Leading German foam tapes manufacturer opens for business in UK

The building and construction sector will be able to take advantage of a new range of impregnated foam tapes following German manufacturer ISO-Chemie GmbH’s decision to set up in the UK.

The new operation will be headed in the UK by general manager Peter Thompson, who has over 12 years’ experience in the construction sealants and tapes industry working for Compriband, the Alfas Group and, most recently, Tremco- illbruck, where he was UK sales director for specification products.

ISO-Chemie will be offering its range of high performance sealing tapes in the UK, which are suitable for a wide range of construction applications – they can be used to fill expansion joints between brickwork or sections of prefabricated concrete structures.

Once installed, they ensure a building is better protected from elemental factors like wind, dust and moisture ingress by accommodating the changes in structural movement caused by environmental, cyclical and settlement factors.

ISO Chemie, established in 1977 by Josef Gieb, is one of Europe’s main producers of impregnated foam sealants, manufacturing products at its modern, purpose- built factory and head office in Aalen not only for the German market but for the international one. It has an office in France as well as partners in several other countries.

The company, which currently employs around 100 people worldwide and has a €30 million turnover, specialises in the manufacture of foam products from polyethylene (EPE), polypropylene (EPP) and polyurethane (PUR) using the latest production techniques.

These can be used to provide visible and ‘invisible’ protection against vibration and sound insulation in a variety of applications including vehicles and buildings. The firm also manufactures aids like foam floats and mattresses used in swimming pools.

ISO-Chemie’s new UK sales and distribution operation will be based in the North East of England, supported by a dedicated logistics service to ensure customer orders are completed as quickly and efficiently as possible (usually next-day delivery).

Peter Thompson expects the business to grow rapidly, despite the tough economic conditions and predicts winning at least a 10 - 15% share of the UK market for sealing tapes within the first year of trading.

“ISO-Chemie is a very well established and run business, which has achieved an extremely strong presence in the important German market over last 30 years.

“It has a fantastic portfolio of high quality, added value products to offer, which provide customers with significant cost advantages and long term performance benefits.

“The company is committed to developing a strong presence in the UK and has put the investment and infrastructure in place to achieve this.

“Undoubtedly market conditions are tough at present, but with a range of top quality, added value products and excellent aftersales and technical support all in place, we are confident of success.”

The ISO-BLOCO range of pre-compressed 600 PUR tapes, which incorporate fire resistant qualities and are capable of sealing joints ranging in width from 1mm to 42mm, will be one of the first available to UK customers. Product can accommodate a temperature range of -30° to +90° and is impermeable to driving rain with a minimum of 600 Pa, making it one of the best performing tapes in its class.

Others being introduced include a multi-purpose joint sealing tape and a humidity regulating special foil for sealing joints in accordance with energy saving regulations on windows, doors and panels. Back fill cord seals for expanding joints will also be available.
Product comes with a 10 year warranty and complies with the relevant UK Building Regulations, as well as DIN EN standards, covering thermal conductivity, dimension tolerance, impermeamability to driving rain on joints and vapour diffusion among others.

More at www.iso-chemie.co.uk or email p.thompson@iso-chemie.co.uk. Tel: 01207 566874