Gypsum industry news

France: Saint-Gobain and the solar manufacturer Megasol, the European leader in Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), have announced a strategic partnership. As part of this partnership, Saint- Gobain has acquired a minority stake in Megasol's business unit that develops and manufactures building-integrated photovoltaics in Deitingen, Switzerland. The partnership enables Saint-Gobain to extend its sustainable solutions offer for façades and to become the leading provider for BIPV façade solutions in Europe, one of the fastest growing segments of façade construction. At the same time, it gives Megasol access to Saint-Gobain’s customer base.

BIPV's solutions contribute to sustainable construction and decarbonisation by efficiently producing energy from the surfaces of buildings. Building owners cannot only comply with today’s and future energy regulations and increase their own energy efficiency, but they can also generate additional revenue by feeding the electricity into the grid.

This investment is in line with Saint-Gobain's 'Grow & Impact' plan to further strengthen its leadership position in light and sustainable construction.

France: Alphaplatre's gypsum wallboard and plaster line engineering subsidiary RBL-REI has acquired calcination equipment supplier Gupsos.

RBL-REI general manager Lionel Landreau and Gupsos founder Michel Dairay said "The integration of Gupsos now allows RBL-REI to offer new technologies for its production lines, thanks in particular to the indirect cooking process using a Beau type kiln."

Switzerland/UK: Sika says it plans to complete its planned acquisition of MBCC Group in the first half of 2023 following the decision by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to further investigate the merger. Previously the construction chemicals company intended to close the transaction by the end of 2022. Sika signed a deal to buy MBCC Group, formerly BASF Construction Chemicals, in November 2021.

Thomas Hasler, the chief executive officer of Sika, said "Sika has already received unconditional regulatory approval across a number of jurisdictions, including Japan, China, Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Thailand. For a transaction of this magnitude a detailed analysis is not unusual. The adapted timeline for the closing does not impact the strategic attractiveness of the transaction. It remains highly accretive, and our expectation that it will generate annual synergies of Euro160m - 185m is unchanged."

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.

UK: Portugal-based Gypfor has agreed to sell its upcoming Newport gypsum wallboard plant to Germany-based Knauf. Gypfor began building the plant at Associated British Ports’ Port of Newport in March 2021. Knauf estimates that it will commission it later in 2022, and commence full operations in 2023. The plant will be equipped with solar and wind power plants, as well as on-site gypsum wallboard recycling facilities. 54 people will be employed in gypsum wallboard production at the site. Knauf says that the addition of the new plant to its existing facilities at Immingham, Lincolnshire, and Sittingbourne, Kent, will enlarge its UK capacity by 20%.

Knauf’s UK managing director Ian Stokes said “This new plant will significantly increase our ability to service customers throughout the UK, and particularly those in South Wales, the Midlands and the South-West of England. It is a very exciting move for Knauf and, following recent investment in increasing the capacity of Knauf Insulation, reflects the confidence of the Knauf Group in the UK construction sector.”

UK: The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is considering whether the proposed acquisition by Saint-Gobain of GCP Applied Technologies could result in the creation of a relevant merger situation or lessen market competition generally. It has asked any interested party to comment on the transaction by mid-June 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.

Canada/US: Saint-Gobain has acquired exterior building materials company Kaycan for US$928m. After the closing of the transaction in 2022, Kaycan’s US distribution arm will undergo divestiture to a third party. Kaycan currently employs 1300 people at 12 sites in Canada and the US. Saint-Gobain noted that the acquisition will complement its leadership in Canada, expanding its light and sustainable construction solutions offering in that market.

Portugal: Saint-Gobain has acquired Fibroplac, which operates the 10Mm²/yr Pombal gypsum wallboard plant in Central Portugal. Saint-Gobain already operates 10 plants, in addition to a research and development centre, in Portugal. Additionally, the France-based group acquired steel structures producer Falper.

The group said that the acquisitions align with its Grow & Impact strategy, which it says is being successfully implemented in Portugal."

Japan: Germany-based Knauf Group has launched a public tender offer to increase its stake in the Japanese wallboard producer Chiyode Ute from 50% to 75%. Knauf is the largest wallboard producer by installed capacity outside of China.

Speaking to Global Gypsum, Chiyode Ute’s Vice President and Representative Director Frederick Knauf said that the founding family Hirata would retain a 25% stake in the company. He added “For Knauf Group this is very exciting. Japan is the world’s third-largest wallboard market and one in which Chiyode Ute has a 20% market share. It is also a challenging market, where customers expect the best in terms of quality, delivery and customer service. We will continue to work with the Hirata family to further develop the company’s capabilities to better serve this demanding market in the future. Chiyoda Ute will be fully integrated into the Knauf Group.”

Belgium: ETEX recorded consolidated net sales of Euro2.97bn in 2021, up by 14% year-on-year from Euro2.62bn in 2020. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 12% to Euro522m from Euro468m, while its profit for the year dropped by 1.4% to Euro198m from Euro201m. The group’s building performance recorded like-for-like sales growth of 21% from 2020 levels and of 15% from 2019 levels. Its gypsum wallboard volumes grew year-on-year, while strong demand in all regions except South Africa impacted some export businesses through supply chain issues and increased shipping costs. The company adapted its prices to offset a sharp rise in raw material and energy cost prices.

During the year, ETEX acquired a top-three Australian gypsum wallboard producer and completed its rebranding as Siniat. It also diversified with the launch of a fourth group division, new ways, which includes light steel framing production operations.