Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

US: Germany’s Covestro plans to spend Euro1.5bn on building a new methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) plant at Baytown in Texas. The new plant will have a production capacity of 0.5Mt/yr and production is expected to start in 2024. The investment at the existing site in Baytown is the largest single investment in the history of the company. It will replace the 90,000t/yr MDI unit at the site.

“Demand for innovative MDI materials will continue to grow for the foreseeable future and likewise promises attractive capacity utilisation rates. We have already announced a significant increase in capital expenditures, now it’s time to put it into action”, said Markus Steilemann, chief executive officer (CEO) of Covestro. He added that the investment would strengthen the company’s ‘leading position’ in polyurethanes.

Covestro is also running a global investment programme in MDI production capacity, including plans to double its MDI production at Brunsbuettel, Germany to 0.4Mt/yr from 0.2Mt/yr by the second half of 2019. Other parts of this initiative include the continuation and expansion of plants in Tarragona in Spain, Caojing in China and Antwerp in Belgium.

US: Knauf Insulation has celebrated its 40th anniversary in the US. ‘Knauftoberfest’ featured German-themed music, costumes, foods and beers, according to the Shelbyville News newspaper. The German company has its US headquarters in Shelbyville and it started local operations in 1978. At present Knauf operates multiple facilities in the US and it employs around 1900 workers.

US: Demilec has been awarded the 2018 Polyurethane Innovation Award at Polyurethanes Technical Conference in Atlanta by the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) of the American Chemistry Council (ACC). It won for its Heatlok HFO product, a two component, closed cell, spray applied, rigid polyurethane foam system. Other finalists included ICL-IP America, for its VeriQuelR100 phosphorus-based, reactive flame retardant product, and SWD Urethane, for its Quik-Shield 108YM open-cell spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation product.

US: Johns Manville has launched Cavity-Shield, a formaldehyde-free fibreglass batt insulation product intended for use in the concealed spaces of multifamily buildings. The National Fire Protection Association-approved product is being marketed as an alternative solution to sprinklers in the interstitial space. The batts are designed to serve as a passive fire solution for limiting potential flame spread between and through floors. It is also intended to reduce construction costs by reducing the time and resources required for installers to complete the job.

US/China: The Office of the US Trade Representative has started implementing a 10% tariff on mineral and other products from China, including mineral wool products, following a consultation period. Mineral products affected by the proposed tariffs of interest to the insulation industry include: slag wool, rock wool and similar mineral wools, in bulk, sheets or rolls; and nonwoven glass wool insulation products. The latest tariff list follows an earlier decision by the US government to tax imports from China worth US$34bn that came into force in early July 2018.

US: Owens Corning has earned a place in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) for its sustainability performance for the ninth consecutive year. For the sixth straight year, Owens Corning was named the Industry Leader for the DJSI World Building Products group.

“We are honoured to be recognised on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for the ninth straight year and as the Industry Leader for the sixth year,” said chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) Mike Thaman. “Our 19,000 employees continue to take action and drive real impact for the betterment of our business, employees, customers, partners and the world around us.”

Owens Corning also earned placement on the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index, which includes the top sustainability leaders from the largest 600 North American companies in the S&P Global BMI.

North America: A survey by the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) has revealed that its members used over 0.9Mt of recycled glass to produce residential, commercial and industrial thermal and acoustical insulation in 2017. The survey included data from both US and Canadian production plants.

Producers also used over 0.3Mt of recycled blast furnace slag in the production of thermal and acoustic insulation. Since the industry’s recycling program began in 1992, NAIMA estimates that its members’ plants have diverted an estimated 26Mt of recycled materials from the waste stream.

“Our industry is tremendously proud of the substantial use of recycled content in the production of energy saving insulation products,” said Curt Rich, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of NAIMA. “These products ultimately reduce building energy use and decrease our carbon footprint. Over the long term, the fibre glass and mineral wool insulation industry expects to continue using substantial amounts of recycled content in the production of insulation products.”

US: Sixty protestors have met with the Charles Town City Council in West Virginia to complain about a new stone wool plant being built in Ranson, Jefferson County. They asked that the council do more research into the effects the plant would have on the local environment, according to the Martinsburg Journal. Rockwool broke ground on the project in late June 2018 and it is expected to open in early 2020.

US: The Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Association International (RIMA) is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Don Roy of Roy & Son’s, Pat Mascari of Infra and Robert Dittemore of Superior first met in Los Angeles in 1978 to discuss forming a trade association for their industry. An invitation to attend the DOE/FTC hearings on insulation products to represent reflective insulation in Washington DC followed in 1979 with RIMA member Raymond Urias of AIM also joining.

Later, RIMA became an internal association in 2007 with a meeting held in Paris, France. This led to the formation of the International Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Conference (I-RIM Conference).

RIMA-I members represent the association and the industry ASTM Standards, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), ICC and IBC participating in code development and changes and participating in meetings and code hearings throughout the year.

New Zealand/US: US company Havelock Wool has secured sheep’s wool supplies from Pāmu Farms of New Zealand and the New Zealand Merino Company for its insulation products. The suppliers will provide strong (coarse) wool farmed on Pāmu properties throughout the country to the insulation producer. Havelock Wool targets its products at high-end residential installations with a focus on sustainability and health benefits of its products.