ROCKWOOL acquires Swedish company to further strengthen sustainable melting technologies

As part of a longstanding collaboration, ROCKWOOL acquired a minority stake in ScanArc several years ago. The full acquisition announced today deepens this collaboration and supports ROCKWOOL’s roadmap to decarbonise its production.

Enabling fossil-free melting with electricity

ScanArc’s plasma technology plays an important role in converting existing ROCKWOOL factories to an electric melting solution that enables us to use low-carbon electricity instead of fossil fuels. Achieving temperatures of up to 1,500°C is essential in stone wool production, and decarbonising such high-temperature processes remains a challenge across heavy industry. By combining forces, ROCKWOOL can accelerate the transition to fossil-free melting.

Retrofit solution strengthens the business case

The combined ROCKWOOL–ScanArc solution is designed to retrofit existing production lines that have historically been powered by fossil fuels. This accelerates and reduces the costs of converting existing facilities, as it avoids the need to replace the entire melting oven.

“We have an ambition to decarbonise our existing factories and transition to non-fossil energy sources. This acquisition and our multi-year collaboration with ScanArc will help us to scale up efficiently”, says ROCKWOOL CEO Jes Munk Hansen.

ROCKWOOL is currently finalising the first full-scale implementation of the technology at our factory in Roermond, the Netherlands, following a successful pilot installation at the Flechtingen, Germany factory.

ROCKWOOL and ScanArc are not disclosing the financial terms of the transaction.

About ROCKWOOL Group

At ROCKWOOL, everything we do is based on releasing the natural power of stone to enrich modern living. We help our customers and communities tackle many of today’s biggest sustainability and development challenges, from energy consumption and noise pollution to fire resilience, water scarcity and flooding. Our product range reflects the diversity of the world’s needs, while supporting our stakeholders in reducing their own carbon footprint.

Stone wool is a recyclable, versatile material that forms the basis of all our businesses. With ~11,800 dedicated colleagues in 37 countries and sales in more than 120, we are the world leader in stone wool products, from building insulation to acoustic ceilings, external cladding systems to horticultural solutions, customised stone wool insulation components for other manufacturers’ products and systems (OEM), to insulation for the process industry and marine & offshore.

About ScanArc

Swedish ScanArc is a leader in plasma technology with more than 30 years of experience in the field. ScanArc’s industrial electrification solutions are flexible and help companies move towards the use of electricity rather than fossil fuels. The technology works for all types of industries.