Insulation industry news from Global Insulation
Azerbaijan: Titan Group says it plans to start export insulated sandwich panels and refrigerators to Georgia from September 2020. The industrial products manufacturer made the decision following market research that identified demand in Central Asia, according to the Trend News Agency. The company produces panels using polyisocyanurate foam (PIR) and rigid polyurethane (PUR). It says it is the only company making these products in Azerbaijan.
North American sales of thermoplatic polyurethane rise
02 September 2019North America: Sales of thermoplatic polyurethane (TPU) has increased year-on-on year in the six months to 30 June 2019 by 4.0%. The proportion of domestically produced TPU exported fell by 38.3%.
Data from the American Chemistry Council and Vault Consulting indicate American demand responding well to TPU’s tensile strength and grease resitance, even as polyurethanes lose out to substitutes in the Asian and European insulation sectors.
Azerbaijan/Georgia: TechnoNicol plans to increase its mineral wool exports to Azerbaijan and Georgia from Russia by 30% year-on-year in 2019, according to the Trend News Agency. Mineral wool production at its Krasny Sulin plant in Russia increased by 6% year-on-year to 1.5Mm3 in 2018 due to growing exports.
US commences tariffs on Chinese mineral wool products
19 September 2018US/China: The Office of the US Trade Representative has started implementing a 10% tariff on mineral and other products from China, including mineral wool products, following a consultation period. Mineral products affected by the proposed tariffs of interest to the insulation industry include: slag wool, rock wool and similar mineral wools, in bulk, sheets or rolls; and nonwoven glass wool insulation products. The latest tariff list follows an earlier decision by the US government to tax imports from China worth US$34bn that came into force in early July 2018.
Australia: Kingspan Australia has complained that its can’t compete against foreign competitors due to shipping charges at the Port of Melbourne. Charges at the port have led to the state government to consider taking action. Kingspan says it has conducted an international benchmarking survey across ports it uses, including those in the UK, the UAE, China and South Korea. It found that Melbourne was the most expensive and one of the most expensive ports in the world for terminal handling and port service charges.
Exports comprise a third of the output of Kingspan’s plant at Somerton. Further plans to upgrade the plan depend on its export market. The US$30m plant opened in mid-2017.
American Chemistry Council warns of risk of US-Chinese trade war on polyurethane exports
05 April 2018US: Cal Dooley, the president and chief executive officer of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), has warned that a proposed Chinese response to US-imposed tariffs on imports of Chinese steel and aluminium could have negative implications for US exports of products including polyethylene.
“China is one of the US chemical industry’s most important trading partners, importing 11%, or US$3.2bn, of all US plastic resins in 2017. We are particularly concerned that 40% of the products to which China has assigned new tariffs are chemicals, including polyethylene, PVC, polycarbonates, acrylates, and others,” said Dooley in a statement. He added that nearly US$185bn in new chemical factories, expansions and restarts of facilities around the US are predicated on current tariff schedules, and market shifts caused by tariff increases may convince investors to do business elsewhere. He ‘strongly’ urged the US and China to reach an agreement.
TechnoNicol sends test batch of mineral wool to New Zealand
07 September 2017New Zealand: TechnoNicol’s Techno mineral wool plant in Ryazan has sent a test batch of products to New Zealand. Following feedback the insulation producer plans to arrange a regular export of materials to the region.
TechnoNicol increases stone wool production in 2016
14 February 2017Russia: TechnoNicol increased its production of stone wool by almost 10% to 11Mm3 in 2016 due to new plants, new products and an expanded export portfolio. The company opened two new plants in Rostov-on-Don and Khabarovsk as well as upgrading its equipment at its existing plants. Over US$103m was invested in the production of basalt insulation in 2016.
The insulation producer opened its Khabarovsk plant in the Far Eastern Federal District of the country in August 2016. It announced in late January 2017 that the plant reached its projected production capacity of 0.75Mm3/yr of basalt insulation. Since this plant was opened the company has started exporting insulation materials to China and Canada. It also plans to target Japan, South Korea, Mongolia and Vietnam.
TechnoNicol opens Euro27.6m mineral wool plant
30 August 2016Russia: TechnoNicol has opened a Euro27.6m mineral wool insulation production plant in the Khabarovsk region. The plant will have a production capacity of 0.75Mm3, according to Prime News. The products will be sold locally and via export. The company plans to export 20% of its entire output to China in 2019. The insulation producer expects the payback period for the plant to take seven years.
TechnoNICOL plans to supply products to Azerbaijan
10 September 2015Azerbaijan: Russia's TechnoNICOL wants to establish cooperation with Azerbaijan by 2016 to supply the country with insulation materials for industrial and civil projects.
General director of TechnoNICOL's mineral insulation department Irek Allayarov said that it plans to supply Azerbaijan from TechnoNICOL's new 1.3Mm3/yr plant in Krasny Sulin Industrial Park in Rostov, Russia. He added that close proximity to the borders with several countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) would make exports ideal. Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Armenia have all been targeted.
"The plant's products include general construction, technical insulation and materials for fire protection systems. In the future we will consider the production of agricultural products, such as insulation used for the construction of greenhouses," said Allayarov.