profile
Neil Hargreaves
Neil Hargreaves is Managing Director for Knauf Insulation Northern Europe (KINE), which includes the markets across the UK & Ireland, Scandinavia and English-speaking countries in Africa.
Neil originally joined KINE in 2006 as Head of Commercial Finance before leaving to become Finance Director (EMEA) for a multi-national manufacturing and contracting business. In 2011, he re-joined KINE as Finance Director and has since played a key role in a number of commercial, financial and strategic projects. He was appointed Managing Director in February 2019.
Prior to joining KINE, Neil trained as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG and gained experience in audit, business consulting and transaction services working with clients across manufacturing, construction and leisure industries.
Neil sits on the board for the Mineral Wool Insulation Manufacturers Association (MIMA).
Knauf Insulation
Knauf Insulation is the UK’s leading manufacturer of glass and rock mineral wool insulation products.
As part of the family owned Knauf Group, Knauf Insulation represents one of the most respected and progressive names in insulation. It offers an unrivalled range of insulation solutions for any application or project to meet the increasing demand for energy efficiency, fire resistance, thermal and acoustic performance in new and existing homes, non-residential buildings and industrial applications.
In the UK, the company operates at three manufacturing plants; Cwmbran, Queensferry and St. Helens.
Visit www.knaufinsulation.co.uk. Follow @KnaufUK
Launched in 2015, the award winning monthly Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) report is the only reliable measure of repair, maintenance & improvement (RMI) activity in the UK. Filling an important gap, it can be widely used in construction, and by economists, Government, national media, commentators and influencers outside the industry.
Knauf-Insulation Comment: Q4 2024
2024 ended better than it began for construction. A modest recovery gradually gathered pace over the course of the year, and we begin 2025 with the expectation that the positive trend will continue, albeit at a slower pace than we would have previously expected.
The forecast is more optimistic for insulation specifically. With energy prices still volatile, good insulation that performs well will remain in demand for both new housing and retrofit.
Reasons for optimism then, but with a note of caution when we look at the global context. At the time of writing, the world is coming to terms with potential increases in trade barriers. New tariff regimes, including CBAM in Europe, will reshape global trade with inevitable knock-on effects on costs and availability. Construction products with an international supply chain could be affected.
Merchants can mitigate this risk by onshoring their supply chain. Wherever possible, stocking products made in the UK, using locally-sourced raw materials that are abundant and readily accessible, and therefore less susceptible to global trade disruption (whatever the cause).
Mineral wool insulation is a case in point. Taking our operations as an example; we make both rock and glass mineral wool at three manufacturing facilities in the UK. The primary raw ingredient for the latter is glass cullet, which is sourced locally via household recycling. As a result, mineral wool supply is less vulnerable to external factors.
In fact, the amount of mineral wool insulation made in the UK is increasing. We’ve just completed a capacity-boosting upgrade at our St Helens site to increase the supply of glass mineral wool, and last year we announced a new low-carbon rock mineral wool manufacturing facility that will add over 100,000 tonnes once operational.
‘Made in the UK’ has always been a mark of quality, as well as a proof point for sustainability. In these uncertain times, it may now also be a useful indicator of stable supply.