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Johns Manville, a leading global manufacturer of energy-efficient building products and engineered specialty materials and a Berkshire Hathaway company, announced today that it will release water-repellent, mandrel-wound, mineral wool industrial pipe insulation, MinWool-1200® Pipe, in February of 2019.
According to Jeff Semkowski, Industrial Portfolio Manager for Johns Manville, JM created this new product in response to growing demand for water-repellent materials in the industrial insulation market.
“The market is showing a decided preference for water resistance in insulation materials that are being specified, as an added defense mechanism to combat corrosion under insulation (CUI),” said Semkowski. He explained that the voice of the customer and the engineering community are crucial in helping JM ensure that they are delivering innovative, effective insulation materials for their customers.
“After releasing Thermo-1200™, the first water-resistant calcium silicate on the market, our customers indicated that they wanted a water-repellent mineral wool, so we responded to their needs with MinWool-1200 Pipe.”
MinWool-1200 Pipe insulation was designed to help mitigate the risk of water intrusion. It was tested in accordance with BS EN 13472, absorbing less than 1 kg/m2 of water during the absorption tests. BS EN 13472 is a British Standard test method that measures weight gain by partial immersion in water and in recent years, it has become increasingly more common in material specifications.
Jack Bittner, Senior Industrial Product Manager for Johns Manville, explained that MinWool-1200 Pipe insulation will continue to offer the same thermal performance and lightweight benefits as it always has, but now it will be water-repellent.
“MinWool-1200 Pipe insulation remains unchanged in its performance characteristics. It can still be used in applications with operating temperatures up to 1200°F, and it is still lightweight; the only difference is that MinWool-1200 Pipe now inhibits water intrusion,” he said.
MinWool-1200 Pipe will be available from Johns Manville’s Phenix City, AL facility beginning in February 2019.
© 2019 David Mazor
Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.