Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Russia: TechnoNicol has started operation at a Euro105m mineral wool plant in the south of the Rostov region. The new unit will produce four types of rock wool products. Future plans for the site include the production of pipe and roof insulation and exports to markets in Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan.

UK: TechnoNicol intends invest up to Euro5.9m to double the production capacity to at least 55,000t/yr at Superglass’ mineral wool plant in Stirling. The upgrade will involve building a new furnace at the site to come online by 2020, according to the Scottish Herald. The investment is intended to boost the insulation producer’s sales in markets in the UK and western Europe. The decision follows shareholder approval of TechnoNicol’s purchase of Superglass.

Russia: TechnoNicol has opened a Euro27.6m mineral wool insulation production plant in the Khabarovsk region. The plant will have a production capacity of 0.75Mm3, according to Prime News. The products will be sold locally and via export. The company plans to export 20% of its entire output to China in 2019. The insulation producer expects the payback period for the plant to take seven years.

Russia: TechnoNicol has completed the construction of a mineral wool plant in the Rostov region. The plant is currently undergoing commissioning and testing with operation planned for mid-July 2016. The company has invested Euro44m into the site. Once operational the plant will be able to produce six groups of products, including more than 90 types of basalt-based thermal insulation products.

The roofing and insulation producer has also announced that it intends to build a Euro44m mineral wool plant in Kazakhstan. Irek Allayarov, director of the company’s mineral isolation department, said that the company is in the process of selecting potential sites for the unit. A final decision will be made by the end of 2016.

Russia: TechnoNicol plans to launch production of its polyisocyanurate (PIR) foam insulation plant in the Ryazan region on 24 May 2016. The new plant will have a production capacity of 30Mm². Investment in the project amounts to Euro22.6m according to local press. The plant was originally scheduled for launch in the autumn of 2015.

Russia: TechnoNicol intends to invest Euro65.3m to establish a cluster of automated insulation materials plants in Khabarovsk, Russia.

The project is expected to generate more than 270 new jobs. The units, which will utilise stone wool and extruded polystyrene foam to produce insulation materials, is expected to support domestic demand, reduce the cost of construction products by 25% and improve the energy-efficiency of buildings in the region by 46%. TechnoNicol also plans to increase its exports to the Asia Pacific region and the Americas.

Azerbaijan: Russia's TechnoNICOL wants to establish cooperation with Azerbaijan by 2016 to supply the country with insulation materials for industrial and civil projects.

General director of TechnoNICOL's mineral insulation department Irek Allayarov said that it plans to supply Azerbaijan from TechnoNICOL's new 1.3Mm³/yr plant in Krasny Sulin Industrial Park in Rostov, Russia. He added that close proximity to the borders with several countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) would make exports ideal. Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Armenia have all been targeted.

"The plant's products include general construction, technical insulation and materials for fire protection systems. In the future we will consider the production of agricultural products, such as insulation used for the construction of greenhouses," said Allayarov.

Russia: TechnoNicol continues the construction of a polyisocyanurate (PIR) foam insulation board plant in Ryazan, despite the possible decline in demand in the construction market. The plant will have a production capacity of 2Mm³/yr. The launch is scheduled for autumn 2015, following investments of Euro21.2m.

TechnoNicol believes that the new material will be prospective, as PIR is not currently produced in Russia. The share of PIR in the European market of insulation materials for commercial facilities amounts to 40% and grows by around 3%/yr. About 76% of flat roofing in the USA is built using PIR boards. TechnoNICOL expects PIR to capture 2% of the insulation market in Russia by 2018, which currently stands at 47.5Mm³/yr.

Russia: TechnoNicol Corp, a manufacturer of roofing, waterproofing and thermal insulation materials, has agreed to acquire an additional 54.1% stake in Russia’s Krovlya Ooo, a building materials company. After the transaction, TechnoNicol will own a 98.25% stake in Krovlya.

Russia: TechnoNicol plans to invest US$62.2m in the construction of two plants to produce insulation products in the Karaganda region of Russia. The company intends to invest US$48m in the construction of a 80,000t/yr capacity basalt insulation plant and US$13.1m in the construction of a 300,000m²/yr capacity extruded polystyrene insulation plant.

The two projects are to be implemented in 2014 - 2016 in the Saryarka special economic zone in Karaganda, creating a total of 285 jobs. The relevant memorandum has been signed by the governor of Karaganda Region Nurmukhambet Abdibekov and TechnoNicol's president Sergei Kolesnikov.