Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Poland: Belgium-based Recticel has signed a preliminary agreement with Poland-based insulation company Gór-Stal. Under the agreement, the producer will acquire the company’s polyisocyanurate (PIR) insulation business for Euro30.0m. The company employs 66 people at its Bochnia plant in Lesser Poland Province. In 2020 it generated net sales Euro16.7m and earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of Euro2.50m. Its capacity utilisation rate was 40%.

Chief executive officer Olivier Chapelle said, “The acquisition of the Gór-Stal PIR-based insulation board activities marks an important step in the development of our insulation business. This acquisition perfectly fits our ambition to further expand in the growing thermal insulation markets of Central and Eastern Europe. It meets three fundamental prerequisites: a state-of-the-art asset, a perfect geographical complementarily, and a focus on high performance PIR insulation solutions. We look forward to welcoming our new and highly skilled colleagues from Gór-Stal.”

Recticel expect to close the deal in July 2021.

Poland: Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki says that his government will spend Euro7.2bn on measures to reduce air emissions including financing home insulation. Other measures in the programme include support for ‘green’ heating system, according to Radio Poland. The announcement follows the government’s support for a bill in March 2018 banning low-quality coal for domestic use.

According to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), 33 of Europe's 50 most polluted cities are in Poland. The WHO estimates that around 50,000 citizens die each year due to air pollution-related conditions.

Poland: Paroc Group says that its Euro60m expansion project at its Trzemeszno plant is proceeding to plan. A new 70,000t/yr stone wool production line is being built at the site. The upgrade is expected to be completed in 2019. The upgrade is part of Paroc’s plan to support its growth strategy for Central and Western Europe.

Germany/Poland: Rockwool plans to build new production lines at its stone wool insulation plants at Malkinia in Poland and Neuburg in Germany. The expansions are intended to target demand in new builds and renovation for non-combustible stone wool insulation, particularly in the external wall system and flat roof insulation segments. The upgrade work at Malkinia also includes improved environmental measures.

“Demand for stone wool insulation is expected to grow in key European markets, and expanding existing facilities lets us add capacity relatively quickly. We are also making good progress on multiple initiatives to optimise and upgrade other of our manufacturing facilities to boost output and reinforce our market-leading position,” said Rockwool Group chief executive officer (CEO) Jens Birgersson.

The new production capacity is scheduled to come on line in the second quarter of 2019 in Poland the second quarter of 2020 in Germany. The cost of the investment is approximately Euro175m. The insulation producer is also planning to increase production capacity at other plants through modifications to equipment and workflow to eliminate bottlenecks.

Poland/Spain: Kingspan Group plans to buy Spain’s Synthesia group and Poland’s Balex Metal. Although no exact figure has been released, Kingspan has agreed to spend Euro620m on ten acquisitions, including Synthesia and Balex, so far in 2017.

"These latest acquisitions mark a significant strategic step forward for Kingspan. They are a perfect fit for our existing businesses and geographic footprint, and in addition provide a technology platform that will complement our on-going innovation pipeline and the development of next generation insulation," said Gene Murtagh, chief executive officer (CEO) of Kingspan.

Kingspan’s acquisition of Synthesia includes its Huurre and Poliuretanos businesses that produce insulation products in Spain, Portugal and in Central and South America. The deal includes a technology platform for blended chemical systems similar to those used throughout the wider Kingspan Group. Synthesia is headquartered near Barcelona, with eight manufacturing facilities across Northern Spain and Panama and approximately 575 employees across all businesses. The acquisition agreement is conditional on regulatory clearance, and is expected to complete during the first quarter of 2018.

Kingspan has also agreed to acquire Balex Metal, a Polish insulation producer. The Balex acquisition is conditional on regulatory clearance, and is expected to complete towards the end of the first quarter of 2018.

Poland: Finland’s Paroc is spending around Euro60m on an expansion project at its Trzemeszno mineral wool plant. A new 70,000t/yr stone wool production line will be built at the site. The upgrade is expected to be completed in 2019.

"This is an important step for Paroc to continue the profitable growth. Demand for insulation has been increasing, especially in the Central and Eastern Europe. With increased production capacity we are able to grow together with our customers and improve our competitiveness and efficiency," said Kari Lehtinen, chief executive officer (CEO) of Paroc.

India: NBCC India has signed a deal with Poland’s Bolix to use its external thermal insulation and composite systems (ETICS) solutions technology. The state-owned construction company intends to use ETICS technology in its on-going and upcoming projects in both India and overseas, according to the Press Trust of India. Initially, the company will import the building materials and technology but Bolix is also considering building a plant in India.

Poland: Paroc Group has upgraded its mineral wool plant in Trzemeszno to increase its production capacity with an investment of over Euro13m. “Up till now, some of the Paroc’s technical insulation solutions had been produced only in Finland,” said Joakim Westerlund, Chief Operating Officer at Paroc. “Shipping from Poland, combined with the fact that more products can now be transported on one truck thanks to new technology, not only will save time and resources of our customers, but also fits in our sustainability and energy efficiency policy.”

The investment marks a continuation of Paroc’s long-term development strategy in its Baltic and Central Europe area. Since 1998, when the Polish Paroc production plant was set-up, the company has invested over Euro140m in the Trzemeszno plant.

Poland: Rockwool has inaugurated a Euro80m mineral wool production line at its Cigacice plant. The new line will allow the introduction of a new portfolio focusing on products for flat roofs and exterior walls. It will also allow for improved product quality, higher production efficiency and improved environmental credentials.

“The investment in Poland not only gives us the opportunity to take advantage of the latest technology in producing innovative stone wool solutions, we are now also positioned for further growth,” said CEO Jens Birgersson. He attended the inauguration with the managing director of Rockwool Polska Andrzej Kielar and other local Polish authority figures.

Poland: Stepan Company has completed the relocation of its European R&D and Technical Service centre to new laboratories in Wroclaw. The expanded facilities will serve Stepan's business in insulation foams as well as the diverse Coatings Adhesives Sealants and Elastomers (CASE) business. In addition to providing increased space for its growing team of scientists, the expanded facilities include a wide range of test and production equipment to support Stepan's customers with innovation and technical development projects.

The specialist and intermediary chemical production company also confirmed that the expansion of its polyester polyol facility in Brzeg Dolny will be completed in mid-2016, with the addition of a new reactor. The new asset is required to support Stepan's growth in the CASE business for its European customers.

"The completion of this expansion to our facilities in Poland marks a significant milestone in our growth story within the European polyester polyol industry. Commitment to these plans by Stepan is an endorsement of our growth strategy,” said Roger Stubbs, Vice President, Polymers Europe.