Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Denmark: Lars Christian Lilleholt, the Minister for Energy and Climate, has stopped subsidies for domestic cavity wall insulation projects due to problems related to the scheme. The subsidies were stopped on a temporary three-month basis in March 2017 and this had now been made permanent in conjunction with the energy companies that take part in the scheme. A survey published in March 2017 reported errors in 60% of the projects carried out under the scheme.

Norway: Saint-Gobain has entered into talks with the owners and shareholders of Glava to buy their shares, with the support of the company’s management. Prior to this negotiation, Saint-Gobain already owned 17% of the capital of Glava, which has manufactured products under an Isover license since 1960. The acquisition will be subject to the scrutiny of the relevant competition bodies.

Insulation producer Glava operates two mineral wool plants at Askim near Oslo, and at Stjørdal near Trondheim. It also has workshops producing expanded polystyrene and ceilings. Glava supplies a comprehensive range of insulating products and accessories to its customers. The company reported sales of over Euro140m in 2016.

US: Owens Corning has signed an agreement to acquire Pittsburgh Corning, a producer of cellular glass insulation systems for commercial and industrial markets, for around US$560m in cash, on a cash free and debt free basis. The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approvals, is anticipated to close in the third quarter of 2017.

“The acquisition of Pittsburgh Corning will further expand Owens Corning’s commercial and industrial product offering and grow our presence in Europe and Asia,” said Julian Francis, president of Owens Corning’s Insulation Business. “The addition of Pittsburgh Corning will build on our core glass technologies and accelerates our progress in making Owens Corning the leading provider of insulation solutions with fiberglass, foam, mineral fibre, and cellular glass.”

Pittsburgh Corning produces cellular glass insulation products for commercial and residential buildings and energy and industrial applications. Its productions include Foamglas. The company also produces a range of complementary accessory products including sealants, adhesives, and jacketing. Pittsburgh Corning employs over 1100 people in 17 countries. It operates facilities in the US, Belgium, Czech Republic and China. It reported sales of over US$240m in 2016.

UK: Exterior cladding systems have come under scrutiny in the aftermath of a devastating fire at a tower block in west London that has killed at least 17 people. The system was retrofitted in 2016 to the 24-storey building that was originally built in the 1970s, according to Reuters. Concerns have been raised about the speed the fire spread. Suspicions have targeted the flammability of the insulation panels used in the façade and whether fireproof barriers were installed properly at the site. It is believed that wall fixings, exterior zinc panels and insulation panels were used in the cladding according to a planning document relating to the building that was published by the local government in 2012. It is unknown whether the insulation material included any fire retardant chemical additives.

“Without knowledge of the specific materials used we cannot say at this early stage if any of the conclusions above are relevant to this tragic incident, but the increasing use of combustible materials in construction needs to be addressed if further events are to be avoided,” said Jim Glockling, Technical Director at the Fire Protection Agency (FPA). He added that the FPA believes that local building regulations need to be updated to consider, “both the external envelope of the building and its resilience to fire ingress.”

Prime minister Theresa May has ordered a full public inquiry into the incident.

Germany: BASF has launched an updated version of its Elastospray LWP spray foam insulation. The product has been changed to respond to European Union (EU) plans to reduce fluorinated gas emission by two-thirds by 2030. Hydrofluorocarbon blowing agents in the product have been replaced with more environmentally friendly alternatives.