
Insulation industry news from Global Insulation
Saint-Gobain plans US$400m investment in US expansions
11 November 2021US: 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.
Saint-Gobain completes Duraziv acquisition
04 October 2021Romania: France-based Saint-Gobain has completed its acquisition of adhesives and construction chemicals producer Duraviz for an undisclosed sum.
The group said that the acquisition will enable it to expand its interior and exterior finishing product range. Saint-Gobain employs 1800 people at 12 sites in Romania.
Saint-Gobain improves performance on 2019
30 July 2021France: Saint-Gobain’s sales grew by 24.6% year-on-year to Euro22.1bn in the first half of 2021 from Euro17.8m in the same period in 2020. Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) nearly doubled to Euro3.25bn from Euro1.64bn. Both sales and earnings were also higher than the comparable period in 2019.
“These first-half 2021 record results surpass even our second-half 2020 performance. This success reflects the profound positive changes in our organisation from Transform & Grow,” said Benoit Bazin, chief executive officer of Saint-Gobain. “It also reflects structural changes in our markets, which should show an acceleration in growth over the coming years.”
The group added that it had integrated its Strikolith subsidiary into the main business. It acquired the Netherlands-based exterior insulation systems producer in late 2020.
Saint-Gobain acquires Duraziv in Romania
20 May 2021Romania: France-based Saint-Gobain has acquired Duraziv, a producer of adhesives and other construction chemicals. The group said that the purchase would allow it to expand its range of interior and exterior finishing solutions. It also hopes the move will drive an improvement in the energy efficiency of buildings in Romania thanks to external thermal insulation solutions (ETICS) based on locally-produced stone wool and mortars. This latest addition follows the recent acquisition of Russia-based Adhesive Scientific and Production Company, a producer of polyurethane (PUR) and epoxy products.
US: France-based Saint-Gobain has awarded a contract to MTI Instruments to supply its Digital Accumeasure non-contact measuring technology. The group will use the product to measure closed-cell foam density in its production process. It said that the partnership aims to increase the number of process improvement products which reach plant implementation.
Saint-Gobain Competency Research Laboratories smart manufacturing team leader Mickael Boinet said "We chose MTI Instruments' Digital Accumeasure product for many reasons. The non-contact technology was just one of the pluses.” He added "We investigated various impedance measurement companies in Europe, but ultimately determined that the amplifier made by MTI Instruments was superior."
Saint-Gobain Isover launches Geowall stone wool insulation
22 February 2021Spain: 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.
Saint-Gobain plans 50,000t/yr stone wool plant in Siberia
19 February 2021Russia: Saint-Gobain has announced plans to build a 50,000t/yr-capacity stone wool plant in Siberia. The company says that the decision aims to help it better meet the growing needs of consumers in Siberia, Kazakhstan and the Far East. It will produce the insulation material using basalt. The total estimated cost of the project is around US$35m, with commissioning scheduled for 2023.
Russia, Ukraine and Commonwealth of Independent States regional chief executive officer Antoine Peyrude said, “The new production complex will allow us to better respond to the demands of the local market, whose demand for innovative energy-efficient solutions is constantly growing.”
Former insulation product manager admits Celotex manipulated fire safety tests in Grenfell Tower inquiry
19 November 2020UK: Jonathan Roper, a former assistant product manager at Celotex, has described the company as ‘dishonest’ by ‘overengineering’ a cladding fire safety test to achieve a pass for its RS5000 insulation product. After a first test failure in January 2014, a second system passed in May 2014, which the firm used to erroneously market the combustible rigid foam boards as being safe for use on high-rise buildings, the inquiry has heard, according to the Press Association. Covert changes were allegedly made to the set-up of the second test to make the outcome more favourable. Roper added that the motivation for getting the RS5000 product to market was to compete with rival firm Kingspan and its K15 insulation.
Celotex, part of the French multinational Saint-Gobain group, has maintained it promoted RS5000's use on buildings taller than 18m only on a "rainscreen cladding system with the specific components", used when it passed the fire safety test. The inquiry has previously heard Celotex saw Grenfell as a "flagship" for its product and exploited the "smoke of confusion" which surrounded building regulations at the time.
The current stage in the inquiry is examining the production, testing and sale of the materials used in the tower's refurbishment which resulted in the June 2017 fire, killing 72 people. The proceedings continue.
Isover launches APTA Arena 48 mineral wool product
19 November 2020Spain: Saint-Gobain Isover has launched APTA Arena 48, a 48mm thick variant of its sand mineral wool product. It is intended for use with internal partition walls with the 48mm grid system. The product offers thermal resistance of 1.40m2K/W with λ = 34mW/mK.
Kingspan withdraws fire test reports for Kooltherm K15 in the UK
12 November 2020Ireland: Kingspan has written to the Building Research Establishment (BRE) to withdraw fire test reports on its rigid thermoset phenolic insulation Kooltherm K15. The Irish Times newspaper has reported that, speaking at the inquiry into the Grenfell tower fire in London, a representative of the company admitted that the fire test reports on Kooltherm K15 may not reflect the actual product. This was due to possible compositional changes arising from “process shortcomings” that “fell short of the high standards which Kingspan sets itself." In 2007 it failed a fire test in which it was reportedly tested with a cladding system that also failed subsequent testing with another company’s insulation.
The Grenfell inquiry has asked Kingspan why it had not previously withdrawn the Kooltherm K15 fire test reports with the BRE. A distributor supplied the insulation to contractors for use in the refurbishment of Grenfell in 2012 – 2016.
The majority of the insulation purchased for use in a refurbishment of Grenfell Tower prior to the fire in June 2017 was Celotex’s RS5000 polyisocyanurate foam (PIR) insulation board. However, Kingspan confirmed in July 2017 that a small amount of its Kooltherm K15 product had also been used without its knowledge and that it had no involvement in the design or specification of the refurbishment.