Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Russia: EuroChem, a fertilizer producer, and China’s ChemChina have signed a memorandum at the 2017 St Petersburg International Economic Forum on the creation of a joint venture to produce chemical industrial products including isocyanates, a precursor of spray polyurethane foam insulation. The cost of the project is estimated to be US$500m, according to the Tass News Agency. The joint venture will also produce propylene oxides for the use in the development of synthetic lubricants.

The companies plan to start the collaboration by forming a working group to further evaluate the technical possibilities of the project and will carry out a financial and legal examination of the project. Once complete the first project will be an upgrade to EuroChem’s Novomoskovskiy Azot plant in the Tula region. Products from the plant will be targeted at the Russian market.

Germany: Va-Q-Tec is preparing to move its headquarters to Würzburg from Dürrbachau. The new premises are intended to allow the producer of vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) and other thermal products to bring together five departments that were previously at different locations. The move is planned to start in June 2017 with the production department scheduled to relocate to the new headquarters by the start of 2018.

Hungary: Masterplast’s sales revenue rose by 17% year-on-year to Euro18m for the first quarter of 2017. Sales in Hungary grew by 40% and the insulation producer saw sales rise in all export markets with the exception of the Ukraine, according to local press. Sales in Slovakia and the European Union grew by 37% and 4% respectively but sales fell by 8% in the Ukraine. Around 41% of its revenue came from sales of external wall insulation system parts. However, despite the company’s rising sales its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 8% to Euro0.61m from Euro0.73m due to higher transport costs, higher labour costs and falling price margins.

Denmark: Rockwool’s net sales rose by 8% year-on-year to Euro543m in the first quarter of 2017 from Euro494m in the same period in 2016 due to growing insulation sales in Europe. The group also attributed extra working days in the period and favourable exchange rate swings. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 3.6% to Euro86m from Euro83m. The company’s insulation segment sales grew due to the market in both Western and Eastern Europe. Its earnings held up in North America due to sales growth, increased prices and better utilisation at a plant in the US.

UK: The British Board of Agrément (BBA) has given its approval to Rockwool’s Rainscreen Duo Slab façade insulation product. It is the first stone wool product to gain this for use in ventilated rainscreen systems. As part of the certification process the product was tested for factors such as thermal performance, condensation risk, behaviour in relation to fire, and durability in order to meet national regulations. Rainscreen Duo Slab has achieved certification status for use as a Hybrid frame system and Rainscreen system.

“It is incredibly important to us to put our products through the BBA process, as the certification provides architects with peace of mind when specifying our products” comments Paul Barrett, Product Manager at Rockwool.

Rainscreen Duo Slab is a dual density insulation board that offers weather resistance on its outer surface whilst being installed and an inner surface that is designed to accommodate the substrate to which it is being applied. It is fire resilient and complies with Approved Document B, achieving the Euroclass classification: A1. It also complies with BR135: Fire Performance of External Insulation for Walls of Multi-Storey Buildings.