Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Czech Republic: Kingspan Czechia’s sales dropped by 22% year-on-year to €142m in 2023. Its profit also declined, by 42% to €6.27m. Throughout the year, the company produced 4.66Mm² of insulation panels, down by 4% from 2022 volumes. It reported total export sales of €108m, down by 23%. The main markets for the producer’s insulation were Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Slovakia. It holds a 25% market share in insulation sandwich panels in its native Czech Republic, up from 22% at the start of 2023. ČTK Business News has reported that Kingspan Czechia plans to begin construction of a new mineral wool insulation panels plant later in 2024.

General manager Stanislav Cihlar said "The new plant will be used to produce world-class insulation panels and will become an important pillar for our future growth.”

Germany: Wood fibre insulation producer Steico reported sales of €191m in the first half of 2024, in line with the first half of 2023. It grew its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) by 53%, to €46m.

Steico maintained a ‘cautious outlook’ for the second half of 2024 and 2025, amid anticipated additional costs from commissioning its new Gromadka insulation plant Poland. It forecast full-year sales of €365m in 2024, in line with 2023.

Sweden: Rockwool says that it plans to build a new 100,000t/yr stone wool insulation plant in Eskilstuna, Södermanland. When commissioned after June 2027, the plant will serve the Swedish and Finnish markets. It will run on low-carbon electricity from Sweden’s national grid.

Nordics regional managing director Frank Larsen said "Our customers are increasingly demanding low-carbon footprint building materials to achieve their own decarbonisation objectives as well as EU-wide targets in the Energy Efficiency and Energy Performance of Buildings directives. Rockwool's proprietary large-scale electrical melting technology, drawing on Sweden's abundant supply of low-carbon electricity, will help meet this need, which we expect to grow over time as the EU directives get implemented."

Azerbaijan: President Ilham Aliyev has decreed the construction of the Hajigabul Industrial Park to boost Azerbaijani industry and stimulate economic growth. The industrial park will host an insulation plant, among other facilities.

UK: Knauf Insulation UK & Ireland is preparing to build a €200m rock mineral wool plant to supply the UK market. The company is currently discussing with the authorities where the plant will be situated. The unit will have a production capacity of over 100,000t/yr and will use low-carbon electric melting technology. It is anticipated the additional capacity will become available in 2026.

Neil Hargreaves, Knauf Insulation’s Managing Director for Northern Europe, said "Following the €50m investment across our two UK glass mineral wool plants in 2023 - 2024, this represents another exciting development for the business and our valued customers, as well as a further sign of confidence from Knauf Group in the future growth of the UK and Northern European mineral wool markets. The investment represents a step change in the capacity, capability, and sustainability of our UK rock mineral wool solutions, whilst significantly contributing towards Knauf Group’s ambitious sustainability goals."

Kazakhstan: Russia-based TechnoNICOL has begun building its upcoming US$124m Karaganda insulation plant. Interfax Kazakhstan Newswire has reported that the plant will export 30% of its insulation to Russia. Additionally, it will export some insulation to China, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Uzbekistan.

Germany: Kingspan acquired the Ronneburg stone wool insulation plant in Thuringia from Karl Bachl on 4 April 2024. Karl Bachl says that the divestment will help it to concentrate more on its core business. Besides insulation, the company also supplies construction services, prefabricated buildings and stone and precast concrete elements.

Ireland-based Kingspan plans to use the acquisition to grow its production capacity and ‘complete’ its insulation product offering.

Kazakhstan: TechnoNICOL has inaugurated its new US$20m, Almaty extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation plant in the Kairat Industrial Zone. Once fully operational, the plant will have a capacity of 400,000m³/yr, AK&M News has reported. Exports to Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will follow the launch of the plant’s products on the Kazakh market later in 2024.

US: Kingspan Insulated Panels North America is building a new K-Roc mineral wool insulation plant in Mattoon, Illinois. The producer expects the plant to commence operations in early 2025. It will be equipped with a solar power plant and rainwater harvesting system, recycling system and electric vehicle charging stations. When operational, it will employ 50 people. Kingspan’s K-Roc mineral wool insulation offers a three-hour fire rating in wall applications and one-hour fire rating in ceiling applications.

Kingspan Insulated Panels North America president Alswinn Kieboom said "As a result of continued growth and optimism for the future, the addition of this new facility complements our existing footprint in North America, giving us better access to our customer base. We are looking forward to launching this new site and having a presence in the Midwest."

Australia: Murray Industrial Hemp has announced plans for an upcoming hemp-based building materials plant in Barham, New South Wales. Its products will include alternative insulation panels. Local press has reported that all of the plant’s products will align with Australia's new 7-Star Building Standards for energy-efficient homes. Murray Industrial Hemp expects to commission the plant by early 2026.

Director Joe D'Alo said "We believe industrial hemp holds the key to transforming how Australia builds. Our goal is to assist mainstream builders, enabling them to seamlessly integrate hemp building products into their standard processes. The building process doesn’t change with hemp blocks and hemp panels."