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Insulation industry news from Global Insulation
Minimal damage from fire at insulation plant
09 October 2014
US: A fire was reported at Knauf Insulation’s insulation plant, which was formerly a Guardian Industries plant, in Albion, Michigan on 8 October 2014. According to local media, the fire started in one of the ovens and spread through the ducts to the smoke stack. Damage is thought to be minimal, although the equipment remains to be fully inspected.
Knauf starts new insulation plant in Russia
29 August 2014Russia: Germany's Knauf has launched a new insulation materials plant in the Tyumen Region of the Urals Federal District in Russia at a total investment cost of US$83m. The installed capacity of the enterprise is 45,000t/yr. It will create 200 jobs.
Knauf reports a large profit drop in Denmark in 2013
15 August 2014Denmark: Knauf's Danish operations has posted weaker than expected 2013 results. Net profit declined to Euro10.2m from Euro17.8m in 2012 and for the first time in many years turnover did not exceed Euro134m. The decline in turnover and profit was attributed to financial crises in some of the company's export markets. Knauf's managing director, Morten la Cour Ørnstrand-Søborg, expects export markets to pick up and that Knauf will post better results in 2014.
Knauf Insulation to acquire Guardian Insulation
04 June 2014US: Knauf Insulation and Guardian Industries Corp have announced that a definitive acquisition agreement has been signed for Knauf Insulation to acquire Guardian Insulation. The transaction includes Guardian Fiberglass, a supplier of insulation products for the construction market, as well as Guardian Laminated Building Products. Closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.
"We are already one of the fastest-growing insulation companies globally and this deal will firmly establish our leadership position in what is the largest insulation market in the world," said Mark Andrews, CEO of Knauf Insulation in North America. "It is an important step in our mission to become the global leader in energy efficient systems for buildings."
"We are delighted to acquire such a high quality business that fits perfectly with our growth strategy and we look forward to welcoming the Guardian Insulation team into the Knauf Insulation family," said Andrews. "This is also great news for customers of both Guardian and Knauf Insulation due to the highly complementary nature of these businesses. The combined entity will have a dramatically expanded manufacturing footprint to help provide high levels of service."
Steve Ziessler, president and CEO of Guardian Building Products, said that the purchase by Knauf is exciting news for Guardian Insulation and its employees. "We are confident that our employees, customers and suppliers can look forward to an excellent future with Knauf Insulation. Guardian and Knauf share a culture of responsibility, accountability, safety, entrepreneurship, strong leadership, innovation and value creation," said Ziessler. "We want our customers and employees to know that we anticipate a smooth transition."
Russia: Knauf Insulation expects its mineral wool insulation factory in Tyumen Oblast, Russia to reach its design capacity of 45,000t/yr in late 2014. More than Euro64.3m was invested in the project. The plant sells its products in the Ural district, Siberia, the Far East and Kazakhstan.
UK: The Construction Products Association (CPA) has appointed John Sinfield as its new chairman. Sinfield is managing director of Knauf Insulation in Northern Europe. The CPA represents the Euro48.6bn-turnover UK construction products and materials sector.
Sinfield replaces Geoff Cooper, chief executive of Travis Perkins, in the role. Sinfield said, "Given all the political uncertainty over the coming year, with regulatory doubt over energy security, costs and carbon measures, we need manufacturing to be underpinned by a vibrant, long-term, cross-party industrial strategy which enables the UK to capture supply chain advantages for firms here in this country. I look forward to leading efforts to help bring key players together to find a way forward."
Greater Manchester launches insulation trial
25 April 2014UK: A Salford housing association has begun a pilot project to trial a new type of party cavity wall insulation. The project will see the new mineral wool insulation fitted to separating walls between terraced and semi-detached houses in City West Housing Trust's properties in Greater Manchester, UK.
The housing association, which owns and manages 14,600 homes in Salford, is undertaking the project with Knauf Insulation using the company's ECOSE Technology, which creates insulation using formaldehyde-free binder technology and naturally occurring and recycled raw materials.
If the pilot is successful, customers could save Euro73 - 109/yr on their energy bills. Additionally, household carbon emissions will be reduced by between 0.33 - 0.50t/yr per home. The performance of the insulation will be monitored by Leeds Metropolitan University, the Mineral Wool Insulation Manufacturers Association and Knauf Insulation.
"Through our commitment to the green agenda we are ensuring our properties can be as energy efficient as possible and offer value for money for our customers," said City West head of supply chain and sustainability Garry Vaughan.
Zero landfill from UK Knauf Insulation facilities
21 August 2013UK: Knauf Insulation has announced that from August 2013 all four of its UK manufacturing plants will send zero waste to landfill.
The achievement marks a significant milestone in the manufacturer's sustainability journey, in which it is constantly developing its products and processes to contribute towards greener and more energy efficient environments.
At its glass mineral wool sites in St Helens (where the company's headquarters are also based) and at Cwmbran in Wales, Knauf Insulation has introduced a number of measures to divert both production and office-generated waste. Baled glass wool waste is re-used by a ceiling tile manufacturer, while mixed glass wool and incidental packaging waste is collected by a recycling partner and re-processed for use as underground bedding.
Other waste is segregated at source to enable efficient recycling. A 'Bin the Bin' campaign was introduced as part of EcoWorks, an employee initiative designed to encourage best practice techniques and education around sustainable behaviour. Clearly marked recycling bins, desktop recycling folders and skips for cardboard and polythene have been distributed throughout the facilities, so that the waste can then be collected and recycled.
Kevin West, Health, Safety, Security and Environmental Manager at Knauf Insulation's St Helen's plant, commented, "As the UK's leading insulation manufacturer and the third largest manufacturer of insulation in the world, we take our social and environmental responsibilities seriously. True sustainability is about much more than simply producing 'green' products. It must be an integral part of the business, which is what we have sought to accomplish with our waste management strategy. Reaching zero waste to landfill is a fantastic achievement and is a clear demonstration of Knauf Insulation's commitment to improving our environmental performance."
Knauf discussing expansion in Tajikistan
20 June 2013Tajikistan: Knauf is seeking to expand its operations in Tajikistan, according to the Tajik Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
According to the Tajik MFA information department, issues related to cooperation between Tajikistan and Knauf International were discussed at a meeting of the Tajik Ambassador to Germany, Imomuddin Sattorov, with Alexander Blumhardt, Executive Manager CIS, Knauf International that took place in Berlin, Germany on 18 June 2013. The sides reportedly discussed participation of Knauf in projects for production of building materials in Tajikistan.
Blumhardt briefed the Tajik diplomat on investment policy of the company and prospects of further expansion of its operations in Tajikistan. He noted that Knauf was interested in participation in development of gypsum deposits in Tajikistan and production of building materials from domestic raw materials with getting local labour resources involved in the work. The sides also discussed the upcoming visit of the Knauf delegation to Tajikistan.
Knauf Insulation signs with Exeed Industries
28 March 2013UAE: Knauf Insulation Holding has announced the signing of an agreement with Exeed Industries to acquire a holding in their subsidiary, Exeed Insulation which will operate as a joint venture between Exeed and Knauf, under Knauf Insualtion management.
Exeed Insulation currently operates a newly built glass wool insulation plant in the ICAD 1 Musaffah in Abu Dhabi. In addition to assuming management control of the business, Knauf Insulation will bring its production experience and technology, including ECOSE Technology, to ensure that the plant produces the highest quality mineral wool and becomes the lowest cost mineral wool plant in the region. Knauf Insualtion will also provide product development and marketing expertise to ensure that the business can meet all the current and future needs of specifiers, distributors and contractors throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council states.
Following completion of the transaction the business will be renamed Knauf Exeed Insulation and will be managed by Thorsten Dambly, formerly General Manager, for Knauf Insulation in Austria and Switzerland.