising by 8.1%/yr to US$4.4bn. Growth will be spurred by a rebound in the residential market.

Demand for foamed plastic insulation, which accounted for the second largest share of the market in 2011, is expected to rise by 7.3%/yr to US$3.9bn in 2016. Advances will be driven by the rebound in building construction spending.

Demand for radiant barrier and reflective insulation is anticipated to grow by 8.7%/yr to US$190m in 2016. The rebounding housing market will boost demand, with further gains supported by increases in industrial and non-residential building construction spending. Growth will be concentrated in the south and west of the country regions, as structures in those regions are more often exposed to sunlight.

UK: Roofing and insulation materials supplier SIG has returned to profit but it warned that its UK business is beginning to feel the bite of government austerity cuts.

The Sheffield-based group reported pre-tax profits of Euro9m in the year to 31 December 2011, compared to losses of Euro97m in 2010, as it outperformed its markets and benefited from restructuring. In the UK and Ireland, sales increased by 3.6% despite it reducing branch numbers by 34 to 330, as trade was boosted by a slight increase in its residential markets and by strong commercial demand in the south east of England.

Despite a return to profit, SIG warned that a reduction in public sector demand towards the end of the year will be more pronounced in 2012. The group sold three of its UK businesses in June 2011 as part of its plan to focus on its core markets of insulation and energy management, interiors and exteriors.

Underlying profits across the group were up by 27% to Euro98m. Revenues rose by 7.1% to Euro3.2bn, driven by a strong performance in mainland Europe, which accounts for more than half of SIG's business. Sales growth across the group has slowed to 1% in the first weeks of 2012 and it says it expects its overall markets to contract 2012 although it will continue to gain market share.

The group recently announced it is to close more of its stores, including 15 in the UK and Ireland, as part of plans to save Euro6m. It will also continue to open new sites, mainly under the Builders Express format in London and the south east having opened four over the past year.

Demnark/The Netherlands: Rockwool's board of directors has approved a plan to invest Euro23m in a major expansion of its Rockpanel cladding board business. The investment will be allocated to establishing a new state-of-the-art press line at the group's plant in Roermond in the Netherlands.

Rockpanel cladding boards are used as decorative and weather-protecting building elements on facades, dormers and rooflines. The main sales are in north-western Europe with Benelux, Germany, Denmark and UK accounting for the majority of the business. Sales of Rockpanel boards have seen strong double-digit growth in recent years and this is expected to continue both in the existing geographies as well as in new European markets.

Commenting on the expansion plan, CEO Eelco van Heel said, "The aesthetic and technical benefits as well as the strong sustainability profile have made the Rockpanel boards increasingly popular amongst architects and installers. We are confident that we can turn this business into a strong European player which can contribute significantly to the future of the Rockwool Group."

Denmark: The Board of Rockwool International A/S has approved the company's annual report for 2011. The report shows that the group's sales increased by 17.2% to Euro1.85bn. Rockwool's profit after minority interests increased by 25% and came to Euro86m, with investments at Euro161m. In 2012 sales are expected to increase by 5% with profit after minority interests of more than Euro80m. Investments excluding acquisitions is expected to be around Euro188m.

"Despite the turbulent state of the world economy in 2011, the year produced many positive developments in the Rockwool Group," wrote Rockwool's CEO Eelco van Heel in the report. "We managed to grow sales by 17% and, even though there was strong pressure on raw material prices, we also maintained our profitability at more or less the same level as the previous year."

Van Heel added that Rockwool had been less adversely affected than other areas of the construction industry because European countries such as France and Germany are looking to increase efficiency during times of economic hardship. He also noted that Rockwool had been expanding its activities outside of Europe and had grown its 'Systems' business.

Rockwool's insulation business, representing 82% of its net sales showed a solid growth trend throughout 2011. Sales grew by 20% although customers resisted price increases at the start of the year. The increase was predominantly driven by the renovation market, especially in Europe and North America. Sales in Russia were up by 45% year-on-year. Rockwool met this demand with imports from its Polish facilities.

In the US, Rockwool completed an important agreement with the home-improvement chain Lowe's. This has given access to more than 200 stores in north-eastern US, helping Rockwool make the most of this challenging market.

UK: Superglass Holdings plc, an independent UK manufacturer of glass wool mineral fibre insulation products, has announced that sales in the first half of its fiscal year, which ended 29 February 2012, were significantly ahead of the first half of the preceding fiscal year. Despite the improvement the results were still behind the company's own forecast. The company said that it expects the second half of the fiscal year to be significantly better than the first half, with increased volumes, increased selling prices and the benefits of sales specification activity taking effect.

Superglass said that financial difficulties prior to its successful recapitalisation impacted trading adversely during the period under review, but that a shortfall in sales has been partially mitigated by lower costs. The board reviewed the progress achieved in the three months since the recapitalisation as 'satisfactory.'

On 21 February 2012 Superglass announced that its Finance Director, Tony Kirkbright, had resigned with immediate effect following the company's successful recapitalisation. The company board has started the process of recruiting his replacement. In the meantime David Wilton has been appointed as a consultant. He will report to board on the financial affairs of Superglass on an interim basis.

The company also said that it was still too early to assess the real impact of the transition the UK's new environmental policy, the Green Deal, which takes effect at the beginning of 2013.