Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Russia: Denmark's Rockwool, the world leader in manufacturing environmental thermal insulation materials, will spend USD150m on the first rockwool production line in Tatarstan's Alabuga special economic zone. The new Alabuga plant, which will have a capacity of about 110,000t/yr of products, represents the largest investment in Rockwool's history. When built, the plant will be the largest of its kind in the world. The plant is even designed for the installation of a second production line, which would increase the capacity to 250,000t/yr. It will be the fourth Rockwool production line in Russia.

The new plant is scheduled for opening in the first quarter 2012, creating at least 200 jobs. It will supply its products to the Volga region, Urals region and Siberia. It will additionally export to Kazakhstan. The roll-out of the new plant will allow Russia to substantially reduce its dependence on thermal insulation imports.

Commenting on the choice of venue for the project, Rockwool's Director General Nick Vince said, "We considered a total of 22 factors. At the top of the list is the full support of the authorities that we found here. The other pluses are tax benefits, a large space (48 hectares), convenient transport system, availability of a hydroelectric station 15km away and that of natural gas. A solid workforce is important. All these factors taken together make Alabuga an ideal venue for our project."

Continuing, Vince said, "We favourably assess the Russian economy's long-term potential. Buildings account for about 40% of the thermal energy produced in the country. There is a vast potential for increasing energy-efficiency and demand for thermal insulation materials."

Japan: To more effectively serve customers in western Japan, Saint-Gobain plans to build a new glass wool production facility near Osaka in the Kansai region through its local subsidiary Mag-Isover, Japan's leading insulation manufacturer. With a planned capacity of 60,000t/yr, the plant is scheduled to be commissioned before the end of 2013.

Representing a total investment of around Euro140 million, the plant will directly employ more than 100 people. Its output will add to the 90,000t/yr of glass wool currently being produced by the Mag-Isover facilities located near Tokyo in the Kanto region. This will bring the company's total production capacity across its four plants to 150,000t/yr.

This investment comes at a time when Japan is aiming to reduce its energy consumption. Buildings account for 30-40% of the energy consumed in the country and therefore offer an enormous combined energy saving potential, particularly in the areas of heating and air conditioning.

Russia: Saint-Gobain is also pursuing its expansion in Russia, where it has acquired Linerock, a company based in Tcheliabinsk, Ural region. Linerock is the Ural region's leading manufacturer of rockwool products, the most widely used insulation materials in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The company employs over 500 people and reported consolidated revenues of around Euro25 million in 2010.