Gypsum industry news
Uzbekistan: Germany-based Knauf has launched a new 17Mm2/yr gypsum wallboard plant at Fergana. The unit can also produce 40,000t/yr of dry building mixes. The project had an investment of just under Euro19m. It is the company’s third production plant in the country.
UK competition body launches merger inquiry into acquisition of GCP Applied Technologies by Saint-Gobain 26 July 2022
UK: The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has formally launched the first phase of a merger inquiry into the proposed acquisition by Saint-Gobain of GCP Applied Technologies. The competition body said that proposed merger had met the threshold for investigation under UK law. The CMA will now decide whether to refer the merger for further scrutiny by 21 September 2022.
Saint-Gobain said it had agreed to buy construction chemicals producer GCP Applied Technologies for Euro2bn in late 2021 with a conclusion date to the transaction by the end of 2022.
Knauf issues update on cyber attack 26 July 2022
Germany: Knauf Group says it has made “good time in restorations” following a cyber attack in late June 2022. It said it was continuing to work on reinstating operating procedures and was on its way to achieving this. It added that many of its online systems and email were back to normal functionality and that other processes were still being restored. In separate coverage, Bleeping Computer reports that the Black Basta ransomware gang has claimed responsibility for the attack.