Owens Corning Expands Global Presence with Acquisition of Vliepa GmbH

Owens Corning (Toledo, Ohio, U.S.) recently announced that it has acquired vliepa GmbH (Brüggen, Germany), which specializes in the coating, printing and finishing of glass fiber nonwovens, paper and film for the building materials industry. The acquisition reportedly broadens Owens Corning’s global nonwovens portfolio to better serve European customers and accelerate growth of building and construction market applications in the region.

“This highly complementary combination advances our global strategy of expanding deeper into the value chain and investing in high-growth markets,” says Marcio Sandri, president of Owens Corning’s Composites business. “The acquisition adds immediate coating capacity for our customers in the building materials industry, along with supporting the transformation of the construction market from traditional materials to innovative, glass-faced solutions.”

With this transaction, Owens Corning has also taken ownership of two production facilities in Brüggen, Germany. Terms of the transaction were not released.

“I am excited about our new opportunities with Owens Corning,” says Eric Schillings, managing partner of vliepa GmbH. “Leveraging their broad enterprise capabilities and market-leading positions, Owens Corning will help us expand in our markets and accelerate our growth. I am confident that vliepa will have a bright future in the new organization.”

Finally, the acquisition reinforces Owens Corning’s commitment to its global nonwovens business, which delivers differentiated solutions. “We believe vliepa’s technology and capabilities are an ideal complement to our nonwoven solutions, manufacturing capacity and commercial relationships,” says Sandri. “Our combined organization will address several key macrotrends, including sustainability, lightweight building materials and more labor-efficient construction solutions, by delivering enhanced performance in a variety of applications, including Polyiso (polyisocyanurate) insulation and gypsum boards.”

In total, vliepa GmbH employs about 70 people and delivered 2020 sales of approximately $30 million.