ROCKWOOL has hosted a delegation of members of the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) to its Pencoed manufacturing plant, near Bridgend as part of its continuing involvement in the Arbed energy performance investment programme.
The group of officials included key WEFO representatives, including Rob Halford, head of planning and strategy; Rhian Power-Battrick, sustainable development officer; and Tim Mann, Arbed project manager.
The WEFO group’s visit was hosted by Paul Williams, ROCKWOOL’s refurbishment and regeneration manager, and allowed the representatives to see how ROCKWOOL insulation solutions can help deliver greater energy efficiency to homes in Wales. The company says the visit also provided an important insight into ROCKWOOL’s sustainable manufacturing and business processes.
Arbed is a European Regional Development Fund programme to reduce climate change, help eradicate fuel poverty, and boost economic development and regeneration in Wales. Phase one saw a œ30m investment in over 6,000 homes to make them more energy efficient. Phase two started in May 2012 with a target to improve the energy efficiency of a minimum of 4,800 existing homes in Wales by the end of 2015.
WEFO is the part of the Welsh Government charged with managing the delivery of Arbed as one of the EU Structural Funds programme in Wales.
ROCKWOOL has been involved with Arbed since its inception in 2010, having had a number of its solutions specified for numerous Arbed projects in Cardfiff, Caerphilly, Rhondda Cynon Taf and other areas.
David Bolton, Arbed project director for Melin Homes who also visited, said:
“ROCKWOOL continues to provide practical solutions for energy efficient insulation and reduced waste to landfill, making them a great partner for Arbed projects. They manage the collection and recycling of waste and have a strong focus on educating contractors to be mindful rather than wasteful with the product. At the same time, ROCKWOOL can provide accurate data regarding the amounts of waste returned per contractor.
“This visit was a great opportunity for us and WEFO to see, first hand, the excellent work that ROCKWOOL does and its commitment to the principles and practices of the Arbed programme.”
