Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Russia: TechnoNicol plans to invest US$2.3m towards upgrading its mineral wool insulation plant in Chelyabinsk. Just under US$0.9m was invested in the plant in 2016, according to the Kommersant newspaper. The unit supplies products in the Ural Federal District as well as to the Perm region, the Orenburg region, Bashkortostan and Udmurtia.

US: Johns Manville (JM) has appointed Marcia Howes as its Vice President of Global Supply Chain. She will be responsible for leading JM’s global supply chain organisation and for developing and implementing the company’s supply chain strategy.

Howes previously worked for BJC HealthCare in St Louis in a similar role. He brings over 20 years of supply chain experience. Before that she worked at Ecolab where she was vice president of global supply chain and head of global planning for both the medical device health care division and the water process systems businesses. Howes has also held a number of senior level positions in supply chain operations with Amgen, Honeywell and Rhodia (now Solvay).

Howes holds master’s degree in business administration from the University of Maryland, and both a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering and a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University. She is a Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing practitioner and an APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional member.

US: Owens Corning announced plans to introduce formaldehyde-free mineral wool insulation solutions at the American Institute of Architects Conference on Architecture 2017 in Orlando, Florida. Thermafiber SAFB (Sound Attenuation Fire Blankets) is available for specification now and will be in the market later in 2017. Thermafiber UltraBatt will follow in a series of formaldehyde-free Thermafiber mineral wool insulation products.

“Remaining true to the brand’s history as an industry pioneer, the launch of formaldehyde-free Thermafiber mineral wool insulation coupled with our investment in a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Joplin, Missouri strengthens our impressive portfolio of product solutions and our commitment to the industry,” said Todd Fister, vice president of insulation strategic marketing.

Ireland: Kingspan Group’s sales rose by 24% year-on-year to Euro831m for the first three months of 2017, boosted by the acquisitions that the company made in 2016. By market the group reported good performance in the UK, US and Australia, recovery in Europe and poor performance in the Middle East and Turkey. It also noted that all markets have experienced raw material price inflation. Both sales of insulation board and panels grew in the period. The company commissioned a new insulation board plant in Melbourne in early April 2017.

US: Owens Corning’s net sales from insulation rose by 4% year-on-year to US$399m in the first quarter of 2017 from US$385m in the same period of 2016. However, its earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) for insulation fell by 62% to US$5m from US$13m. The company said that the business benefitted from continued recovery in the US residential market. Overall across all business lines the company’s net sales and EBIT rose in the quarter.

“Owens Corning is off to a great start in 2017. The company capitalised on market growth and delivered an outstanding result in the quarter,” said chairman and chief executive officer Mike Thaman. “All three businesses are executing on our priorities, and we are well-positioned to achieve another year of strong performance.”