CSR Bradford Insulation positions for strong growth

CSR Bradford Insulation(Bradford) is positioning itself for strong growth in the insulation industry through several initiatives: theexpansion of its glasswool insulation plant atIngleburn, NSW, the re-branding of its glasswoolinsulation product and the launch of its new television advertising campaign.

Expansion of the Ingleburn Plant

Bradford celebrated the expansion of its glasswoolinsulation plant at Ingleburn, NSW, with an official opening of the plant by the NSW Minister for Energy, The Hon. Joseph Tripodion Friday, 16 June 2006. The plant wasupgraded at a cost of $28 million, with its capacity increased by 50% from18,000 tonnes to 28,000 tonnes.

Mr John Hodgkinson, CSR’s Executive General Manager, Insulation andPanel Systems said, “Changes to the Building Code and the introduction oflegislation such as 5 Star and BASIX are leading to significant growth ininsulation usage which will benefit the communities in which we operate and ourbusiness partners. The expansion of theIngleburn Plant will enable us to meet this growing demand for insulation withan even faster turnaround of customer orders.”

The expansion, which took 12months to complete, saw the addition of a second production line. This allows for increased manufacturingvolumes and greater flexibility as one line can be dedicated to the productionof batts, and the other to the production of blanket and board products. For Bradford’s customers, this means aquicker turnaround of orders and improved response times for the commercial andindustrial markets.

Bradford Gold Insulation

Bradford’s glasswool insulation product wasalso re-branded as Bradford Gold Insulation.

Explaining the rationale for the re-branding, Bradford’s Group MarketingManager, Mr Tom Newton said, “We first started calling our glasswoolinsulation batts ‘gold batts’ in the 1980s. Last year, when we reconfigured the Bradford brand, we incorporated agold batt in our logo to recognise the value the Gold Batt brand has createdfor Bradford and our customers. Thechange in our logo, and the findings from our customer research have indicatedthat we should return to the Gold brand again.”

Bradford Gold Insulation’s new packaging also features the green andgold colours that were synonymous with Bradford’s glasswoolproduct in the 1980s. The new packaging communicates the key promises ofBradford’s value proposition to local consumers – year-round comfort,energy-savings and product guarantee for the life of a home.

Bradford Gold Insulation has also been recently accepted into the NAC’s ‘Sensitive Choice’ program as the insulation choicefor asthma and allergy sufferers due to its low allergen content and ability tomoderate temperature changes. The newpackaging will now carry the National Asthma Council Australia’s (NAC)‘Sensitive Choice’ logo to support this.

“We are exceptionally proud to make a contribution with a product thatis truly environmentally friendly – it is made from recycled materials and haslow embodied energy, reduces greenhouse gas emissions by contributing to lowerenergy consumption and also contributes to the health and well-being ofpeople,” added Mr Newton.

To support the branding effort,Bradford’s product literature was also revamped to focus on the benefits ofGold Insulation, including information on how heat transfer affects comfort,how insulation works and what insulation to use to meet the revisedregulations.

TV Advertising Campaign

To raiseconsumer awareness of the Bradford brand, a winter television advertisingcampaign has also been launched.

Thecampaign will run in Channels 7 and 9, in the mornings and afternoons, from the19th of June till the 31st of July 2006. The winter ad is set in the kitchen ofan uninsulated home, and sees a woman shivering with cold, warming her handsover a toaster and wishing she had called Bradford.

Mr Newtoncommented, “The ad empathises with consumers who are living in uninsulatedhomes, and targets Bradford’s retrofit market segment. These people, if nudged at the right time,will buy insulation. That is why we are advertising in daytime television thiswinter season.”

For moreinformation on CSR Bradford Gold Insulation or other Bradford products, pleasecall CSR Bradford insulation on 1300 850 305 or visit www.bradfordinsulation.com.au.