Gypsum industry news

Egypt: Knauf Egypt has entered into a partnership to supply Hassan Allam Construction with building materials for more than 100 upcoming projects. Arab Finance News has reported that Knauf Egypt’s delivery on the contracts will reflect its commitment to the Egypt Vision 2030 national sustainable development strategy.

Knauf Egypt recently invested US$640,000 in a collaboration with the German Society for International Cooperation to train 4000 Egyptian construction sector specialists per year.

Egypt: Knauf Egypt is planning to invest US$86m in the construction of its upcoming third gypsum plant. Al Mal News has reported that the unit will double Knauf Egypt’s total production capacity of products including gypsum wallboard. It will raise the company’s installed gypsum wallboard capacity to 60Mm²/yr. The upcoming plant will serve both domestic and export markets. Knauf Egypt currently sells its wallboard in 13 countries, including Greece, Morocco and South Africa.

Egypt: The Egyptian government plans to expand the country’s Golden Triangle Economic Zone (GTEZ), a development region centred on mineral extraction. Gypsum is among the key products of the GTEZ, alongside phosphate, iron and gold. Zawya Projects News has reported that the government aims to establish a ‘comprehensive economic hub’ in the zone, including the development of residential, commercial and leisure facilities.

Brazil/Egypt: France-based Saint-Gobain has acquired Matchem in Brazil and started exclusive negotiations to acquire IDP Chemicals in Egypt via its Chryso subsidiary. Both transactions are intended to strengthen the company’s presence in the construction chemicals market with a focus on concrete admixtures. Matchem and IDP Chemicals will be consolidated within the Construction Chemicals segment in Saint-Gobain’s High Performance Solutions division.

Matchem, established in 2011, employs around 50 people across two plants in Brazil and reported revenue of around Euro20m in 2022. Saint-Gobain also operates mortar company Quartzolit, sealant and adhesive company TekBond and GCP Applied Technologies in Brazil.

IDP Chemicals has been licensed by Chryso since 2018 and employs 25 people at one plant. This acquisition is expected to be finalised in the first quarter of 2023.

Egypt: Dahab Sinai says that it has commenced pilot production at its 0.18t/yr plaster plant in the Suez region. The company invested around US$18m in building the unit. In early 2019 it was reported that Dahab Sinai ordered a gypsum production plant from Germany-based Claudius Peters. Rowad Tourism holds the 64% majority stake in Dahab Sinai.

Egypt: Dahab Sinai for Manufacturing and Building Materials has ordered a gypsum plant from Germany’s Claudius Peters to be built in the Suez region. The new plant will be used for the production of basic plaster for wall and ceiling plaster products. Construction is scheduled to start in early 2020 with commissioning to follow in the the third quarter of the year. No value for the order has been disclosed.

Claudius Peters will supply a grinding and calcining plant with a EM47 type mill with a stucco throughput capacity of 25t/hr. A homogeniser for product optimisation is connected behind the calcining process. After the cooling process the produced basic gypsum can be adapted to the market requirements by adding setting regulators and hydrated limestone. This part of the plant is also included in the scope of supply. The finished product is bagged by means of a four spout packer RotoFill type R6/4L with a capacity of 1137bags/hr. Various silos, a truck loading and unloading plant, the complete electrical equipment and control systems as well as the raw material handling with corresponding conveying technology are also part of the delivery.

The new plant will be used to supply the local market but exports to Africa and Europe are also planned. The plant is designed in such a way that further plant equipment can be installed at a later stage. The mixing plant can be extended with the admixture of further additives. Furthermore, a reserve space for the later retrofitting of a bag applicator with loading equipment has been taken into consideration.

Ghana: Germany’s Knauf plans to open a training centre to provide knowledge and skills to construction professionals. It will be opened by Isabel Knauf, Member of the Knauf Group Management Committee, Gerd Müller, the German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and Christiane Laibach, chairwoman of the Management Board of Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft (DEG), according to the Ghana News Agency. The opening is part of the German African Business Summit. The centre will offer up to 800 training positions per year. It is part of a wider training initiative being organised by Knauf, DEG and the BMZ in Nigeria, Tanzania, Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia.

Egypt: National Cement plans to add a new gypsum wallboard production line for US$1.24m, according to the company's Chairman. It has also decided to resume operations at its brick factory.

Egypt: Sales from Knauf's recently opened wallboard plant in Suez could reach US$15m in Egypt and Africa during the first year of production, according to Alexander Knauf, managing partner of the company. The company plans to sell 8Mm2 of gypsum wallboard during the first year of operation, Knauf said in a statement.

Egypt: The German-Arab Chamber of Industry and Commerce (GACIC) has announced the opening of a new US$50m Knauf Egypt plant. The plant has a capacity of 15Mm²/yr of gypsum wallboard, 90,000t/yr of other gypsum products and 25Mm/yr of metal cutters. Construction in the Ataqa Suez industrial zone began in 2010. Suez was selected as the plant site because of its strategic location between raw materials sites, local markets and major export markets.