Use of Ukrainian-made sandwich panels increases by 15% in H1 2024
Use of Ukrainian-made sandwich panels increased by 15% in H1 2024, while sales of imported products decreased by 12%, Andriy Ozeichuk, director of the engineering and construction company Rauta, told Interfax-Ukraine.
"In H1 2024, the volume of the Ukrainian sandwich panel market in absolute terms amounted to just over 1 million square meters, which is similar to the figures for 2023. At the same time, use of Ukrainian-made panels increased by 15%, while sales of imported products decreased by 12%," he said.
Ozeichuk also noted a change in the structure of the use of sandwich panels: their share with mineral wool is decreasing, while at the same time, the demand for panels with PIR filler (polyisocyanurate foam - fire-resistant insulation material based on polyurethane), which has the highest thermal insulation properties and a lower price, is growing.
"From 2021 to 2024, the price in euros of sandwich panels with PIR filler decreased by 18%, while panels with mineral wool filler increased in price by 37%," he said.
At the same time, the director of Rauta noted that today the construction of new facilities is actively developing only in the west of Ukraine, and in other regions, it is limited to point projects and reconstruction of destroyed buildings.
According to him, the main problem of the construction market, in particular the sandwich panel segment, is a large drop in the market by 60-70% compared to 2021 figures. Most investors are taking a wait-and-see attitude and do not risk investing in new projects.
At the same time, despite war risks, the owners of most of the destroyed retail and industrial facilities invested in their restoration to quickly restart their business, which allowed them to continue to work effectively.
In particular, Rauta has implemented a number of large restoration projects, including the Retroville shopping center in Kyiv, the production workshop of Chernihiv Automotive Plant and the Novus supermarket in Bucha (Kyiv region).
As Ozeichuk noted, the acute problems of the industry are the shortage of personnel, especially among qualified construction workers of blue-collar professions, as well as blackouts.
"For some positions, we have to look for specialists for several months, and sometimes we have to train employees ourselves. Therefore, salaries and, accordingly, the cost of construction are growing. Blackouts, which last from two to six hours a day, reduce the output of builders, increase the time and cost of construction by 20-40%," he said.
According to his observations, among state programs, the program for the restoration and protection of critical infrastructure facilities has the greatest impact.
"In general, by the end of 2024, we expect that the sandwich panel market will remain at the level of 2023 with a possible growth of up to 10%," Ozeichuk summarized.
Rauta Group LLC, founded in 2014, is an engineering and construction company engaged in the design, supply and installation of sandwich panels, ventilated facades and prefabricated buildings. It is the exclusive importer of commercial products from the Finnish concern Ruukki to Ukraine, as well as the developer of a number of innovations that reduce the cost and time of construction.