Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Spain: 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.

Spain: Saint-Gobain Isover has donated Climaver Star mineral wool insulation for use in the construction of the coronavirus field hospital at La Zarzuela University Hospital in Madrid.

On 23 April 2020 Spain’s confirmed coronavirus case count was 213,024, with 22,157 deaths.

Spain/Portugal: Knauf Insulation Iberia met its company growth objective of 5% year-on-year growth in 2019, a year in which it supplied two major developments: the Government of Catalonia’s administrative complex and the VP Plaza Hotel in Madrid. The latter won the US Green Building Council (GBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certificate, the first hotel to achieve this certification.

Interempresas News has reported that the focus of Knauf Insulation Iberia’s strategy in 2020 will be on maintaining its leadership in the sustainable building sector and in the search for products and solutions aimed at zero energy consumption building conversions and construction. Knauf Insulation Iberia CEO Oscar del Rio said, “Bearing in mind the economic uncertainty derived from the coronavirus crisis, our objective will be to maintain our penetration objectives.”

The company’s growth in 2018 was 10%.

Spain: The National Association of Mortar Manufacturers (AFAM) and the Association of Mortar Manufacturers and SATE (Anfapa) have announced their unification as a single organisation under the name of Anfapa. Alimarket has reported that the body will serve the interests of over 40 members and associates as ‘the qualified voice of an important subsector of the construction industry, giving it a broader and unanimous front.’

Spain: Isover has launched APTA Arena, a new product in its APTA sand mineral wool line. It says it is intended for interior divisions offering high thermal and acoustic performance. The product is also made from over 50% of recycled materials and can be fully recycled after use.

Germany: Covestro has signed an agreement with HIG Capital, a private equity company, for the sale of its European Systems Houses business. HIG Capital aims to position the business towards mid-sized customers. Covestro will retain its polyurethane markets in Asia where it will continue to serve its customers. The sale is part of Covestro’s ongoing portfolio optimization process that includes the sale of Covestro’s North American spray polyurethane foam systems home business in 2017.

The systems houses businesses are part of the Covestro’s Polyurethanes segment and sell tailor-made polyurethanes systems. The European Systems Houses business comprises facilities in the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Germany and further businesses in Italy. Operations will continue at the current facilities while Covestro will continue to have strong ties with the systems houses business as a key polyurethanes supplier.

The closing of the transaction is expected for the second half of 2019 after the required antitrust clearance. No value for the sale has been disclosed.

France: Saint-Gobain plans to build a new glass wool production line at its Isover branded plant at Chemillé near Angers. The line is scheduled to start production in mid-2019. It is being built to meet rising demand in the French market for roof insulation products.

In addition, Saint-Gobain is planning to open new production lines at its plants in Azuqueca near Madrid in Spain and Vidalengo near Milan in Italy. These lines will open in spring and autumn 2018 respectively. Altogether Saint-Gobain has invested Euro45m in the upgrades with the majority placed in Chemillé.

Spain: Óscar del Río has been appointed as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Knauf Insulation Iberia. He suceeds Daniele Cerutti, according to Alimarket. Del Río has worked for Knauf for 18 years in a variety of different roles. He started at Knauf Industries, one of the subsidiaries of the group dedicated to the manufacture of expanded polystyrene insulation, as a regional commercial manager. Later he becacme head of sales for Knauf Insulation in 2007 and commercial director for the Mediterranean region in 2014. He was appointed as the director general of Knauf Insulation Iberia in November 2017.

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.

Europe/Spain: The European Commission has approved, under the European Union (EU) merger regulation, the acquisition of Spanish insulation producer URSA by Germany’s Xella. The commission concluded that the acquisition would raise no competition concerns because of the limited overlaps between the activities of the companies. The deal was first announced in August 2017 and it is expected to be completed by the end of 2017.