Martin Kruczinna
Pearl Polyurethane Systems -
Profile
Company Profile
As an award-winning, international PU system house, Pearl Polyurethane Systems has been making the headlines recently and moving markets, while driving R&D and new polyurethane industry innovations, both across MENA and internationally.
This polyurethane solutions innovator has grown from its roots as the largest system house in the Middle East and Africa, through the successful implementation of its PearlX2 growth strategy, transitioning to its current industry-leading position, The company is also expanding its production footprint in Saudi Arabia together with regional office openings planned for Egypt in 2023 to further meet growing customer demand.
Today, Pearl Polyurethane is widely recognised as an international leader in the building and infrastructure insulation sector, while also offering a comprehensive range of polyurethane formulations and prepolymers for the production of high-performance polyurethane foams and elastomers.
The Future Is Polyurethane
Pearl’s vision statement is simple – The Future is Polyurethane. Polyurethanes are extremely versatile materials with exceptional properties that make them very useful in everyday applications. Polyurethane foams deliver tremendous energy savings and reduce CO2 emissions, and as such, are a key element in fighting global warming.
Since his appointment in 2021, Pearl’s CEO, Martin Kruczinna, has made his mark on the company, drawing on over a decade of polyurethane industry experience both in Germany and internationally with Bayer AG and Bayer MaterialScience – now known as Covestro. Prior to that, Martin held the position of CCO at Edelmann, a global provider of high-quality and innovative packaging solutions.
Award-winning company
Pearl’s R&D team won the Innovative Insulation Project of the Year 2021 award for the first R&D initiative of its type launched in the Middle East, and again in 2022 for introducing its new, more sustainable EcoPearl low lambda insulation product, offering an overall improvement of up to 20 per cent in insulation performance over comparable products.
More Industry firsts
In 2021, Pearl was the first PU system house in the MENA region to introduce mass-balanced MDI using alternative raw materials, based on plant waste rather than fossil fuels, manufactured by its supply partner, Covestro.
Climate neutral-based MDI products are a paradigm shift for the building insulation industry – an industry trend being driven by the organisation.
Driving new product development
Pearl has also been focusing upon increasing the global supply of PU-based adhesives to improve choice and increase supply chain resilience within the sector.
Manufacturers and end users globally are now benefiting from increased availability of PU-based adhesives following the introduction of its new PearlBond adhesive range, with the added benefit of ongoing technical support provided globally by its fly-in fly-out R&D team.
New superior replacement for Epoxy
The series of new product developments have continued under Martin’s leadership. Following the recent launch of its new polyurea-based DuraPearl Spray-Elastomer System, spray coating contractors are now able to offer their clients a wider range of spray coating options considerably more durable than comparable products, such as conventional membranes or epoxy.
Typically, up to four times stronger and 98 per cent more flexible than epoxy, Polyurea-based spray solutions also offer the benefit of being up to six times faster to cure compared to epoxy alternatives, meaning improved productivity for spray coating operators.
Change agent in global warming
Martin remains focused on ensuring Pearl continues to act as a positive change agent against global warming, with Pearl currently the only company in the region to possess International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) approval.
Pearl is helping clients accelerate their progress towards net-zero carbon emissions by providing PU-based solutions that are better for the planet. This is a step change for the insulation industry and enables clients and end-users, through ISCC auditing, to demonstrate the sustainability and green credentials of their projects in the built environment.
More sustainable ‘regrowable’ materials such as Soybean Oil are being utilised for polyester production, while Pearl is working to raise public awareness of the need to replace less effective insulation materials with PU-based products due to their superior insulation properties – all while the company is reducing its own CO2 footprint through the installation of greener energy sources such as solar panels at its main facilities.
Diversity and Inclusivity
Martin has also spearheaded a successful diversity, inclusivity, and gender equality drive at the company in what has otherwise been a largely male dominated industry. These diversity and inclusivity initiatives have paid dividends in terms of improved talent retention, staff morale and productivity.
The future for Pearl Polyurethane Systems as a company is bright, and so is its vision for the PU industry and wider global community. As they say, The Future Is Polyurethane.