Displaying items by tag: insulation

Switzerland: The first nine months of 2025 yielded a 2% year-on-year decline in sales for Holcim, from US$15.3bn to US$15bn. Nonetheless, the company succeeded in raising its recurring earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) by 2% to US$2.86bn. It recorded year-on-year organic growth of 3% in sales and 11% in EBIT. Holcim noted the centrality of sustainability in its growth in the period. Its sales of ECOPlanet reduced-CO₂ cement rose from 32% to 35% of total cement sales, while its sales of ECOPact reduced-CO₂ concrete sales from 26% to 31% of total ready-mix concrete sales. Its use of construction-demolition materials (CDM) in production rose by 20% year-on-year.

During the period, Holcim continued its on-going diversification through the acquisition of Germany-based walling systems producer Xella. At the same time, the company’s cementitious division continued to target ‘profitable growth in highly attractive markets,’ as exemplified through its Australia-based joint venture Cement Australia’s acquisition of BCG Cement. Across all divisions, Holcim closed 14 value-accretive transactions in the period. It spun off Holcim North America and sold its Nigerian cement business and Iraq-based Karbala Cement Manufacturing.

CEO Miljan Gutovic thanked Holcim’s 45,000 employees, saying "We are delivering on Holcim's vision to be the leading partner for sustainable construction. With accelerating net sales growth in the third quarter of 2025, we delivered strong profitable growth for the first nine months of the year, with a 10% increase in recurring EBIT in local currency and an industry-leading margin of 19%. Margin expansion was driven by our high-value strategy, scaling up our sustainable offering to meet customer demand, and accelerating decarbonisation and circular construction for profitable growth.” Gutovic confirmed Holcim’s full-year guidance for 2025, namely: recurring EBIT growth of 6 – 10% in local currency, with a margin of above 18% and free cash flow before leases of US$2.51bn.

US: Holcim has successfully acquired leading US independent spray foam producer SES Foam. SES Foam has a track record of double-digit growth and expects to record sales revenues of US$200m in 2022, according to Holcim. The group says that the producer stands out for its value-added services to contractors, including onsite technical instruction, business consulting, branding and lead generation support.

Global head of solutions and products Jamie Gentoso said “I warmly welcome all SES employees into the Holcim family. With SES’ leadership in thermal insulation, we are expanding our range of innovative systems for sustainable buildings, from roofing to insulation, to enhance buildings’ energy efficiency. We look forward to entering our next era of growth together.”

Poland: 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.

Germany: Cemex Zement has launched Insularis cement-free concretes, a product range suitable for use in building insulating components. The range includes lightweight concretes Insularis Supra and Insularis Infra. Due to its low bulk density, Insularis Infra currently requires special case-by-case or project-related approval for use in Germany. The company said that it produces Insularis concretes from a mix of recycled and natural raw materials. It added that Insularis is itself 100% recyclable.

India: Sustainable roofing specialist Visaka Industries has acquired a 20-year patent for production of ATUM, a roofing system consisting of cement boards with integrated solar panels. The company says that the product, which has been in development since 2016, is both insulative and capable of generating up to 28W/m2 of power.