Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Belgium: Recticel’s Simfocor polyurethane board product has been certified a ‘Solar Impulse Efficient Solution’ by the Solar Impulse Foundation. The label is awarded to products, services or processes combining credible environmental and economic performance. It also means that Simfocor joins the Solar Impulse Foundation’s list of products selected for their contribution to clean economic growth.

Simfocor is part of the ‘Recticel Silence’ insulation range and is currently sold in France and Spain. It is a polyurethane insulation board that is marketed for both its acoustic and thermal insulation properties. The product is made of recycled polyurethane foams sourced from discarded mattresses.

UK: SIG’s sales revenue grew by 17% year-on-year to Euro3.12bn in 2022 on a like-for-like basis. Market demand fell in the second half of the year with particularly slowed growth in Poland and Ireland although growth increased in the Benelux region. The group said that its commercial strategy had strengthened its positions in the markets in which it operate. It observed that although input price inflation eased in the second half of 2022 it had slowed revenue growth. The company also reported a one-off loss of around Euro5.60m in the second half due to Avonside, a large UK-based roofing contractor and one of the group's largest customers, entering financial administration.

Romania: Knauf Insulation’s revenue grew by 40% year-on-year to Euro27.2m in 2022 from Euro19.4m in 2021. It attributed this to increased sales volumes and higher pricing, according to the Ziarul Financiar newspaper. The subsidiary of Germany-based Knauf acquired the Târnăveni glass wool insulation plant from Gecsat in mid-2022. It later announced plans for a Euro135m upgrade to the site including expanding the existing unit and building a new plant adjacent to it. Construction work on the project was schedule in start in January 2023.

Argentina: Saint-Gobain has completed its acquisition of stone wool insulation producer Termica San Luis. Termica San Luis employs 40 people at its San Luis insulation plant. It is the market-leading stone wool insulation producer in Argentina.

Russia: TechnoNicol expects to commission its upgraded Khabarovsk stone wool insulation plant later in 2023. Local press has reported that the on-going upgrade involves replacement of the plant's rock melting furnaces and fibreisation chambers. When commissioned, the upgraded plant will produce insulation using a biopolymer bonding agent. The producer expects to export its products to the Japan and South Korea markets.