Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Poland: Paroc Group has upgraded its mineral wool plant in Trzemeszno to increase its production capacity with an investment of over Euro13m. “Up till now, some of the Paroc’s technical insulation solutions had been produced only in Finland,” said Joakim Westerlund, Chief Operating Officer at Paroc. “Shipping from Poland, combined with the fact that more products can now be transported on one truck thanks to new technology, not only will save time and resources of our customers, but also fits in our sustainability and energy efficiency policy.”

The investment marks a continuation of Paroc’s long-term development strategy in its Baltic and Central Europe area. Since 1998, when the Polish Paroc production plant was set-up, the company has invested over Euro140m in the Trzemeszno plant.

UK: Doug Robertson will retire as Group Financial Director and from the board of SIG in the first quarter of 2017. He will be succeeded by Nick Maddock, currently Chief Financial Officer at McCarthy & Stone. Precise dates will be announced once determined. Robertson has worked at SIG since 2011.

Brazil: Armacell has purchased PoliPex, a Brazilian manufacturer of extruded polyethylene insulation foams, in a share deal for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition will strengthen Armacell´s product portfolio in Latin America and increases the domestic customer service levels, as well as, the support for regional original equipment manufacturers.

“PoliPex has decades of technology know-how in extruded polyurethane production as well as a strong domestic team. We are looking forward to serving our clients across Latin America with a broader product portfolio and extended customer service levels,” said Patrick Mathieu, President and CEO of Armacell International.

PoliPex produces extruded polyurethane insulation foams in Brazil and has approximately 80 employees. The company was founded by John Johannes van Mullem in 1991 and maintains its headquarters in Santa Catarina in the South of Brazil, as well as distribution centres in the South and the Northeast of the country. In the calendar year 2015 PoliPex generated revenues of approximately US$13m.

US: Kingspan Insulation has launched Kooltherm, its rigid thermoset insulation, in the US. The line offers a range of products for wall, floor, soffit and rainscreen applications. It has a fibre-free rigid thermoset phenolic insulation core that resists both moisture and water vapour ingress.

"Kingspan is committed to bringing its globally-innovative technology to the North American market," said Alswinn Kieboom, managing director, Kingspan Insulation North America. "As part of this continuing effort, we are excited to offer our Kooltherm insulation to the construction marketplace. Our class-leading R-value and fire resistance properties will prove to be beneficial to the construction community."

UK: Knauf Insulation has developed a new robust detail for aircrete blocks, which has been included within the latest edition of the Robust Detail handbook. The new detail E-WM-30 comprises two leaves of 100mm aircrete blocks, with a 100mm cavity that has been fully filled with the blown mineral wool insulation Supafil Party Wall. It is the first Robust Detail for aircrete blocks, with a blown retrofit solution that negates the need for a wet parge coat. Only a plasterboard lining is required. The detail will also achieve three points in the Health and Wellbeing section of Code for Sustainable Homes assessments.

“We are always striving to develop cost-effective solutions for our customers to make their life easier and this new robust detail is no different. We have developed this detail without a parge coat to deliver greater process efficiencies, and it offers high levels of acoustic and thermal performance, which can satisfy the requirements of the building regulations for a zero U-value party wall,” said Stephen Wise, Glass Product Manager at Knauf Insulation.

Aircrete is a lightweight aerated concrete material that provides thermal performance and is primarily used for the inner skin of external walls. The Robust Details scheme is the alternative to pre-completion sound testing for satisfying Part E of the Building Regulations in the UK.