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: Q2 2024
A new government, and a new national mission for the construction industry – to build 370,000 new homes a year. This will require housebuilding at levels not seen in Britain since the sixties.
How will we deliver these volumes (a 63% increase on the net total delivered in FY22/23)? And how will we ensure those homes meet the more exacting performance standards required of them?
The government expects radical planning reform to unlock and enable more development, at greater pace. But for the actual delivery of those homes, the industry must provide solutions.
There are two reasons I believe mineral wool insulation will be at the centre of the response.
The first is volume. Supply of mineral wool in the UK is reliable and robust. It’s made from abundant local raw materials, so isn’t subject to the volatility of petrochemical supply. Significant investment will bring even more capacity onstream over the course of the parliament (including the new Knauf Insulation rock mineral wool factory we recently announced, and the upgrade underway at our glass mineral wool plant in St Helens).
The second is performance. By this I mean real performance. Announcing the new targets, Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner described the need for these homes to be “safe, warm and sustainable”. Glass mineral wool insulation delivers against all three requirements. It’s non-combustible, it has the lowest embodied carbon of any mainstream insulation material, and it readily achieves required U-values, especially with 150mm cavities becoming the new norm. Due to its inherent flexibility, it’s also easier to install correctly than full-fill rigid boards, meaning specified performance is more likely to be delivered in the real world.
The signal is clear. As the industry steps up to achieve this new target, merchants will sell a lot more insulation – in more homes, and more per home in 150mm cavities and deeper lofts. And that insulation will need to do more in terms of its performance. A good time to stock mineral wool.