Poland: Major cement producer Holcim has entered into an agreement to acquire waterproofing, adhesives, polystyrene products and plaster producer Izolbet. Izolbet employs 170 people and operates four production plants in Budzyń, Gostynin, Kleszczów and Chmielów, with most of its business in the high-growth repair and refurbishment market. Holcim says that the new acquisition will help to strengthen its footprint in the renovation, thermal insulation and finishing segment.

Europe, Middle East and Africa region head Miljan Gutovic said “Speciality building solutions have been a key focus for expanding Solutions & Products in Europe, notably with the recent acquisitions of PRB Group in France and PTB-Compaktuna in Belgium. I’m excited to be welcoming all of Izolbet’s employees into the Holcim family, to unleash our next chapter of growth together.

Romania: Knauf Insulation has completed its acquisition of Gecsat. Business World Magazine News has reported that Gecsat operates a glass wool insulation plant in Tarnaveni, Mures County. In 2020, it recorded revenues of Euro6.6m. Knauf Insulation’s Romanian portfolio includes glass wool, basalt mineral wool and wood fibreboard operations.

Knauf Group management committee member and Insulation Europe, Middle East and Asia chief executive officer Dominique Bossan said "The acquisition of the Romanian plant will support Knauf Insulation's growth goals and provide additional capacity to meet the growing demand for our insulation solutions in the region.”

France: The Swiss multinational cement manufacturer Holcim has completed its acquisition of the French speciality building solutions producer PRB Group. The leading cement producer outside of China said that the acquisition will accelerate its transformation into a 30% solutions and products company in sales terms by 2025.

Europe, Middle East and Africa regional head Miljan Gutovic said “I warmly welcome all members of the PRB Group into the Holcim family. I’m excited about the outstanding expertise and passion they bring to our team in France. This is another exciting step in the expansion of solutions and products in the highly attractive repair and refurbishment market. We look forward to unleashing our next era of growth together to make cities greener with more energy-efficient and long-lasting buildings.”

Belgium: The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) has certified Recticel Insulation’s Recticel Eurothane GP, Eurothane Eurodeck and Eurowall Cavity polyisocyanurate (PIR) and polyurethane (PUR) as meeting good forest management standards. This ensures customers that the products’ multilayer paper facings are sustainably sourced.

Head of technical management Dirk Vermeulen said “With the PEFC label on our insulation products, we provide proof of our commitment to sustainability to architects, turnkey companies, project developers and contractors, as well as end-users.”