Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

US: Johns Manville (JM) plans to build a new fibreglass insulation production line at its McPherson plant in Kansas. The new line will produce its Climate Pro blowing wool product. JM will begin construction on the expansion project later in 2019 pending various governmental approvals. It anticipates the completion in early 2021. When complete, JM will employ more than 330 people in McPherson.

US: Johns Manville has appointed John Vasuta as the president of its Engineered Products business. He will lead the business that manufactures glass fibre nonwovens, polyester spunbonds and glass fibres for the building and construction industry, as well as for automotive, industrial and residential applications. It operates manufacturing plants in the US, Germany, Slovakia and China.

Vasuta most recently worked at Bridgestone Corp. as president and managing director, Firestone Building Products International as well as Global Senior Vice President, Firestone Building Products. He joined Bridgestone as Deputy General Counsel and later held a variety of executive-level jobs, including president of Bridgestone’s 250 commercial store division and vice president of International Sales and Operations for building products. He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering, an MBA and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Akron.

US: Kathy Miks, spray foam Product Manager at Johns Manville, has been elected as the Vice Chair of the Spray Foam Coalition, an organisation of companies that produce and sell polyurethane spray foam insulation systems and the chemicals and equipment necessary for their use. As Vice Chair, Miks will work alongside the organisation’s Chair to lead efforts aimed at educating and promoting spray foam and its benefits. She will serve as Vice Chair through December 2019, and then transition to the position of Chair through 2021.

Miks is an accomplished industry professional, bringing more than 18 years of experience to the role. In her current position as Product Manager, Miks oversees the spray polyurethane foam and polyiso wall system portfolios for the Johns Manville Building Insulation division. In addition to her full-time role with Johns Manville and new responsibilities with the Spray Foam Coalition, Miks is on the steering committee for the Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association. Miks holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.

The Spray Foam Coalition was founded in 2010 by the American Chemistry Council’s Center for the Polyurethanes Industry to promote the use of spray polyurethane foam and its benefits in US applications, provide a forum for helping shape public policy and support the safe manufacture, transport and application of the product.

US: Johns Manville has launched Cavity-Shield, a formaldehyde-free fibreglass batt insulation product intended for use in the concealed spaces of multifamily buildings. The National Fire Protection Association-approved product is being marketed as an alternative solution to sprinklers in the interstitial space. The batts are designed to serve as a passive fire solution for limiting potential flame spread between and through floors. It is also intended to reduce construction costs by reducing the time and resources required for installers to complete the job.

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.

US: Johns Manville has released its sixth sustainability report covering 2016 – 2017. The insulation and building materials producer says that it reduced its greenhouse gas emission intensity by 2.5%. It added that it has attained its goal to implement environmental management systems in all of its of North American and European plants three years early and had developed product category Environmental Product Declarations for its heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and mechanical insulation materials. It also decreased its lost time incident rate by more than 50% in the reporting period.

US: Johns Manville (JM) has appointed Eric Cremer is the company’s new Chief Human Resources Officer with immediate effect. Cremer has worked for the past two years as Director of Human Resources for JM’s Engineered Products business. In his new role, Cremer will be responsible for all aspects of JM’s global human resources and communications organisation.

Cremer worked at Merck & Co, Agilent Technologies and Kraft Foods before joining Johns Manville in 2004. Over the next eight years he held a variety of human resource (HR) positions, including North America Director of Human Resources and Labor Relations, Senior HR Manager and Regional HR Manager in McPherson, Kansas. Cremer left JM in 2012 to work as Vice President of Human Resources at Vistar in Centennial, Colo. He returned to JM in 2016 and became a member of the Engineered Products leadership team. He holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in Labour and Industrial Relations from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

US: Johns Manville has issued information about an upgrade to the furnace of its Waterville plant in Ohio that took place in the summer of 2017. The work re-started the plant’s furnace and increased its production capacity. The site produces a range of engineered products, such as continuous glass fibres for insulation, composites, building materials and engineered thermoplastic market.

US/Canada: Johns Manville (JM) has launched JM CladStone Water & Fire Block Insulation in the US and Canada. The mineral wool product is for use in cavity wall and rain screen applications. JM says that the product allows for the drainage of water from an exterior wall cavity system.

“We are committed to providing our customers with an array of products to meet the needs of any project, and that’s why we’re introducing JM CladStone Water & Fire Block Insulation, a non-combustible product designed to aid in managing moisture in continuous insulation systems,” said Tommy Knappich, Vice President and General Manager of Building Insulation at JM.

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.