Belgium: Recticel has appointed Jan Vergote as its chief executive officer (CEO). He succeeds Olivier Chapelle, who will start the handover process in September 2023.

Vergote has worked as the head of a number of European companies notably in the flooring sector. He was the CEO of IVC Group from 2008 to 2021. Prior to this he was the managing director of Balta Group from 2003 to 2008 and Beaulieu International Group from 1996 to 2002.

US: Owens Corning has appointed Nicolas Del Monaco as the president of its insulation business with effect from 15 September 2023. He will succeed Todd Fister in the post, who is taking over the role of chief financial officer. Del Monaco will report directly to chair and chief executive officer Brian Chambers and serve as a member of the company’s executive committee.

Del Monaco joined Owens Corning in 2000 and currently serves as senior vice president and managing director of the company’s European operations, leading a team of 4400 employees spanning both the Insulation and Composites businesses. Prior to that, he served as vice president of non-wovens and glass reinforcements Europe. During his tenure with the company, he has also held a variety of finance, operations and general management roles.

South Korea: KCC has started operating its new second 48,000t/yr glass wool production line at its Gimcheon plant. Chair Chung Mong-jin and chief executive officer Jeong Jae-hun attended a ceremony marking the achievement in late August 2023. The company says that the new line is the largest single one of its type in the country.

Austria: Austrotherm plans to raise the prices of its expanded polystyrene (EPS) and extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation products by up to 15% from 25 September 2023. The insulation producer said earlier in August 2023 that production reductions and unexpected plant shutdowns had increased the costs of its main raw materials.