In line with plans touted in the summer of last year (see Plasteurope.com of 18.07.2011), US glass fibre products manufacturer Johns Manville (JM, Denver, Colorado; www.jm.com) in mid-February said it would invest in replacing and expanding a furnace at its site in Trnava / Slovakia at an investment cost of more than EUR 50m. The upgraded furnace is due to begin operations in September this year, turning out polymer reinforcements. This latest investment follows JM’s 2004 financial injection in the site, which it acquired in February 2011 – see also Plasteurope.com of 06.11.2003.

Commenting on the move, Enno Henze, vice president of JM’s Engineered Products Europe/Asia division, said the investment constituted a “preparation for an improved economy in the second half of the year.”

Johns Manville products are mostly earmarked for the insulation and roofing sectors as well as fibres and nonwovens applications. The Denver-based group last posted sales of about USD 2.5 bn and employs some 6,600 workers in 40 plants across the world.