James Hardie Building Products Ltd

James Hardie is the world’s number one producer and marketer of high-performance fibre cement siding and backerboard and a market leader in Europe for fibre gypsum products. Our company culture is built on providing a foundation of “Zero Harm”, creating a positive impact in communities, and delivering environmentally responsible innovative solutions to customers. Our durable, low maintenance and innovative products are made from natural and sustainable raw materials, delivering endless possibilities of design and aesthetics to consumers.

James Hardie created fibre cement and thanks to our extensive research and development we are now on our seventh generation of fibre cement technology. Fibre cement cladding is a durable, long-lasting and low-maintenance material that’s used on residential houses and some commercial projects. It’s a semi-rigid material that provides substantial protection, while still maintaining some flexibility. We are the world’s leading manufacturer of high-performance fibre cement products, made from cement, reinforced with cellulose fibres. We are a trusted innovator and global industry leader, and our products enable endless possibilities for designing exceptional buildings whilst also delivering protection and long-lasting beauty. We offer A2 fire rated coloured facades through our Hardie® Plank, Hardie® VL Plank and Hardie® Panel products. Thanks to our strong investment in research and development for our ColourPlus™ Technology finishes we can offer an industry leading 15-year warranty. 

Through our fermacell® brand, 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 fibre for construction areas with high water stress or as an external render carrier.

Objectives

James Hardie 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 James Hardie and fermacell^® 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 and fermacell^® 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 optimise 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 realise their individual visions.

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. Thanks to our decades of research and development we are now on our seventh generation of fibre cement.

Hardie^® Plank, Hardie^® VL 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, Hardie^® VL 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.

ColourPlus^™ Technology finishes

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 finishes, 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.

fermacell^®

fermacell^® gypsum fibre boards are the ideal complement to the product portfolio of James Hardie. The first gypsum fibre board - and thus the first gypsum fibre 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.