Insulation industry news from Global Insulation
US: Owens Corning has presented Premier Tech with an award for Innovative Supplier of the Year – 2018 at its Annual Global Supplier Recognition Day in Toledo, Ohio that took place in late September 2018. The award recognises the engineering team’s contribution to developing high-performance, scalable automated packaging equipment that will allow Owens Corning to boost performance and meet growing workforce challenges.
Premier Tech’s Industrial Equipment Group is a supplier of industrial scalable packaging solutions and it says it is the largest robotic integrator in North America’s packaging industry. It is supported by a team of over 1700 people in 17 countries that serve clients in around 60 countries.
Demilec wins 2018 Polyurethane Innovation Award
04 October 2018US: Demilec has been awarded the 2018 Polyurethane Innovation Award at Polyurethanes Technical Conference in Atlanta by the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) of the American Chemistry Council (ACC). It won for its Heatlok HFO product, a two component, closed cell, spray applied, rigid polyurethane foam system. Other finalists included ICL-IP America, for its VeriQuelR100 phosphorus-based, reactive flame retardant product, and SWD Urethane, for its Quik-Shield 108YM open-cell spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation product.
US: Owens Corning has been recognised by the Environmental Leader Product & Project Awards for three of its insulation products. EcoTouch Insulation, Thermafiber RainBarrier Continuous Insulation and Unbonded Loosefill Insulation have each been independently certified as made with renewable energy and reduced embodied carbon as part of the award scheme.
These products were available for specification and purchase in late 2017. Owens Corning worked with SCS Global Services to develop guidelines for the certification, since no such certification previously existed.
“A building represents two kinds of energy use: ongoing energy to operate the building and embodied energy in the manufacture of the building products. Insulation reduces the operational energy needed for the building. Owens Corning’s new insulation products reduce the embodied carbon inherent in the building as well,” said Jesus Hernandez-Torres, senior Research and Development leader at Owens Corning.
David W Yarbrough awarded Alexander Schwartz Award by Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Association International
21 June 2018US: The Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Association International (RIMA-I) has given the Alexander Schwartz Award to David W Yarbrough. The award was presented at the International Reflective Insulation Manufacturers (I-RIM) Conference that took place in May 2018 in Costa Rica.
Yarbrough is an Emeritus Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Tennessee Technological University and a retired Research Staff Member of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He is a founding partner and Vice President of R&D Services and Principal Engineer of R&D Engineering in Cookeville, Tennessee. He holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and registration as an engineer in Tennessee and Florida.
US: Johns Manville has been named ‘Supplier of the Year’ for 2017 by Insulate America, an insulation contractor association. The award recognises companies for the overall value they provide to the organisation through technical expertise, customer support and lead referrals. Johns Manville has previously won the prize in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017.
“At a time marked by heightened competitive pressure, Johns Manville has demonstrated an unparalleled level of dedication and commitment to Insulate America. We are proud to recognize them yet again with this award,” said Insulate America President and chief executive officer (CEO) David Beam.
Insulate America is a cooperative group of locally owned, independent insulation contractors that provide and install insulation and other building products for residential and commercial construction. It is the largest independent insulation contracting organisation in the US with over 200 locations across the nation. Representatives from each of the locations vote on the ‘Supplier of the Year’ award.
Australia: Kingspan says that its Somerton insulation plant near Melbourne is making progress towards gaining a Green Star rating. If it does so it will the first manufacturing plant in the country to do so. Kingspan and the Green Building Council of Australia have collaborated to allow the rating tool to be used for production plants in the country. A Green Star certified rating provides independent verification that a building or community project is sustainable.
US: Johns Manville has won Insulate America’s supplier of the year award. The insulation producer has won the award four times in five years since 2013. Insulate America is a cooperative group of locally owned, independent insulation contractors. It is the largest independent insulation contracting organisation in the US with 200 locations in 46 states. Representatives from each of the locations vote on the award.
Johns Manville received 24-Karat Gold Challenge Award from Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
29 October 2015US: Johns Manville (JM) was recently honoured with the 24-Karat Gold Challenge Award by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for 'above and beyond' efforts in creating and implementing a programme that has made a measurable contribution to the environment, the economy and society. JM was nominated to receive the award by 97 Gold Leader peer companies within the Environmental Leadership Programme.
The Environmental Leadership Programme, administered by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, recognises organisations that go beyond compliance with environmental regulations and strive toward a goal of sustainability. Members work through three levels of partnership: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Programme membership stands at 160 organisations, representing a variety of sectors from manufacturing and agriculture to schools and service providers.
JM was presented with the 24-Karat Gold Challenge Award at an annual awards dinner on 16 October 2015. It won the award thanks to recent activities at the Johns Manville / Industrial Insulation Group manufacturing facility in Fruita, Colorado. Staff reinvented, redesigned and reconstructed its manufacturing process, resulting in the elimination of approximately 863t/yr of material from landfill waste by diverting that material into a new energy-conserving product stream. As a result, the facility eliminated 40 years of reliance on a 12,141m2 waste impoundment complex. Additionally, the product made from this reclaimed material is conservatively estimated to reduce end user CO2 emissions by over 270,000t/yr of CO2.
According to Fred Stephan, Senior Vice President of JM's Insulation Systems business, a team of employees from Fruita and Denver proposed and implemented the changes and truly exceeded everyone's expectations. "The team really did an outstanding job," said Stephan. "In the process of meeting our environmental requirements, they were able to make our manufacturing process more efficient and productive. Their hard work, as well as their perseverance, has been very impressive."
Johns Manville named ‘Supplier of the Year’ by Insulate America for the third consecutive year
10 June 2015US: Johns Manville (JM), a Berkshire Hathaway company and building products manufacturer, has been named 'Supplier of the Year' for 2015 by Insulate America Inc, a US insulation contractor association.
JM is the first company to receive the award three years in a row, having previously accepted the award in 2013 and 2014. Insulate America's 'Supplier of the Year' award recognises companies for the overall value they provide to the organisation through technical expertise, customer support in the field and lead referrals.
"For the third straight year, Johns Manville has risen to the top of the building products industry by demonstrating an unmatched ability to provide customers with the highest level support and innovative product solutions," said David Beam, president and CEO of Insulate America. "We are proud to recognise the JM team once again and appreciate the company's ongoing support of our organisation."
Insulate America is a cooperative group of locally-owned, independent insulation contractors that provide and install insulation and other building products for residential and commercial construction. It is the largest independent insulation contracting organisation in the US with 200 locations in 46 states. Representatives from each of the locations vote on the 'Supplier of the Year' award.
"Winning this award even once is a tremendous accomplishment and we feel humbled to be the first company ever to be named 'Supplier of the Year' three years in a row," said Fred Stephan, senior vice president and general manager of insulation systems for JM. "This recognition from Insulate America's network of professionals across the country serves as further motivation for our team to provide our customers with the industry-leading insulation products and solutions to meet their ever-changing needs."
Turkey: ODE has won the 2013 prize in the 'Large-Scale Enterprise' category in the Fourth Competitive Power Prize, which was organised by the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TÜSİAD), the Federation of Industrial Associations (SEDEFED) and the Sabancı University.
ODE was founded in 1985 and is the largest 100% domestic insulation manufacturer in Turkey. ODE is the youngest producing company to win this award to date. Previous winners of the Competitive Power Prize include İÇDAŞ, Bilim İlaç and BRİSA. ODE was judged on growth, export, added value, human resources, financial resources, innovation design, technology, leadership and sustainable strategy.
Kemal Direk, ODE's deputy general manager of Financial Affairs, received the prize from the president of the Turkish Enterprise and Business Confederation, Süleyman Onatça, on behalf of ODE. "This esteemed prize, which we have received in our 29th anniversary year, has been a source of pride and joy for us," said Direk. "We would like to present our endless thanks to the venerable jury members, who awarded us with this prize. ODE has always looked out for the development and progress of its employees, its sector and its country. It has adopted innovations without hesitation. These esteemed awards have exalted us and given us strength and courage for our future objectives."
ODE has grown by 60% in the last two years and has targeted at least 25%/yr growth until 2018. The company currently operates at almost 100% capacity from its four manufacturing plants and is preparing to open a new plant in Eskişehir within three years. ODE has accelerated its activities abroad in recent years and currently exports to 68 markets on all five continents. It plans to increase exports to 75 markets by the end of 2014.