Case Study: Insulation manufacturer gains competitive advantage with PremierTech Chronos - Sponsored Whitepaper

Insulation manufacturer gains competitive advantage with PremierTech Chronos

NrGaïa SAS, based in Saint-Etienne-lès-Remiremont, France, processes paper into eco-friendly cellulose-based thermal insulation.

Above and below right: NrGaïa cellulose insulation processing line housed at Norske Skog plant in Golbey, France, shows raw material stacked behind it. Photo courtesy: NrGaïa.

Below: NrGaïa President Olivier Legrand. Photo courtesy: NrGaïa.

Demand for NrGaïa’s insulation is growing. “New regulations related to energy savings are pushing the market up significantly,” reports company president Olivier Legrand. “The global European insulation mar- ket represents Euro7.2bn/yr. It is growing at a pace of 6%/yr.” That’s the good news. The challenging news is that competition and pro- duction costs are rising too. “Raw material costs have been increasing significantly for the last two years,” says Legrand. With demand for this type of insulation rising he adds, “Fierce competition is shaking the European market, especially in France. In 2008, there was only one producer in France. Since then, six new factories have been launched.” So what is NrGaïa’s strategy? To gain access to qual- ity raw material in sufficient quantity at a competitive price by partnering with Oslo-based pulp and paper producer Norske Skogindustrier ASA (Norske Skog) to process unsold newsprint into cellulose insulation at Norske Skog’s existing factory at Golbey, France.