James Hardie Europe

The company and the brands

James Hardie Europe GmbH is a subsidiary of the worldwide operating James Hardie Industries plc (JHIplc), which was founded in Australia in 1888. Today James Hardie Industries plc is an international market leader for fibre cement building materials with enormously strong market positions in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines.
 
James Hardie Europe GmbH was created through the takeover of the former Fermacell GmbH in 2018. In addition to Hardie^® Plank and Hardie^® Panel fibre cement facade claddings, the product range also includes fermacell® gypsum fibre boards and fermacell® screed elements for high-quality drywall construction and timber construction. James Hardie Europe GmbH is thus able to offer complete wall systems for drywall and timber construction. The portfolio is rounded off by the cement-bonded, lightweight concrete panel Powerpanel® H2O with fabric reinforcement made of glass fiber for construction areas with high stress or mechanical stress. The brand Aestuver® stands for solutions in the field of structural fire protection as well as for fire protection solutions in the field of electrical installations and underground traffic systems.
 
Objectives
James Hardie Industries plc is one of the world's leading manufacturers of building materials. Together with its European subsidiary, James Hardie Europe GmbH, the Group intends to expand its European business with high-performance building boards for interior applications and facades and grow sustainably in the European market with the JamesHardie®, fermacell® and Aestuver® brands. A broad product range offers the best opportunities for this. The market demands modern building materials that can be produced efficiently within a short time frame and without unnecessarily long drying times using easy-to-handle materials and time-saving processing techniques. With the James Hardie, fermacell® and Aestuver® brands, James Hardie Europe has the right products and systems to meet market demands.
 
Philosophy
James Hardie is a company that is not satisfied with stagnation. Inspired by new and ever better technologies and motivated by our enthusiasm for innovation, we continuously expand and optimize our services to develop and offer even better products. Therefore we invest a lot in research and development, with a special focus on product quality and production efficiency, in order to develop durable and low-maintenance products. Architects, planners, builders and homeowners will find trend-setting solutions to realize their individual visions.
 

History

James Hardie
The company was founded more than 100 years ago: in 1888 the young James Hardie made his way from Scotland to Melbourne in Australia and founded a company for the import of oils and tannery products. With a keen sense of the needs of the Australian market, he later specialised in the building materials industry. Together with his partner, Andrew Reid, who had also immigrated from Scotland, he set up a building materials business, which was run by the Reid family until 1995 after James Hardie retired. The company went public on the Australian Stock Exchange in 1951 and in the years that followed it expanded its portfolio to include numerous new construction and industrial products.
 
Since the first James Hardie® fiber cement product was launched in Australia and the USA in the mid-1980s, the global player has continued to develop its innovation with its own research and product development teams. As a result of decades of research work, Hardie^® Plank and Hardie^® Panel facade claddings are now available to the market - some 6 million houses worldwide later - as a building material that is slim but particularly stable and impact-resistant, does not shrink or swell and does not crack when used for years under the most extreme climatic conditions. Thanks to the technical and manufacturing know-how built up in Australia, the company is now a leading global manufacturer of high-tech building materials, with a wide range of solutions for both interior and exterior wall cladding applications.
 
fermacell®
fermacell® gypsum fibre boards are the ideal complement to the product portfolio of James Hardie. The first gypsum fiber board - and thus the first gypsum fiber board in Germany - rolled off the production line at the fermacell® plant in Münchehof near Goslar in the early 1970s. This laid the foundation for the success of the fermacell® brand. The high-quality, particularly stable finishing board has fundamentally changed the entire drywall construction industry and thus made the fermacell® brand big and strong. Today, fermacell® gypsum fibre boards and the water- and weather-resistant Powerpanel® H2O boards stand for fast and economical expansion concepts for all areas of interior construction. Pioneering innovations have made fermacell® one of the best-known building material brands in the industry and the European market leader for high-quality gypsum fibre and cement-bonded boards.
 
Aestuver®
The Aestuver® brand has been around since 1989 and has developed into one of the leading German brands in the field of glass fibre lightweight concrete technolog. Today, Aestuver® fire protection panels stand for high-quality fire protection solutions in the field of electrical installations and underground traffic systems. A wide range of products for bulkheads, fire protection coatings and fire protection joints is also available under the brand.

 

Building materials/products

What is fibre cement?
Fibre cement is a versatile building material developed by James Hardie in the early 1980s. It is produced sustainably and with low energy consumption from high-quality Portland cement, sand and cellulose fibres.
 
Due to its special material properties, fibre cement is ideally suited as a material for exterior wall cladding. The special James Hardie fibre cement formulation protects against fire, moisture, mould and pests and offers high stability and weather resistance. Unlike wood or some vinyls, the building material does not shrink or swell. Even after years of use under the most extreme climatic conditions and environmental influences, it does not crack and is extremely easy to maintain.
 
Hardie^® Plank and Hardie^® Panel facade claddings are therefore particularly durable. They are supplied with a 15 year warranty. Thanks to their robust material properties, they are thinner and lighter than alternative building materials, but at the same time significantly stronger. This makes assembly quick and easy. On the construction site, there is less breakage during processing. Construction projects can be completed faster and with fewer complications.
 
In addition, there is great design freedom with attractive colours that are as beautiful as on the first day, even after many years. In addition, Hardie^® Plank and Hardie^® Panel facade claddings meet the requirements of building material class A2-s1, d0 according to EN 13501-1 and are therefore non-combustible according to international classification.
 
 
Advantages of James Hardie fibre cement?

• High stability
• Shockproof
• Non-flammable
• Weather resistant
• No shrinkage, tearing or warping
• Long life
• Low weight
• Simple assembly
• High design freedom
• Light stability
• Easy to clean
• Sustainable

 
Decades of Research & Development
The unique properties of James Hardie fibre cement is the result of decades of work by our research and development teams. 

1. First generation fibre cement: Our advanced fibre cement was developed in the 1970s. After perfecting the formulation, the first James Hardie fibre cement product was launched in Australia and the USA in the 1980s.
2. Second generation fibre cement: To improve durability, a primer for Hardie^® Plank and Hardie^® Panel our façade cladding was developed to ensure that the paint adhered properly and gave perfect coverage.
3. Third generation fibre cement: In the next step, water resistance was optimized. A modified formulation ensures minimal water penetration
4. Fourth generation fibre cement: Once a solution had been found for water resistance and ink adhesion, the researchers developed an improved surface adhesion technology. The result is a low-maintenance façade cladding that does not crack and whose colour does not fade or flake.
5. Fifth generation fibre cement: In order to achieve a uniform paint application, we developed ColourPlus™ technology, a new coating and application method that ensured that the paint was highly durable and hard-wearing.
6. Sixth generation fibre cement: The products were made slimmer and could now be installed more easily and quickly thanks to their reduced weight.
7. Seventh generation fibre cement: HardieZone™ technology was introduced to account for individual climatic conditions.

 

ColourPlus^™-Technology
The ColourPlus™ technology is a special surface treatment in which the paint is applied and baked in the factory in several coats. With this new technology, the paint was flexible enough to adapt to the contours of the board without losing adhesion. This allowed several smooth layers of paint to be applied in a controlled environment. This made the ink application particularly resistant and better protected against fading due to strong UV radiation. At the same time, this laid the foundation for the long life and durability of the ink coating, which can now withstand the harshest weather conditions. Pleasant side effect: The new technology sustainably reduces the maintenance effort: If the facade is soiled, it is not necessary to repaint it. If necessary, cleaning with water and a mild, solvent-free household cleaner is sufficient.
 
The exclusive paintwork is available in 21 colours. Thanks to ColourPlus™ technology, they are better able to withstand the sun's harmful UV rays. They are up to 30% more light resistant than many other facade finishes and paints applied on site.
 
HardieZone^™ Technology
The HardieZone™ technology is a climate-specific fibre cement technology. The process is based on the combination of individual climatic variables, with which the long-term performance of the exterior cladding can be adapted to the different climatic zones of the world. For example, the panels for the German and European markets are equipped with HZ5TM technology, which has been specially adapted to the European climate with its frost-thaw cycles, extreme seasonal temperature fluctuations and rain/sun changes in summer. In addition, it is highly resistant to algae and fungal attack.
 
What are fermacell® gypsum fibre boards?
fermacell® gypsum fibre boards consist of gypsum and recycled cellulose fibres. These two natural raw materials are mixed and after the addition of water - without further binding agents - pressed under high pressure into stable boards, dried, impregnated with a water-repellent agent and cut to the required sizes.
 
Due to their material composition, fermacell® gypsum fiber boards are simultaneously construction, fire protection and moisture-proof boards. They are just as suitable for wall, ceiling and floor constructions as for the construction of attractive bathrooms. Due to their specific material properties, fermacell® gypsum fiber boards can be used as load-bearing and stiffening planking for walls, as fire protection cladding for wooden components and as stiffening components for ceiling and roof panels. Tests have also confirmed the excellent sound-absorbing properties of fermacell® gypsum fiber boards. They are also certified according to ETA-03/0050 as non-combustible, class A2-s1 d= according to EN 13501-1.
 
fermacell® gypsum fibre boards already meet most requirements in single-layer planking, whereas conventional gypsum boards often only meet these requirements in two-layer planking. The processing of only one board type for all application areas increases the execution safety of fermacell® gypsum fibre boards and ensures reliable and consistently high quality. All requirements can be fulfilled with only a few constructions. In contrast, there is a sheer confusing multitude of constructions with conventional gypsum boards. The high stability and load-bearing capacity of fermacell® gypsum fibre boards ensures fast and economical processing.
 
What are Aestuver® fire protection panels?
Aestuver® fire protection panels are cement-bonded, glass-fibre reinforced lightweight concrete panels for high-quality fire protection. They are produced by the so-called fibre spraying process. This special production technique ensures a dense and evenly distributed fibre structure and thus guarantees great stability. The combination of micro-glass hollow spheres and long glass fibers in the matrix structure of the Aestuver® panels ensures high compressive and flexural strength as well as abrasion resistance and is responsible for weathering, water and frost resistance. Aestuver® fire protection panels are therefore particularly suitable for use in components with high environmental requirements (climate) and the panel composition without flammable components prevents the release of toxic or visual reducing gases in the event of a fire. A smooth material surface with homogeneous edges enables a good bond with adhesives and coatings.
 
Aestuver® fire protection panels are universally applicable. Depending on the construction, fire resistance classifications of the components can be realized from 15 minutes up to 360 minutes. The extensive solution portfolio offers among other things:
 

• Fire protection claddings for load-bearing structures, wall and ceiling constructions
• Fire protection panels for ventilation and smoke extraction ducts
• Fire protection cable duct systems
• Solutions for the safe design of escape and rescue routes
• Systems for fire protection bulkheads and joints
• Solutions for special constructions
• Protection of concrete structures in underground traffic facilities against increased temperature stress in existing buildings and new construction projects

 
All products, components and systems have corresponding national and international certificates of usability and approvals.