UK: A public inquiry has heard that Grenfell Tower cladding subcontractor Harley Facades and staff of Saint-Gobain subsidiary Celotex discussed the use of Celotex’s RS5000 polyisocyanurate foam (PIR) insulation as a “case study” to determine “the U-value achieved by the product.” The insulation product was also sold to the contractor at a 48% discount. Ben Bailey, project manager at Harley Facades, denied that the price had anything to do with the final choice of product for the project. However, other documents showed that Harley Facades staff also enquired about the price of a Kingspan K15 insulation product.

In January 2020 Stephanie Barwise Q.C. told the inquiry that Celotex treated the 67m tall building as a "flagship" project for its RS5000 insulation product.

The Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017 killed 72 people. The inquiry continues.

Austria: Austrotherm has announced the launch of Fit for the Future, a capital expenditure (CAPEX) plan worth Euro10m in investments in its Pinkafeld and Purbach, Burgenland plants. The plans consist of a new office building with training centre and workshop at the Pinkafeld plant, “intended to illustrate how sustainable construction for office buildings should be implemented in the future,” and a 3600m² finished goods warehouse at the Purbach plant, as well as ‘numerous digitisation and automation projects’ across both plants.

Managing Director Klaus Haberfeller said, “Despite all the adversities of the Covid-19 outbreak, we have started an investment programme that will make our two Burgenland locations fit for the future. We are investing in the modernisation of the infrastructure and in optimising the processes at the locations in order to increase efficiency and occupational safety, and, as a positive side effect, benefit the regional construction industry.”

Luxembourg: Armacell recorded sales worth Euro288.4m in the first half of 2020, down by 10% year-on-year from Euro320m in the first half of 2020. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 17% to Euro52.5m from Euro63.3m. The company said that the effects of lower sales volumes “were not entirely offset by immediate cost control measures.”

President and chief executive officer (CEO) Patrick Mathieu said, “Strategically, we are well on track. Armacell has shown a steady performance in the first half of 2020, and our immediate measures to mitigate the risks arising from the pandemic are proving beneficial. Our good performance over the past months underlines the resilience of our business, which we continue to grow.”

Netherlands: France-based Saint-Gobain has announced its acquisition of internal finishing and exterior insulation systems specialist Strikolith for an undisclosed price. Strikolith employs 50 people at its Raamsdonksveer, North Brabant plant and generated sales of Euro19.5m in 2019.

Saint-Gobain said, “The complementarity of Strikolith with Saint-Gobain's existing businesses enhances the group's solution offering and in particular allows it to strengthen its offering in External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS) and in construction chemicals in the Netherlands, reinforcing Saint-Gobain's leading position in energy-efficient renovation in Europe.”