Talent celebrated as new manufacturing facility opens

Among our talented local and international teams, someone with boots on the ground who has been instrumental in ensuring product quality, safety and certification is Alireza Javaheri, Product Development Manager for the Asia Pacific Region.

Factory commissioning during a pandemic

Alireza and the team in Malaysia have done a fantastic job in successfully commissioning Knauf Insulation’s new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in what has been an incredibly challenging time globally.

When asked about the difficulty of commissioning a new factory during a global pandemic, Alireza said, “The start-up period is always a challenge because there are so many unknowns. In this case it was especially challenging as we could not always have the suppliers available on site to commission the equipment, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. So, we had to find innovative approaches, such as remote trials and training, to safely commission the equipment.”

During and after the successful commissioning, the focus was also to implement processes and training to ensure the highest quality products under ISO:9001 accreditation. One of Alireza’s achievements has reportedly been coordinating training for the entire production team. “I created a global skills matrix for 80-100 people, with individual skills matrices for every operator in every area of the plant,” he said.

“I am Knauf” – A company, a brand, a family

Alireza started at Knauf Insulation in 2013 as part of the company’s international graduate program. Over the past eight years he has held several positions in product specification, product development, process improvement, and maintenance coordination at Knauf Insulation factories in Belgium, Russia, France and now Malaysia.

Like many of our engineers, Alireza has plenty of praise for the graduate program – “It creates a generation of Knauf Insulation engineers that are versatile, who are trained and equipped to work in any area the business requires… [and] helps guarantee the company’s future by creating highly skilled, trustworthy engineers.”

We are thrilled to provide our staff with opportunities to thrive and advance their careers. Thank you for your tireless efforts, Alireza, in bringing quality insulation products to the Asia Pacific region and beyond.

About our new Malaysian facility

The new glasswool insulation factory, located in Johor Bahru in the southern part of the country, will have capacity to produce 65,000 tonnes of product per year and at peak production is estimated to create 150 jobs.  It features state-of-the-art technology and control equipment making it one of the most efficient and sustainable insulation factories in the Asia Pacific region.

The factory uses up to 80 per cent post-consumer recycled glass in the manufacturing process and features Knauf Insulation’s patented high compression packaging. All products are made using Knauf Insulation’s revolutionary bio-based binder, ECOSE^® Technology, with no added phenol or formaldehyde, which has revolutionised the world of construction and allowed Knauf Insulation to confirm its leading position in the field of sustainability.

Highly efficient shipping logistics from Malaysia will also enable Knauf Insulation to develop new distribution partnerships in South-East Asian countries and strengthen its presence in the major insulation markets of Australia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and Singapore.

Read more about the timeline of construction and commissioning of the Malaysian glasswool insulation factory. For the very latest in Knauf Insulation news and announcements, follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.