Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Lithuania: Paroc plans to increase the production capacity of its stone wool plant in Vilnius to 115,000t/yr from 75,000t/yr. The subsidiary of US-based Owens Corning intends to make multiple minor upgrades to reach this goal, according to the Verslo Zinios newspaper. It hopes to achieve the increased production capacity by 2022 subject to market demand.

UK: Superglass’ revenue grew by 34% year-on-year to Euro37.9m in 2018 from Euro27.2m in 2017. Its profit rose by 37% to Euro0.65m. The subsidiary of Russia’s TechnoNicol Group said that it benefitted from increased sales, higher selling prices and operational cost efficiencies.

“Demand for glass wool insulation continues to be very strong both domestically and in export markets, and with the major manufacturing investment we’re making in the Stirling site, Superglass is set to double its production output capabilities and capitalise on the opportunity,” said Theresa McLean, Chief Financial Officer for TechnoNicol UK and Ireland.

US: Owens Corning has received R-value certification across all its fibreglass and mineral wool batts and rolls sold in the US. This validation was awarded from the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) following testing and validation by an accredited third-party laboratory.

Under the program, Owens Corning agreed to have a random selection of products regularly tested to verify compliance with the thermal performance requirements of the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) ‘Labeling and Advertising of Home Insulation’ (16 CFR Part 460) regulation.

The R-value certification represents the latest in third-party verification Owens Corning has earned across its insulation product portfolio. It will be visible on its packaging later in 2019.

US: Researchers at Washington State University (WSU) have developed an alternative to extruded polystyrene foam that uses nanocrystals of cellulose instead of petroleum based products. The team, led by Amir Ameli, assistant professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, and Xiao Zhang, associate professor in the Gene and Linda School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, have also developed a manufacturing process to make the foam using water as a solvent.

The project is working on developing an environmentally friendly replacement for extruded polystyrene foam. The WSU team created a material that is made of about 75% cellulose nanocrystals from wood pulp. They added polyvinyl alcohol, another polymer that bonds with the nanocellulose crystals and makes the resultant foams more elastic.

“We have used an easy method to make high-performance, composite foams based on nanocrystalline cellulose with an excellent combination of thermal insulation capability and mechanical properties,” said Ameli.

The researchers are now developing formulations for stronger and more durable materials for practical applications. They are interested in incorporating low‑cost feedstocks to make a commercially viable product and considering how to move from laboratory to a real-world manufacturing scale.

UK: SIG’s revenue fell by 1.2% year-on-year to Euro3.11bn in 2018 from Euro3.15bn in 2017. Its profit before tax increased by 8.5% to Euro87.2m from Euro80.4m. The building materials producer blamed ‘challenging’ market conditions but it highlighted its focus on prices and profitability.