UK: SIG’s sales for the first half of 2019 have fallen by 3.8% year-on-year due to a ‘marked deterioration’ in the level of UK construction. Its UK and Ireland like-for-like sales dropped by 12.7% while sales elsewhere in Europe grew by 3.3%.

Ukraine: The Interagency Commission on Foreign Trade will introduce tariffs to all imports of flexible porous polyurethane foam. The duty on these goods will be 11.22% when the decision takes force, 10.66% after 12 months, and 10.13% after 24 months, according to Interfax. The latest tariffs follow imports on other building materials that are mainly targeted at Russia.

US: Owens Corning has appointed Todd Fister as the president of its insulation division from 15 July 2019. He succeeds Julian Francis, who will become president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Beacon Roofing Supply. Fister will report directly to Brian Chambers, the president and CEO of Owens Corning.

Fister currently serves as Vice President, Global Insulation and Strategy. Prior to this role, he served as Vice President and Managing Director for European Insulation and Global Foamglas. Before joining Owens Corning in 2014, he worked in various marketing, strategy and finance positions at MeadWestvaco and Kimberly-Clark. Fister began his career at Procter & Gamble, where he served in multiple finance roles. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Miami University and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

UK: Knauf Insulation has donated a pallet of its Earthwool Loft Roll 44 glass mineral wool product to the Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre in Dorset. Pavilions housing primates at the site are being upgraded and expanded. They required adequate insulation to ensure a habitable environmental for the animals. The insulation was transported to Monkey World free of charge by builders’ merchants Bradford’s Building Supplies, Blandford, Dorset.

“We were delighted to support Monkey World in their vital work. Earthwool Loft Roll is a high performance glass mineral wool insulation, providing excellent thermal performance, which will help to keep the Pavilions warm in cold weather and cool in hot weather,” said Ian Boland, Area Sales Manager (South West) at Knauf Insulation.