INSULATION SUPERFOIL TO SUPER
CHARGE PRODUCTION SuperFOIL insulation is investing in new facilities to increase capacity.
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incoln-based SuperFOIL Insulation is set to scale up UK manufacturing with the first of four production-line improvements for 2022.
Production of multifoil insulation at the company’s Lincoln headquarters will grow by 60% following the installation of custom-built unwinding stations. This will be followed by three further upgrades this year which will enable it to produce 11 times as much insulation in-house as it does at present while also expanding its product range.
The investments, totalling £500,000, will mean that 70% of SuperFOIL products will be made in the UK.
The upgrades are the latest improvements made by the family-owned company, which will have invested more than £1m in productivity improvements since its move to Lincoln’s Boulder Development Park in 2019. Managing director William Bown said: “Since we moved to Lincoln three years ago, one of our goals has been to dramatically scale-up the quantity of product we can manufacture from raw materials here in the UK. We’ve already made great progress with this and it’s helped us to take on 13 more people in the last three years. Now, we’ve started one of the biggest periods of expansion in our company’s history with the first of four production line improvements scheduled for this year. Ultimately, these will bring us to a point where we can produce 400 rolls of multifoil per day at our Lincoln HQ, as well as producing bigger and more varied sizes of other insulation products.
“With energy prices soaring and set to climb higher this autumn, insulation offers the best solution for many households to reduce their energy bills now and into the future. Combined with the need for everyone to reduce their carbon footprint, we’re scaling up our productivity so we can help more properties become energy efficient and comfortable, making a real difference to the cost of living and the environment.” The first upgrade to SuperFOIL’s production line is the installation of a series of unwinding stations which can enable five layers of foam wadding and aluminium foil - the key
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components of multifoil insulation - to be combined simultaneously. Specially engineered bearings will reduce the force needed to unwind the materials and a built-in replenish system will enable rolls to be rapidly reloaded, without production being stopped. The nxt stage is installing upgraded machinery for its bubble foil insulation and two further improvements to its production line and warehousing which will aid the manufacturing of other product lines while improving efficiency and productivity. BMJ
NEW REGS MEAN NEW CPD REQUIREMENTS Insulation specialist Actis is launching a new CPD which will help the industry understand the Revisions to Part L of the building regulations.
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omorrow’s Insulation Solutions for Future Homes Standards is currently awaiting certification by the Construction CPD Certification Service. When finialised, it will become the fourth in insulation provider Actis’ series of popular professional CPD certified training programmes. Other sessions are the RIBA-approved CPD on addressing the performance gap with reflective insulation, a CPD module on building regulation compliance and a mini training course specially designed for use at LABC roadshows on the new SAP 10.
The new CPD looks at how the changes will impact the industry and how to ensure professionals meet the targets laid down in the revised building regulations.
Thomas Wiedmer
With new build homes obliged to see carbon emissions reduced by 31% over the current levels after June 15, the Actis CPD will explain the importance of focusing on ‘fabric first’ to help achieve this goal. There will be a one-year grace period for projects currently going through the planning process.
Actis UK and Ireland technical director Thomas Wiedmer says: “In order to achieve this 31 per cent uplift over current regulations we have to focus on ensuring the fabric of the building is the main driver of energy efficiency. This will need to be combined with more use of efficient building technologies. “Energy efficiency standards should always be based on reducing the need for energy first and in particular limiting the heat loss through thermal elements – that is through achieving excellent U-values, reducing thermal bridging and improving air tightness – the fabric first principle.”
The CPD will look in detail at ways to improve U-values, reduce thermal bridging, address the performance gap and improve air tightness while ensuring there are no issues with overheating. He adds: “Ensuring insulation is continuous, with no gaps, plays a vital role in reducing thermal bridging – and this is one area in which the Actis Hybrid range excels, with its flexible nature and ease of cutting and moulding into corners, gaps and awkward junctions.”
The CPD will also look at SAP 10, the latest update to the Standard Assessment Procedure, which is incorporated within the revised Part L regulations, and which is designed to ensure correct thermal modelling junctions are used.
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net June 2022
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