Gypsum industry news
Canada: Lafarge Canada has filed an application under the Environmental Management Act to discharge emissions from a pumice dryer and gypsum granulator at its mothballed cement plant at Kamloops in British Colombia. The building materials manufacturer plans to produce agricultural gypsum and dry pumice for concrete production at the site, according to the Kamloops This Week newspaper. The plant stopped cement production in late 2016.
Novotroitsk Soda Plant to start production of gypsum
16 March 2018Russia: Novotroitsk Soda Plant intends to start production of gypsum at its unit in the Orenburg region of the Volga district. The project has an investment of Euro32m, according to the Kommersant newspaper. The plant will produce 143,000t/yr of gypsum when it reaches full production capacity in 2021. It will also create 165 jobs when operational.
USG’s Ann Franzen wins STEP Ahead Award
05 March 2018US: Ann Franzen, the plant manager of USG’s gypsum wallboard plant in Rainier, Oregon has been recognised by the Manufacturing Institute as part of its annual Science, Technology, Engineering and Production (STEP) Ahead Awards. This marks the fourth consecutive year a USG employee has received this honour for her contributions to the manufacturing industry. The STEP Ahead Awards honour women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of the manufacturing industry, from the factory-floor to the executive level.
Franzen, a STEP Ahead Honouree, joined USG more than 20 years ago. She became USG’s first female plant manager and has played a role in USG’s lean management initiative. Franzen is also a founding member of USG’s Women in Manufacturing group, which connects female plant employees across the USG network and promotes career advancement.
The STEP Ahead Awards are part of the larger STEP Ahead initiative, launched to examine and promote the role of women in the manufacturing industry through recognition, research, and leadership for attracting, advancing, and retaining strong female talent. In five years, STEP Ahead Award winners have impacted more than 300,000 individuals — from peers in the industry to school-aged children. The Manufacturing Institute will recognize all 130 recipients of the STEP Ahead Awards on 10 April 2018 at a reception in Washington, DC.
National Gypsum considering reopening plant in south-eastern US
23 February 2018US: National Gypsum is considering reopening a gypsum wallboard plant in either Tampa, Florida or Wilmington, North Carolina. The wallboard producer plans to make its final decision late in 2018, according to the Greater Wilmington Business Journal. The Tampa plant was shut in 2008 and the Wilmington plant stopped operations in 2009. The company is planning to expand its presence in the south-east of the country.
Saint-Gobain inaugurates Jhagadia wallboard plant in Gujarat
01 February 2018India: Pierre-Andre de Chalendar, chairman and chief executive officer of Saint-Gobain, has inaugurated the company’s Jhagadia 30Mm2 gypsum wallboard plant in Gujarat. The plant is the largest wallboard plant in the country. Saint-Gobain’s local subsidiary, Gyproc, operates three other plants in Haryana, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Knauf Gips Bukhara suspends production until March 2018
25 January 2018Uzbekistan: Knauf Gips Bukhara has suspended production of gypsum wallboard at its plant in Bukhara until 1 March 2018 while it builds a new production line. The upgrade is planned to increase the unit’s production capacity by 30%. It was originally scheduled for completion in 2017. Knauf has spent Euro40m on the project.
Gyproc launches wallboard recycling service in Ireland
11 January 2018Ireland: Gyproc has launched what it says is the country’s first wallboard recycling service at its Kingscourt plant in County Cavan. The subsidiary of Saint-Gobain hopes to recycle 0.5Mt of wallboard by 2028. It has spent Euro1.5m on the upgrade to the plant and it has increased the number of employees to 220.
“We’re very proud to be the first and only plasterboard manufacturer in the country to offer recycling of our products on the island,” said Brian Dolan, Managing Director of Gyproc. “As a market leader in this sector we are determined to be at the forefront of innovation in new products and services, and in the sustainability and environmental benefits of those services.” The manufacturer sources gypsum from its Drummond mine in County Monaghan.
Knauf Gips to invest Euro70m in new wallboard plant near Minsk
19 December 2017Belarus: Knauf Gips plans to invest around Euro70m in a gypsum wallboard plant at Gatovo near Minsk. The decision follows the announcement that Knauf has acquired a 50% share in the charter capital of Volma’s operations in Belarus, according to the Belarusian Telegraph Agency. Knauf arranged to become a joint-owner of Belgips with Russia’s Volma in early 2017
Construction of Belgips’ new plant started in late 2015. Once completed the unit plans to produce 30Mm2/yr of gypsum wallboard, 0.5m2/yr of gypsum partition blocks and 0.1Mt/yr of dry building mixtures. Products made at the plant will be used domestically and for export.
Australia: Clean TeQ plans to build a 2Ml/day DeSALx mine water treatment plant for Fosterville Gold Mine for its mine near Bendigo in Victoria. The US$2.7m unit will use an integrated precipitation and continuous ionic filtration process (DeSALx) that will produce a gypsum-based by-product. This by-product will be compatible with Fosterville’s existing lime treatment plant. Equipment supply, installation and commissioning of the water treatment plant are scheduled for 2018.
The precipitation process removes arsenic and antimony from the mine water as a co-precipitate. The water is then treated by the DeSALx process to remove hardness, sulphate and other dissolved metals. Clean TeQ is also in talks with other mining companies to test its continuous ion-exchange systems for the treatment of process water treatment for recycling or environmental discharge.
USG Boral to spend US$20m on upgrade in Vietnam
08 December 2017Vietnam: USG Boral plans to invest US$20m towards upgrading its gypsum wallboard plant at the Hiep Phuoc Industrial Zone in Ho Chi Minh City. The project will increase the plant’s production capacity by 17Mm2 to 47Mm2 when it starts operation in September 2019.
"We have witnessed strong growth from this region so our decision to invest in the plant is a strategic one. We remain committed to building USG Boral's presence in Southeast Asia. This expansion will see USG Boral utilising our latest Sheetrock technology to provide superior building solutions for the Vietnam market," said Frederic de Rougemont, CEO of USG Boral.
USG Boral started wallboard production in Vietnam in 2006. It produces the Sheetrock, FireBloc, Durock and Firerock brands.