Blog
The Refurbishment Wave: Why Retrofit Is Becoming the Acoustic Industry’s Biggest Volume Market
New build gets the attention, but refurbishment is where acoustic panel volume is growing fastest. What drives retrofit demand, how projects differ from new build, and how suppliers should package products for it.
Trade Show ROI for Acoustic Brands: Which Events Deserve the Budget in 2027
A single international fair can consume a year’s marketing budget. How acoustic panel brands decide which events to attend, how to measure return, and why lead quality beats badge count every time.
Payment Terms, Letters of Credit and Credit Insurance for Acoustic Panel Exporters
A container of panels is a large, slow-moving asset. How exporters and importers structure payment terms, letters of credit and credit insurance so that a single default does not end a trading relationship.
From Open Plan to Pods: How Office Acoustics Is Being Re-Specified
The open-plan office did not die, but its acoustic model did. As focus work migrates into pods, booths and enclosed rooms, the specification balance between absorption, screening and enclosure is being rewritten.
Data Centres and Plant Rooms: The Fastest-Growing Noise Control Market Nobody Prices Properly
Data centre capacity is expanding faster than any other building type, and every megawatt brings fans, chillers and generators that must be silenced. Where acoustic products actually fit in this market – and why standard panels often fail there.
Acoustic Requirements in Multifamily Housing: The Regulation Buyers Keep Missing
Apartment construction is surging, and with it the acoustic regulations that govern party walls, floors and service noise. What developers and panel suppliers need to know before the first complaint becomes a legal claim.
Colour Strategy in Acoustic Interiors: Beyond Picking a Swatch
Acoustic panels cover large areas, and large areas of colour change how a space reads. How to use colour for zoning, wayfinding and perceived comfort without turning a wall into a statement nobody wanted.
Cleaning and Maintaining Acoustic Panels: A Realistic Schedule for Facilities Teams
Acoustic felt is not fragile, but it is not indestructible. What facilities teams should actually do weekly, annually and after incidents – and what will void the warranty.
Panel Weight and Substrate Loading: The Numbers Behind a Fixing Detail
A square metre of acoustic panel can weigh from two to fifteen kilograms, and the substrate may not be rated for any of it. How weight per square metre should drive fixing choice and structural checks.
Impact Resistance in Acoustic Panels: Sports Halls, Schools and Public Buildings
Ball impact, trolley strikes and vandalism destroy thin acoustic panels. What impact resistance actually means, how it is tested, and how to specify panels that survive a decade of use.
Outdoor and Semi-Outdoor Acoustic Panels: What Survives Weather and What Doesn’t
Terraces, atriums, transport shelters and poolside spaces all need acoustic treatment, and most interior products fail within two years. What actually survives UV, rain, frost and chlorine.
Integrating Acoustic Panels with Suspended Ceiling Grids: Access, Plenum and Detailing
Most acoustic treatment goes into the ceiling plane, and most ceiling plans are already full of services. How to integrate absorptive panels with suspended grids without losing access or performance.
2026 in Review: What MST Changed, What It Learned, and What Comes Next
A second pressing line, a testing laboratory, a warehouse rebuild, an expanded veneer range and a new certification programme. The year’s changes, the reasons behind them, and the plan for 2027.
MST Adds Regional Sales and Technical Staff in Three Markets for 2027
Three regional roles are being added to shorten response times in key markets. What each role does, which markets they cover, and how distributors will work with them.
MST Moves to Recycled and Recyclable Packaging Across the Panel Range
Corner protection, interleaving and outer cartons are moving to recycled and recyclable materials. What changes, what it costs, and how the transition is scheduled around order windows.
MST Launches a Digital Order Portal with Live Production and Shipment Tracking
Distributors can now place orders, approve samples and follow production and shipment status in a single portal. What it replaces, what it does not, and how to get an account.
Case Study: An Airport Lounge Where Noise Was the Complaint Nobody Could Fix
A premium airport lounge had a noise problem that no amount of soft furnishing solved. How a targeted retrofit in an operational terminal cut reverberation and complaint volume together.
Case Study: A 600-Seat University Lecture Hall Taken from 2.4 Seconds to 0.9
A 600-seat lecture hall with a 2.4-second reverberation time was making lectures hard to follow. How the acoustic retrofit was specified, installed over a summer shutdown, and measured afterwards.