Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka visits Knauf Insulation Glass Mineral Wool plant in Krupka

On 12 July Knauf Insulation had the honour of welcoming Czech Prime Minister, Bohuslav Sobotka and Minister Michaela Marksová-Tominová, Minister for Labour and Social Affairs to our plant in Krupka, Czech Republic. Both members of the government were accompanied by a delegation from the government as well as local political representatives from the Krupka region. They were welcomed by the Managing Director of Knauf Insulation’s Eastern European region, Dominique Bossan, Plant Manager Jan Brazda, Human Resources Director, Tatiana Orglerová and Public Affairs Director, Ondrej Sramek.

The visit marked the ten-year anniversary of the Krupka plant, one our most modern and efficient glass wool manufacturing facilities thanks to a recent rebuild and modernization programme.

Discussions revolved mainly around energy efficiency in buildings and the energy savings potential, both in new buildings and renovations in the Czech Republic. Dominique Bossan noted the success of the Czech single-family homes renovation program “Nova zelena usporam”, a programme which is a first for Central and Eastern Europe, and which is now being replicated by other countries in the region. Mr Bossan also welcomed that fact that from last year the program runs continuously as opposed to the previous "start-stop" system. This allows for more energy-efficient buildings to be built or renovated. Minister Marksová-Tominová noted that more than half of the CZK 12 billion spent annually on social benefits for housing goes to pay energy bills and recognised the great potential for savings and the promotion of energy efficient buildings in a social context. Another point briefly discussed was the availability of recycled glass cullet as raw material with regards to the existing waste legislation.

A plant tour guided by Jan Brazda followed the debate. The participants were taken aback by the cleanliness of the plant and were surprised by the softness of the virgin glass fiber (which is 18 times thinner than a human hair), which they compared to cotton!

Knauf Insulation would like to thank the Prime Minister, Minister Marksová-Tominová and the members of the delegation for taking the time to visit Krupka. It’s a visit we will not forget!