K-Flex

MATERIALISING SUCCESS IN THE INSULATION MARKET

K-FLEX Polska provides flexible elastomeric insulation materials that have specialist thermal and acoustic properties. As a subsidiary of K-FLEX, the company has access to a wide network of partners and a rich history rooted in quality assurance and innovation. Project Manager Kamil Maszczyk discussed the company’s latest investments, in a report by Imogen Ward.

Excitingly, K-FLEX Polska is currently involved in five major European projects, all of which are funded by Horizon 2020 and promote a sustainable and co-operative circular economy. “We started our adventure with the European projects in 2020,” Project Manager Kamil Maszczyk said. “It was a bit strange, developing this during the pandemic, because our main task was to meet people and gather information. Out of all the projects, FRONTSH1P is by far the biggest project for us; it is the first one we have fully coordinated, and it has so much potential for development.”

Previously a feature for the Inside Industry magazine, K-FLEX Polska has been busy growing its capabilities over the past two years.

Flexing new capabilities

The greatest developments at K-FLEX Polska come in the form of two new warehouses, in Uniejów, Poland. “In 2022 we opened a new warehouse that has an area of 8,000 square metres,” said Mr Maszczyk. “In May this year we expanded our capacity again with the commission of our biggest warehouse to-date. With a floor space of 32,000 square metres, this addition takes our total production warehouse space to 100,000 square metres.”

This increase in capacity provided K-FLEX with the perfect opportunity to further

develop its production capabilities. K-FLEX has decided to develop its own OEM multilayer piping with integrated insulation.

“We are currently the only manufacturer that produces both multilayer piping and the insulation itself,” Mr Maszczyk explained. “Before, the pipe manufacturer would send their products to get them insulated; we would then have to send them back once complete. That means the customer would be paying for the cost of transportation –it also results in a bigger carbon footprint. Often these pipe companies would be in different countries and the client would be

close to us in Poland, so it made no sense to continue this way.

“Now we have everything under one roof, we can manufacture the pipes and insulation at the same time. We have sold more than 50 per cent of our insulated pipes to companies in Europe, with 10 to 20 per cent being here in Poland, and this number is still growing: we expect it to reach 50 per cent within the next three years.”

Multilayer pipes are great for underfloor heating, which is an area that K-FLEX intends to invest in further in. The company is currently developing underfloor heating systems and strives to produce all the materials for this – enabling its customers to purchase everything they need from one supplier, which makes lead times shorter, reduces the cost of the project and makes the whole process much simpler and stress-free.

Project success on the horizon

K-FLEX always endeavours to make a difference within the wider community. As part of this commitment, the company is involved in five major Horizon pro jects. The largest of which, FRONTSH1P, began in 2021. Based around the progres sion of the circular economy within the Polish region of Łódzkie, the project has implemented

circular solutions into four of the region’s main production processes. As a result, the project is expected to lead to an improvement in the region’s decarbonisation and general regeneration efforts.

“FRONTSH1P is not only focused on the businesses in Łódzkie, but also aims to engage the citizens in the circular economy,” Mr Maszczyk said. “The project is focused on four different areas: food and feed, water and nutrients, plastic and rubber waste, and wood packaging. In our case, we provided scraps from our production process, which can be thermally treated to produce energy. Some of the solutions developed during the project include a waste composter and bags made from recycled plastics. Our scraps helped make these bags.”

Biodegradable bags were made to reduce the number of plastic bags ending up in landfill. Locals can also get involved by donating their domestic waste to the project – making it a community-wide effort. Following the success in Łódzkie, the project has also been extended to four other European regions: Campania, Italy; Sterea Ellada, Greece; Norte, Portugal; and Friesland in the Netherlands. This number is set to expand, as time progresses, to create Circular Regional Clusters that will

work in unison to ensure the success of the FRONTSH1P vision.

The company is also working on three projects that promote the innovation of building practices. RINNO, InCUBE and REHOUSE are dedicated to creating a standardised and cost-efficient way of developing infrastructure that is both sustainable and economically efficient.

The final project, FLEXINDUSTRIES, promotes the development of energy efficient and sustainable solutions for electrical and heating networks worldwide. Following the success of these five projects, K-FLEX has committed to two new projects which should start before the end of 2023.

Products that protect

Currently, the company’s most successful product is rubber insulation. As the largest provider of this material in Europe, K-FLEX hopes to encourage more companies to invest in the insulation. “We want to promote insulation as a crucial energy saver,” Mr Maszczyk said. “It is better to spend the money on installation today rather than paying ten times as much for heating over the next ten years.”

On top of this, the company also produces a range of eco insulation.

Made without the use of halogens, the K-FLEX SCR ECO creates non-toxic fumes in case of fire. In this instance, the product’s protective jacket also slows down the emission of smoke and fumes. “This product is perfect for customers that need insulation material with the best fire-resistant properties,” said Mr Maszczyk. “This has been available since 2018 and has been upgraded to increase the maximum service temperature and fire-resistance.”

Going forward, the company hopes to continue expanding its reach in the marketplace to secure its position as a market leader. “We have plans to implement new products relating to the different types of insulation,” Mr Maszczyk said. “We also want to develop a new type of pipe for the cooling systems, and plan to create a strong presence in DIY stores. K-FLEX is a global enterprise, with 17 plants spanning the globe, and our united goal is to expand into the USA and Mexico.

“We will continue to support our customers and provide them with market leading products that are adapted to meet all requirements,” he concluded. “We can do that because we are as flexible as our flexible insulation material.”