Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Romania: Saint-Gobain Romania has launched the Saint-Gobain National Trophy contest. The contest recognises exceptional projects due for completion by the end of 2024 which incorporate materials supplied by Saint-Gobain Romania. Local press has reported that judges will evaluate projects’ excellence in execution, sustainability and effective utilisation of their incorporated Saint-Gobain products. The company will receive submissions until 31 October 2024.

Sweden: Rockwool says that it plans to build a new 100,000t/yr stone wool insulation plant in Eskilstuna, Södermanland. When commissioned after June 2027, the plant will serve the Swedish and Finnish markets. It will run on low-carbon electricity from Sweden’s national grid.

Nordics regional managing director Frank Larsen said "Our customers are increasingly demanding low-carbon footprint building materials to achieve their own decarbonisation objectives as well as EU-wide targets in the Energy Efficiency and Energy Performance of Buildings directives. Rockwool's proprietary large-scale electrical melting technology, drawing on Sweden's abundant supply of low-carbon electricity, will help meet this need, which we expect to grow over time as the EU directives get implemented."

Australia: Armacell has acquired the engineering business of insulation jacketing producer E&M Industries. The group says that the business will continue to operate at its existing site in Perth, Western Australia, under the new name Armacell Australia Engineering.

Armacell Asia-Pacific vice president Liam Douglas said "This deal reinforces our endeavour of transitioning from a materials manufacturer to an industrial solutions provider with a strong focus on energy-saving solutions. E&M Industries has a successful track record in the insulation jacketing industry and we are confident that their experienced team will contribute to our growth in Australia."

Finland: Stora Enso has launched NeoLigno, a bio-based binder for mineral and glass wool insulation, designed to replace formaldehyde and isocyanates. NeoLigno is produced from lignin, a byproduct from the pulp industry. Stora Enso says that it offers superior mechanical strength and performs better in humid conditions than classic binders.

Senior research and development specialist Sara Faldt said "We see no major modifications or redesigns needed in the production line for companies who wish to make the sustainable switch and implement NeoLigno."

India: Saint-Gobain India plans to double its production capacities of glass and stone wool insulation as part of a new investment phase, targeting revenues of US$4.3bn across its businesses by 2032. The Hindu newspaper has reported that this represents growth by a factor of three from 2023 levels. Saint-Gobain India noted the presence of ‘medium-sized companies in the insulation space’ as suitable targets for acquisitions. The investment phase will include total capex of US$719 – 959m from 2021 to 2025. The company had invested US$1.58bn up to the end of 2023.

Asia-Pacific and India regional CEO B Santhanam said "We have made huge investments in India, and quite a lot of them were in new plants."