Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

US: Weaker market conditions have reduced Owens Corning’s expected growth in the third quarter of 2018. The building materials company’s net sales rose by 11% year-on-year to US$5.33bn in the first nine months of 2018 from US$4.78bn in the same period in 2017. Its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) increased by 1.5% to US$596m from US$587m. For its insulation business the company said that it had reduced its expected EBIT growth for the year due to weaker market expectations across different regions and products.

“Weaker than expected market conditions across all three businesses, which impacted third-quarter results, are expected to continue during the fourth-quarter. As a result, we have lowered our 2018 outlook and now expect adjusted EBIT to be in line with last year,” said chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) Mike Thaman.

Belgium: Huntsman Polyurethanes has launched its DaltoPIR XHFR product for composite panels. The polyisocyanurate (PIR) insulation product was introduced at a panels and profile conference in Greece.

The product uses DaltoPIR insulation technology to offer a different viscosity build up in rising foam. The company says that this enables more stable and more consistent processing, which in turn can help panel producers achieve better panel planarity and quicker line speed. The resulting foam has very low friability, which Huntsman says contributes to the long-term properties of the panels.

US: Owens Corning has presented Premier Tech with an award for Innovative Supplier of the Year – 2018 at its Annual Global Supplier Recognition Day in Toledo, Ohio that took place in late September 2018. The award recognises the engineering team’s contribution to developing high-performance, scalable automated packaging equipment that will allow Owens Corning to boost performance and meet growing workforce challenges.

Premier Tech’s Industrial Equipment Group is a supplier of industrial scalable packaging solutions and it says it is the largest robotic integrator in North America’s packaging industry. It is supported by a team of over 1700 people in 17 countries that serve clients in around 60 countries.

Canada: Germany’s Evonik has appointed Canadian chemical distributor of specialty raw materials, Emco-Inortech, as its national distributor for the polyurethane coatings, adhesives and sealants and elastomers (CASE) market in Canada. Emco-Inortech is based in Terrebonne, Quebec with regional public warehousing throughout the country.

“Polyurethane is a versatile material ideally suited for a wide range of CASE applications and with Emco-Inortech knowledge of the local CASE markets, we hope to further develop our Canadian business,” said Peter Hohl, Vice President Americas, Comfort & Insulation, Evonik.

Finland: Paroc has started to introduce new logotype, updated packages and new communication material following its acquisition by Owens Corning. The insulation materials producer said that is was a ‘strong’ brand and that it would continue marketing its products under the red-and-white striped brand image. The company was purchased by US-based Owens Corning in early 2018.