Insulation industry news from Global Insulation
Asahi’s Chinese unit to start by July 2011
23 June 2011China/Japan: The first overseas base of Japanese fibreglass producer Asahi Fiber Glass, which was formed in Shanghai in April 2011, will enter full-scale operation at the end of June 2011, supporting the company's goal of developing its business in the high-growth Asian market as well as the domestic market.
The new base will initially focus on supplying the local operations of Japanese companies with imports from Japan and carry out trading functions, under the supervision of manager Manabu Suzuki. In the future it will explore the establishment of local processing bases for thermal-insulation building materials, vacuum insulation materials and automotive sound-absorbing materials through partnerships with Chinese companies and mergers and acquisions.
Asahi Fiber Glass regards China as an ideal foothold for entry into the southern Asian region, where demand is growing for glass wool as a vacuum insulation material and a sound-absorbing material for automobiles. The Chinese market for glass wool has already expanded to more than double the size of the Japanese market and its expansion looks set to continue.
China: Asia can improve its energy-efficiency and cut carbon emissions by adopting proven energy-saving technologies, but this has to be supplemented with regulations and market-driven energy pricing to be effective, according to the vice-chairman of the German chemical giant BASF. Beijing's practice of setting energy prices below those in the free market mean some opportunities had been lost due to poor economic fundamentals, said Dr Martin Brudermueller.
"If you look at the low energy cost in China, and you take the top one million households in Chongqing and you say you will reduce the air-conditioning cost by 50%, you end up with only US$280 of savings per year per household. You could hardly invest this in building insulation because it simply doesn't pay off," he said.
BASF is working on several projects to provide insulation materials for Chinese buildings that help cut heating and air-conditioning demand. Brudermueller says up to 60% of energy consumption can be cut with retrofitting. In addition to insulation, energy can be saved by treating floors to make them reflect heat and pigments can be added to building materials to reflect infrared lights - even if the materials are black. He added that China's energy consumption per square metre of floor space is two to three times higher on average than that seen in the EU.