Rockwool A/S (or AS),[6] also known as the ROCKWOOL Group,[3] is a Danish multinational manufacturer of mineral wool products headquartered in Hedehusene, Greater Copenhagen, Denmark. The company's R&D unit, employing 100 people as of 2016, is co-located with the headquarters in Copenhagen.[7]
Rockwool was the world's largest maker of insulation materials in 2009,[6] but had fallen to the second largest by 2016.[7] As of 2009[update], 90% of the company's revenue came from the sale of insulation products, while 80% came from sales in Europe.[6]
Rockwool was founded as Korsør Stenforretning by constructor Henrik Johan Henriksen and brickyard-owner Valdemar Kähler in 1909 as a gravel mining company.[7] In 1922, the company won the contract on improving the dykes at Saltbæk Vig and later purchased the area.[8]
In 1927, it purchased a chipping plant at Hedehusene. In 1937,[note 1] a production of mineral wool (stone wool) was established at the site based on an American license acquired by Finn Henriksen during a visit to the States.[9] By 1939, the focus of the company had fully turned toward the manufacture of insulation.[7]
In 1972, the company was divided into H+H and I/S Kähler & Co. Kähler & Co. was led by Valdemar Kähler's grand son Claus Kähler. He was succeeded on the post by his son Tom Kähler in 1986. In 2004, Tom became chairman of the board while Eelco van Heel took over the position as chief executive officer.
The company's first plant in the United States opened in 2014 in Marshall County, Mississippi.[10] In 2017, the company announced a North American expansion through establishment of a plant in Ranson, West Virginia through its subsidiary Roxul.[11][12]
In 2023 Rockwool was named an "International Sponsors of War" by Ukraine for selling products to the Russian Ministry of Defence for use on warships.[13]
In 1969, Rockwool acquired a minority stake related to technology licensing in the privately held Swiss company Flumroc AG.[14] In November 2017 Rockwool completed acquisition of all outstanding shares of Flumroc; company sales have been largely limited to Switzerland.[14] Due to the broad recognition of the brand in Switzerland, Rockwool kept using the Flumroc brand.[14]
With the acquisition of a stone wool factory in Ontario, Canada, Roxul Inc. was established as the Canadian subsidiary. When business started in the United States, Roxul USA Inc. was established as the US subsidiary. On 1 January 2018, the North American insulation business rebranded to ROCKWOOL North America.
From 1987 to 2004, Rockwool Group's president and CEO was Tom Kähler. From 2004 to 2014, Eelco van Heel held those positions.[15] As of 2015, Rockwool Group's president and CEO was Jens Birgersson.
In 2008, there were a number of actions by the World Intellectual Property Organisation in regard to internet domain names which have resulted in domain transfer to Rockwool, among these being "china-ocean-rockwool.com",[17] "rockwoolfactory.com",[18] and "rockwoolvietnam.com".[19] In 2015, Rockwool International filed suit against Rock Wool Manufacturing Company hoping to quash potential consumer confusion in the face of the defendant having filed a trademark application for "Rock Wool"; the suit was dismissed by the court after Rock Wool's abandonment of their trademark application.[20]
In 1981, six members of the Kähler family established the Rockwool Foundation with an endowment of 25% of each of their own stock holdings in Rockwool International.[21] The Foundation has been referred to as a think tank by some authors.[22] The Rockwool Foundation Research Unit was established as a fully independent unit with a focus on social science research in 1987 by the Foundation, led since 2003 by Torbin Tranæs.[23] The Research Unit has been described as self-financed and non-partisan.[24] The Research Unit has published on topics such as the extent of the financial black market in Denmark.[25] In other published cases, it has been unclear whether the Research Unit or the Foundation have been the actor, as in the case of examining the British health care system with an eye toward the financial cost of emulating the Kaiser Permanente system,[22] and an analysis of the impact on the Danish economy of wages lost through prisoner incarceration.[26]
^Citation Hanna 2010 states that production started in 1935.
^Citation Hanna 2010 notes 23 factories in 35 countries as of 2010.
^Roxul facility opened 2014; Rockfon facility opened in 2017. Lantrip, Patrick (23 October 2017). "U of M Files $33.5M Permit for Land Bridge". Memphis Daily News. 4594 Cayce Road. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
^Cook, Tim (7 July 2017). "$150 million plant coming to Ranson". The Journal. West Virginia, United States: Ogden Newspapers. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
