Items filtered by date: Friday, 08 March 2019
SIG focuses on profit over sales in 2018 08 March 2019
UK: SIG’s revenue fell by 1.2% year-on-year to Euro3.13bn in 2018 from Euro3.17bn in 2017. Its profit before tax rose by 8.5% to Euro87.8m from Euro80.9m. The group blamed its falling sales on ‘challenging’ market conditions and a focus on profit over sales volumes. It reported a weakening construction market in 2018 and its UK and Ireland sales fell by 10.6%. Despite slowing markets in France and Germany, its mainland Europe sales remained stable in 2018.
“As expected, our transformation strategy began to deliver during the year and we saw significant operational and financial progress in the second half. Despite challenging market conditions and lower revenue in our largest markets, our focus on pricing and profitability over volume, coupled with tighter control over operating costs, has enabled us to grow our gross margins and profit,” said chief executive officer (CEO) Meinie Oldersma.
Knauf Insulation’s Earthwool RainScreen Slab product earns British Board of Agrément certification 08 March 2019
UK: Knauf Insulation’s Earthwool RainScreen Slab product has been certified by the British Board of Agrément (BBA) for use in high-rise residential applications. The BBA certification follows the December 2018 update to Approved Document B, which mandates the use of non-combustible materials achieving a Euroclass Reaction to Fire Classification of A1 or A2 s1-d0 in the external walls of certain buildings over 18m in height.
“Non-combustible insulation is the best choice for architects, specifiers and contractors as it will not contribute to the development or spread of fire” said Steve Smith, Head of Product Management and Business Intelligence at Knauf Insulation.
UK and French universities investigating using waste materials as alternative insulation materials 08 March 2019
UK/France: A project between the University of Bath, University of Brighton, UniLaSalle in Rouen and five other academic and non-academic partners, and funded under the Interreg VA France (Channel) England programme, is investigating the performance of a range of waste materials and bio-based co-products as alternative building insulation materials. Three different materials are being evaluated: wheat straw bales, rapeseed stalks (processed into bio-composite) and recycled duvets.
A research team at the University of Bath is testing and comparing the thermal performance of each of the insulation materials by constructing three identical prototype wall panels, each containing one of the materials. Their performances will be compared and contrasted with each other as well as against industry standard insulation used currently in most buildings. The panels are 150mm thick by 1.1m2 and fitted with 9mm plywood either side, similar to how insulation is commonly installed within buildings. Each panel contains a number of probes to measure relative humidity, interior and exterior temperature, and heat flux. The panels will undergo six weeks of consecutive testing in an environmental chamber at the University’s Building Research Park. There will be two tests – a steady state and a non-steady state temperature test.
“This is the first time these materials will have been tested in such a robust scientific way, allowing us to accurately assess their thermal performance against each other as well as against industry standard insulation,” said Shawn Platt, Research Associate in the University of Bath’s Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering.