Gypsum industry news

Spain: Formatt Building Products Spain plans to build a new gypsum wallboard plant in La Rioja. The project will use technology supplied by Canada-based Gypsum Technologies (Gyptech). The unit is scheduled to be commissioned by the end of 2026. Formatt is part of BS Group and it sells lightweight construction products and systems under the Technogips brand.

Gyptech says that the project will use various innovations in process automation and environmental engineering to reduce the plant’s CO₂ emissions. It will use a reduced emissions dryer system with a heat pump system, which is intended to reduce dryer-related emissions altogether. The facility will also feature automation, digital process control and safety and maintenance systems. Board-handling systems will be included to maximise edge quality and uniformity.

Petar Kaloyanov, General Manager of Formatt Group, said “This investment will strengthen Formatt’s position as one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of modern building products and systems. Through our Technogips brand and our portfolio within the Formatt Group, we are committed to becoming a one-stop shop for lightweight construction solutions that reduce CO₂ emissions and work in harmony with nature. Our ambition is clear: to establish Formatt among the top four brands for modern construction systems in the European Union.”

Belgium: Saint-Gobain says that it has entered into exclusive negotiations with Ponsardin Industries for the sale of SFIC Belgium, a specialist construction materials distribution business of gypsum wallboard, insulation and ceilings. The Belgium-based business has forecast sales of €75m in 2025, has 123 employees and it operates a network of 10 branches. The transaction is subject to the completion of an ‘information and consultation procedure’ with the relevant employee representative bodies. The divestment is expected to be finalised by the end of 2025. No value for the transaction has been disclosed.

Canada: France-based Saint-Gobain has inaugurated its CertainTeed gypsum wallboard plant in Sainte-Catherine, near Montreal. The unit is fully electrified and powered by hydroelectricity. The company says that the site is the first zero-carbon (scope 1 and 2) wallboard plant in North America and the largest in the world to be fully powered by electricity. The launch of a new production line at the existing plant, along with equipment modernisation, has enabled a 40% increase in production capacity while reducing energy consumption by 30% and CO₂ emissions by approximately 44,000t/yr.

Mark Rayfield, CEO Saint-Gobain North America said “This ambitious project strengthens our leadership position in light construction in Canada and meets the strong local demand for sustainable solutions. It accelerates our growth in the country, where we have tripled in size in three years.”

The upgraded wallboard plant is the group’s second after the one in Fredrikstad, Norway that was inaugurated in 2023.

Finland: Knauf Oy is preparing to electrify the calcination process at its Kankaanpää gypsum wallboard plant. An electrified hybrid dryer was installed at the site in 2024. Now, four new 2MW heaters is scheduled to be added in the summer of 2026. The cost of the project will be around €5m. Knauf recently released its new LOWR product line, where boards are dried with an electrified plasterboard dryer using 100% renewable electricity.

India: Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers says it has received approval from the Kochi bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for a debt resolution plan for FACT-RCF, a joint-venture that it runs with Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore, according to the Business Standard newspaper. The plan reportedly includes debt restructuring, transfer of assets including a plant to an asset reconstruction company and the possibility of reopening the business through the inclusion of new investors.

FACT-RCF Building Products was set up to manufacture gypsum-based building materials as a by-product using raw material from Rashtriya Chemicals’ plant. However, the joint venture made a loss, defaulted on loans of around US$2.5m and the manufacturing unit was shut down in 2019.

Belgium: Etex says that its financial performance over the first half of 2025 showed ‘significant resilience’ in a construction environment still largely depressed and marked by unpredictability. Compared to the first half of 2024, the company posted stable sales volumes, sustained healthy margins and achieved improved operational performance. The results were consistent with Etex’s expectations for the period.

Etex’s revenues for the six month period came to €1.93bn, a 0.2% decline compared to the same period of 2024. On a like-for-like basis, sales increased by 1.5%. The group’s recurring earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation amounted to €353m, a 6.4% fall compared to the first half of 2024. Its net recurring profit fell by 17.8% to €125m. The company said that this was due to the falling REBITDA combined with the impact of currency exchange on net financial charges. However, the company’s net profit for the first half rose to €115m.

Etex said that it was aiming for stable performance across all its businesses versus 2024 despite anticipated market volatility. It will continue to invest in manufacturing facilities, to progress in sustainability efforts, to actively pursue strategic opportunities and to implement the cost reduction programmes launched in 2024.

Bernard Delvaux, CEO of Etex, said “Our first-half results are in line with our forecasts, despite a market recovery that is taking longer than anticipated. While some geographies remain challenging, we are seeing encouraging performance in regions like Latin America and Southern Europe.”

“Compared to the first half of 2024, this year has been more demanding with further declines in demand across some important markets. However, we have made significant efforts to control costs and maintain margins, achieving notable progress in product and operational performance as well as profitability. This translates into stable revenue and sustained healthy margins.”

“As we expect momentum to gradually rebuild in 2026, we continue to prepare for future growth, including with the inauguration of our brand-new plasterboard line in Bristol, UK, in March 2025, €65m of investments in Latin America as well as innovation in our products and solutions.”

Germany: Knauf has announced that it is ‘future proofing’ its leadership structures for accelerated and sustainable growth worldwide,’ as part of a generational transition. Alexander Knauf will join the Partners’ Committee on 1 January 2026. At the same time, the group will reshape its top management to be broader and more diverse.

Kristin Neumann, most recently CFO at the DAX-listed company Brenntag, joined as a General Partner on 1 September 2025. Beginning in 2026, Neumann will oversee the CFO functions and the areas of Corporate Development, Human Resources, Legal & Compliance, Internal Audit, IT, and SAP Transformation, taking over from Alexander Knauf. The Gypsum Americas business, as well as Knauf’s global insulation activities, will be handed over from Alexander Knauf to Uwe Knotzer.

Murat Akyildiz, who has been responsible for the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia region at Knauf since 2021, will become General Partner on 1 January 2026. This role will see him assume operational responsibilities previously led by Uwe Knotzer. Jörg Kampmeyer will continue to oversee the gypsum business across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, among other activities.

Rupert Knauf, chair of the Partners’ Committee of the Knauf Group, said “I would like to thank Alexander for his many years of entrepreneurial dedication. He has driven our evolution into what is now a world-leading building materials company, providing key drivers for our dynamic business growth. With this personnel change, we are aligning continuity with renewal. Alexander’s long-standing leadership experience at Knauf will be a great asset to the Partners’ Committee and will ensure continuity in the company.”

Alexander Knauf said “I look back with gratitude on the past years in which I had the opportunity to contribute to the development of our company. I thank all our employees for their tireless dedication. Without them, the company’s success story would not have been possible. I am excited to start my new role, which I will approach with great passion. In this context, continuity in our values and strategy is particularly important to me. We can build on this strong foundation.”

Kristin Neumann said “Knauf has defined a very ambitious vision: To make tomorrow a home for all of us. I am very much looking forward to working with my colleagues to live up to this ambition, bringing a fresh outside perspective from my previous roles.”

Murat Akyildiz said “I am very pleased to take on even more responsibility for our company in the future. Particularly in Asia, the need for affordable housing and efficient infrastructure is significant. We can make important contributions there.”

Saudi Arabia: United Mining Industries expects a strong financial performance in the second half of 2025 compared to the first half, due to the planned start of commercial operations at its gypsum board plant by the end of October 2025. United Mining’s profit fell to US$2.7m in the first half of 2025 compared to US$3.2m in the same period of 2024.

CEO Hamad Alsourayia said that the company’s profit reduction in the first half of 2025 was due to an 18% drop in total revenues along with higher operating costs. Revenues decreased mainly due to weaker demand for value-added products amid a market slowdown, seasonal factors, and lower operating volumes in the first half of 2025. Alsourayia added that the change in the sales mix had an effect on average selling prices and profit margins since it led to less sales of value-added products, which, in turn, had an effect on average prices and margins.

France: Céline Da Silva has been appointed Group Strategy Director of Saint-Gobain, effective 1 October 2025. She will report to Maud Thuaudet, Chief Financial Officer. Da Silva succeeds Noémie Chocat, who will take on new operational responsibilities in North America as of 1 January 2026. Céline, who holds dual French and Portuguese nationality, has been Chief Financial Officer of Saint-Gobain’s ceramics business since 2021. In this role, she took part in several acquisitions in the US, China and Europe. She joined Saint-Gobain in 2003.