Uzbekistan: Russia-based TechnoNICOL to invest US$13.1m in the construction of a new extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation plant in Angren. AK&M News has reported that the plant will have a capacity of 300,000m²/yr. It will produce TechnoNICOL’s range of 20 – 120mm-thick XPS insulation. Construction will commence in 2024 and the plant will employ 50 people when operational.

Sweden: Ireland-based Kingspan has made a mandatory cash offer for the outstanding 69% of shares in Nordic Waterproofing, the Irish Times newspaper has reported. Kingspan previously raised its stake in the waterproofing products and services company to 31% on 13 September 2023.

US: Owens Corning was named among the Top 10 companies on the Best Corporate Citizen list 2023. The list ranks all companies on the Russell 1000 Index by transparency and performance across 184 environmental, social and governance factors. The result represents Owens Corning’s sixth consecutive year as a Top 10 company.

Senior vice president and chief sustainability officer David Rabuano said “This achievement is particularly meaningful as it reinforces the importance of our work and how we do it. This directly speaks to the commitment of our 19,000 employees in support of our mission to build a sustainable future through material innovation.”

Germany: Masterplast has inaugurated the new Euro3m storehouse at its Achersleben non-woven fleece products plant in Saxony-Anhalt. The plant produces non-woven fleece products for various applications from polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). Masterplast has announced a budget for Euro50m of upcoming investments across Central and Eastern Europe.

Chair Tibor David said “The new hall allows for flexible, smaller-scale servicing and is a crucial step in strengthening our market positions in the EU's largest market.”