VIEWPOINT
MULTI-PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS ARE A
COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITY Matt Neary, sales director Knauf Insulation
FOR MERCHANTS, CURATING the right product portfolio is a balancing act. You’re juggling stockroom space, diverse customer needs, and being agile enough to respond to changing market or regulatory trends. One way to simplify this challenge is to stock multi-performance products. Not only can these products help to streamline stock profiles, but they also offer significant added value for installers, contractors and specifiers.
Keeping pace with changing regulations The regulatory landscape continues to evolve and it’s clear that the performance expectations for insulation are multiplying. Recent updates to Approved Document L and Approved Document B have raised the bar on thermal performance and fire safety respectively. And acoustic performance is becoming non- negotiable, both for meeting the requirements of Approved Document E and for improving occupant comfort and health. The imminent Future Homes Standard is expected to demand a 75-80% reduction in the operational carbon emissions of new homes compared to 2013 benchmarks. But the industry is also increasingly focused on the environmental impact of the products it uses. With future regulations such as the proposed ‘Part Z’ of the Building Regulations on the horizon, selecting products lower in embodied carbon is becoming a priority.
This means that products offering just thermal performance may not meet the regulatory and market needs of the modern building. Multi-performance, low- carbon insulation that offers a
combination of thermal, acoustic and fire performance, is going to increasingly be the default choice for specifiers and contractors.
Simplifying stock while adding value Multi-performance products create a win-win for merchants. By offering fewer SKUs that cover a wider range of applications, they help streamline inventory, free up storage space, and reduce the complexity of stockholding. It also makes things easier at the trade counter. If your team can offer a single solution that works across multiple applications, it makes the sale quicker and opens opportunities to upsell.
The recent launch of OmniFit Thermal and Sound Slab is a case in point. It’s a versatile glass mineral wool slab that offers thermal and acoustic performance to meet Part L and Part E requirements. It is also non-
December 2025
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
combustible, with a Euroclass A1 reaction to fire classification that makes it suitable for all buildings, regardless of height or use, and, glass mineral wool also has the lowest levels of embodied carbon of any mainstream insulation in the UK.
Products like these allow you to reduce the shelf space typically needed for both acoustic and thermal solutions, without compromising quality or compliance.
Meeting market demands
Multi-performance products also reflect the changing needs of your customers. Architects are increasingly specifying materials that not only tick compliance boxes but also contribute to occupant comfort and long-term building performance.
Installers, on the other hand, want solutions that are easier to transport, store and handle
– especially when working on multi-trade sites or tight build schedules. Products with high compression ratios, such as our glass mineral wool range, allow more material to be delivered in fewer trips and stored in less space – delivering real-world efficiency gains.
Ready for what’s next With tighter regulations on the horizon and growing demand for high-performance, low-carbon construction products, now is the right time to rationalise your range and look at products that do more than one job.
Multi-performance insulation products help merchants meet market needs, simplify logistics, and add tangible value to customers’ projects. In an environment shaped by regulatory complexity and shifting expectations, these products offer clarity – and commercial opportunity. BMJ
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