Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

US: Canada’s Icynene has offered to buy Houston-based Lapolla Industries for US$160m. Under the terms of the merger agreement Icynene will acquire all the outstanding shares of Lapolla. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals. Both companies produce polyurethane spray foam (SPF) insulation products.

"Icynene is thrilled to partner with Doug Kramer, the President and chief executive officer (CEO) of Lapolla, and his team as Icynene and Lapolla combine businesses to create an innovative leader in high yield SPF manufacturing and distribution," said Mark Sarvary, CEO of Icynene.

Sweden: Denmark’s Rockwool has purchased 180,000m² of land in the eastern Swedish municipality of Eskilstuna. The acquisition is intended for future growth and to allow the mineral wool producer to meet any potential rise in demand for its products. At present the company supplies the Swedish market with products manufactured at plants in Denmark and Norway.

US: Israel Chemicals Limited (ICL) is preparing a new flame retardant for use in rigid polyurethane foams. Executives at ICL made the announcement at the Polyurethanes Technical Conference in New Orleans, according to ICIS. VeriQuel R100 is a non-halogenated reactive flame retardant intended to replace tris (chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCPP) in case of any changes to existing government regulations. The new product will be targeted at building and construction applications.

US: Aspen Aerogels has won an initial determination US International Trade Commission (ITC) against Alison Hi-Tech and Nano Tech with regard to patents related to aerogel insulation. Administrative Law Judge McNamara found that Alison Hi-Tech and Nano Tech had infringed against three patents. McNamara also recommended a limited exclusion order as a remedy to prevent the importation of infringing aerogel products into the US. A final determination on the violation and remedy is expected from the full ITC commission by 29 January 2018.

Singapore: Kingspan has officially opened an office in Singapore. Irish Deputy Prime Minster and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Frances Fitzgerald, opened the site while leading a five-day trade and investment mission to Southeast Asia.

“Future growth will come from markets such as Asia, Latin America and maybe Africa at a later stage,” said Manuel Furer, Kingspan’s Regional Managing Director for Australasia and South East Asia.

Kingspan has listed its QuadCore insulation panels with the Singaporean authorities. The company also hopes to open an innovation centre in the region at some point.