UPGRADE OF FACTORY AND NEW PRODUCTION LINE WILL CREATE MORE THAN 100 NEW JOBS.
Knauf Insulation is building a new Glass Mineral Wool manufacturing production line in the heart of Romania.
The investment will provide an annual capacity of over 5 million m3 of Glass Mineral Wool insulation and create more than 100 new jobs.
The company is also investing in an upgrade of an existing factory adjacent to the new line to increase output.
Alexander Knauf, General Partner of the Knauf Group, said: “The new plant supports Knauf Insulation’s European growth ambitions and sends an important message to our customers in Romania and Eastern Europe.
“At a time when energy efficiency is more important than ever in the light of the international situation, this development shows we care for our customers and we are bringing our high-quality solutions closer to them than ever before.”
Dominique Bossan, Member of the Knauf Group Management Committee and head of Knauf Insulation Europe/Middle East/Asia, said: “The new plant is on track to be completed by 2024. It will create more than 100 new jobs and hundreds of additional jobs for regional suppliers, contractors and vendors.”
The new development is located at a brown field site outside the city of Târnăveni, Mureș County, where it will energise the area with new infrastructure and job opportunities.
Târnăveni will also be a showcase for Knauf Insulation’s cutting-edge technologies, high quality manufacturing processes, product excellence and high standards where safety always comes first.
The plant will produce Knauf Insulation’s innovative Glass Mineral Wool using up to 80% recycled glass and with ECOSE Technology®.
Adrian Garofeanu, General Manager of Knauf Insulation Romania and Bulgaria, said: “As a family-owned business with Menschlichkeit (humanity) as one our core values, it is important to us that we are good employer and a good neighbour in all the communities where we operate.
“We are proud to be playing such an important role in the community and economy of Târnăveni and we look forward to strengthening our relationship with those that we work with at the plant, the local community and the Romanian authorities.”
Târnăveni’s key Romanian role
The development of Târnăveni comes at a pivotal time for Romania as issues of international energy security and the availability of a staggering €30 billion in post-COVID financial support from the European Union combine to create a strong environment to drive the energy efficiency of buildings.
The plant will play an important role in helping to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and inspire more renovation in Romania and region by providing extra capacity for Mineral Wool over the coming years.
Knauf Insulation products save building energy and in Romania around 85% of buildings were built before energy performance requirements were put in place. As a result, there is an urgent need to inspire a wave of renovation across the country to help lower energy use and improve the country’s energy security.
Romania’s share of the European Union’s post pandemic Recovery and Resilience Fund — designed to help countries recover from the impact of COVID-19 — is a nation-shaping €30 billion until 2026.
Another factor in the drive towards more energy efficient buildings is the price of gas, which is an important source for heating in buildings. Prices have been rising dramatically due to the international situation with a major impact on those struggling to pay energy bills, particularly those in single-family houses in Romania’s rural areas.
In addition to saving energy, renovation reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions and boosts the economy. In Europe buildings are responsible for 36% of CO2 emissions and renovation contributes to significant climate action while creating the thousands of new jobs needed to transform buildings.
Finally, unprecedented levels of funding are being made available to European countries through the EU Green Deal, Fit For 55 programme, the Renovation Wave and REPowerEU to increase the numbers of energy efficient buildings and drive more renovation particularly for public buildings such as hospitals and schools as well as single-family homes.
No wonder all these factors have combined to create extremely ambitious renovation scenarios for Romania ranging from the doubling of renovation rates to multiplying them six-fold.
To achieve such ambitious will require renovation materials and Târnăveni is perfectly positioned to help.
TÂRNĂVENI IN NUMBERS
