Knauf Insulation plans adjustment in rock mineral wool production

Simbach am Inn, Germany, January 2012 – Knauf Insulation, one of the leading companies in the insulation industry worldwide, plans adjustments to its rock mineral wool insulation production - mainly impacting their products dedicated to the ETICS segment - in order to make greater use of existing synergies and to significantly increase competitiveness.  

The planned redimensioning in the rock mineral wool insulation segment will involve optimisation of technology and production processes at the Bad Berka (Thuringia) and St. Egidien (
Saxony) locations. The reason for the adjustment lies mainly in the operative, technical and economic synergies offered by both locations that can be harnessed in a short timeframe.

In the future, the manufacturing of rock mineral wool insulation products will be concentrated in St. Egidien, whereas converting the products especially for the ETICS market (finishing/coating) will continue to take place in Bad Berka. The actual production of rock mineral wool at Bad Berka will be discontinued. The finishing manufacturing process will be extended with an investment amounting to a single-digit million Euro sum.

As this adjustment in production will affect the employment situation at Bad Berka, Knauf Insulation has today informed the works council about its plans and intends to hold negotiations with the works council over the coming period. 

“Following our recent significant investment in technology improvements and capacity increase in St. Egidien in late 2009, the resulting opportunities and potential for further efficiencies must now consequently be captured” says Markus Niermann, Managing Director for Knauf Insulation Germany.

Moreover, the planned measure is also a consequence of Knauf Insulation’s future-oriented strategy to further extend the company’s leading position. “It is the responsibility of the senior management of Knauf Insulation’s management to improve competitiveness and undertake the measures that are necessary,” adds Niermann.

Knauf Insulation has clearly stated that it will continue to provide all products and services at its usual high quality to its customers during this restructuring phase. “Thanks to the state-of-the-art production technology in St. Egidien, we are confident that it will enable us to improve the quality of our ETICS products even further and giving us the possibility to launch new innovative products in the near future”, says Remco Teulings, Managing Director Central Europe.