Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

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.”

France: Saint-Gobain has reported sales growth in all main territories in the first quarter of 2017, led by Asia and its emerging markets. Net sales for its Interior Solutions division rose by 6.2% year-on-year to Euro1.71bn in the first quarter of 2017 from Euro1.61bn in the same period of 2016. This was supported by rising prices in a ‘strong cost inflation environment.’ Overall the group’s net sales rose by 7.6% to Euro9.14bn. Notable geographical trends included a recovery in France and a continued poor market in Brazil.

“The first quarter saw robust trading. The good momentum in sales volumes observed in 2016 continued at the start of the year in all business sectors and regions. France benefited from the recovery in new-build activity, while other Western European countries delivered further growth. North America and emerging markets had a good start to the year. The group continued to pursue its priorities, focusing particularly on sales prices amid a more inflationary backdrop,” said Pierre-André de Chalendar, chairman and chief executive officer of Saint-Gobain.

Kazakhstan: Politerm plans to open a mineral wool slab plant in the Bulandy district of the Akmola region in July 2017. The unit will cost US$22m, according to Interfax. The plant will have a production capacity of 34,0000t and the project is expected to create 138 jobs. Politerm produces mineral-based insulation materials and it was founded in 2008 in the Akmola region.

Germany: BASF has adopted the voluntary Keymark certification scheme for its Styrodur insulation boards made from extruded polystyrene (XPS). The decision follows the decision by the German government to drop the Ü mark for harmonised building products in late 2016. BASF has decided to use Keymark scheme to show that the product has been approved for use in Germany. It is a voluntary product certification awarded by Din Certco, a TÜV Rhineland company in cooperation with the German Institute for Standardisation (DIN).

Russia: Rockwool has completed an upgrade of its stone wool insulation plant at Troitsk, in Chelyabinsk region. The unit will use Power+ technology with enhanced micro-distribution of the binder and optimised fibre-spinning technology on the production line. These improvements are intended to improve the final product’s homogeneity and performance properties.