Key Developments

In June 2023, Saint-Gobain (a worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, with 168,000 employees located in 75 countries and over US$51.20 billion in sales in 2022) announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Building Products of Canada Corp., a privately-owned manufacturer of residential roofing shingles and wood fiber insulation panels. This acquisition reinforced Saint-Gobain's leadership in light and sustainable construction in the Canadian market and complements its existing CertainTeed Canada operations, allowing the company to better serve Canadian customers with a broader, more innovative, and more sustainable range of solutions.
In June 2023, Etex (a global building materials manufacturer and pioneer in lightweight construction) completed its acquisition of Superglass (a leading U.K.-based glass mineral wool insulation producer), expanding Etex's European footprint in sustainable insulation materials. This deal complements Etex's existing insulation business through its URSA brand, which manufactures both glass mineral wool and extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation products. The acquisition of Superglass strengthened Etex's position as a comprehensive provider of energy-efficient and sustainable building solutions in the U.K., which is Etex's second largest market globally, generating around 15% of the company's total revenue in 2022.
In February 2023, Tata Steel (one of the world's leading steel companies, with an annual crude steel capacity of 34 million tonnes) established a Centre for Innovation in Mining and Mineral Beneficiation at the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, India. The company aims to strengthen its long-term competitiveness through excellence in developing technological solutions in natural and urban mining and beneficiation for value from low grade and difficult ores. The center will enable the growth of relevant research infrastructure, attract talent, and help strengthen industry-academia collaborative ecosystem in areas of strategic national importance.
In August 2022, Kingspan (a global leader in high-performance insulation and building envelope solutions) established its Roofing + Waterproofing global platform through the acquisitions of Ondura Group (a leading manufacturer of roofing and waterproofing solutions) and Derbigum (a manufacturer of high-performance roofing and waterproofing membranes). These acquisitions have brought Kingspan's new Roofing & Waterproofing division into both flat and pitched roof membrane solutions, from the primary outer layer of the roof to the secondary underlay, strengthening its position as a comprehensive provider of building envelope systems.