Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Denmark: Tentoma has launched its new XL Power insulation panel packing machine. The supplier says that machine can pack up to 19m-long panels. At shorter lengths, it can stretch film for more panels per packaging cycle, increasing the packaging speed for the products by up to 25%. Tentoma built and sold its first XL Power packiaging machine to replace an orbital wrapper.

Belgium: Recticel Insulation has obtained Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) for its multilayer thermal insulation products. It says that it is the first polyisocyanurate (PIR) and polyurethane (PUR) producer to do so. The insulation manufacturer will be selling thermal insulation products, with multilayer paper facings made from wood fibres sourced from a PEFC-certified and sustainably managed forests. The PEFC label will be added to its Recticel Eurowall, Eurothane Silver, Eurothane Silver A, Eurofloor, Euroroof, Eurothane GP, Eurowall Cavity and Eurothane Eurodeck products.

Recticel Insulation already held the PEFC label for some of its insulation products manufactured at its plants in Bourges, France and Stoke-on-Trent, UK. The certification is now being gradually rolled out to more products and to all plants where multilayer facings are used.

France: Knauf France has launched ThermaSoft Natura, a domestic thermal insulation product made from plant-based materials. It will be made using cotton scraps from textile manufacturing, jute fibres from recycled food bags and flax fibres from agricultural crops, according to Le Moniteur. The product will be manufactured in the Lyon region and distributed from April 2022.

UK: Kingspan has recalled all uninstalled Kooltherm K15 phenolic insulation from UK customers pursuant to an order by the government’s Office for Product Safety and Standards. The company estimates the value of the affected stock to be Euro180,000. InsideHousing News has reported that the company hopes to resume its sale of Kooltherm K15 insulation following its suspension on 23 December 2021.

Kingspan says that recent tests have shown that Kooltherm K15 insulation is eligible for a C rating under European safety standards, which would enable it to be fitted in buildings of above 18m in heigth.

US: Saint-Gobain plans to invest a total of US$400m in expansions to its operations including insulation operations at four US sites. The group says that the sites are located in California and the Southeastern US. It said that the new capacities will apply the most advanced available technologies for industrial performance, safety and sustainability. This will reduce waste by 50% and CO2 emissions by 20% from current levels, according to the company.

Saint-Gobain said it hopes that the investments will strengthen its leadership in North America and accelerate its growth in the region by enriching its comprehensive range of solutions for light and sustainable construction.

Russia: TechnoNicol plans to carry out an upgrade at its Khabarovsk basalt mineral wool insulation plant. The planned project will fully automate production at the plant and double its capacity. The producer expects the upgrade to improve safety, sustainability and product quality.

Germany: Cemex Zement has launched Insularis cement-free concretes, a product range suitable for use in building insulating components. The range includes lightweight concretes Insularis Supra and Insularis Infra. Due to its low bulk density, Insularis Infra currently requires special case-by-case or project-related approval for use in Germany. The company said that it produces Insularis concretes from a mix of recycled and natural raw materials. It added that Insularis is itself 100% recyclable.

Spain: Saint-Gobain Isover has launched the Geowall range of stone wool insulation. The range consists of Geowall 34, Geowall 35 and Geowall 37. The company says that the range replaces its Acustilaine products. It is non-hydrophilic and uncoated for excellent thermal and acoustic performance. It called Geowall the ‘optimal choice’ for the design and execution of laminated gypsum board systems.

Austria: Austrotherm says that its Resolution Facade foam insulation product is being used for exterior renovations in Vienna’s many pre-1919 apartment blocks. These kinds of jobs require thin insulation to maintain a building’s profile.

Sales director Robert Novak said, “An apartment building built before 1919 has a heating requirement of 120 - 250kWh/m². They are therefore five times worse than newly-built residential complexes, which have had to meet the lowest energy house standard across Europe since 1 January 2021.” He concluded, “There is still a lot of renovation potential in this building category.”

Buildings of this period currently house 500,000 people in Vienna and number 30,000, 20% of the total number of residential buildings. 20,000 are in the Wilhelmian architectural style, known for its facades.

France: Unilin has renamed its product ranges for greater international clarity. The Le Moniteur des Artisans has reported that the Isocombo range of insulation will now be called Utherm Comfort and the Trilatte, Rexolight, Rexotoit, Rexolatte and Thermiwall ranges will now be called Usystem. Product names will additionally inform of application, for example ‘roof’ or ‘wall,’ and type of insulation. Interior panels will lastly bear a colour name.

The producer also announced the launch of a new logo.