Gypsum industry news

Belgium: During its General Assembly held in Brussels, Belgium on 21 May 2014, Eurogypsum elected the president of Saint-Gobain Gypsum Claude-Alain Tardy as president of Eurogypsum for the period of 2014 - 2016. Tardy succeeds Dott Maurizio Casalini, managing director of Knauf Italy, on the expiry of his statutory term of office.

Tardy is a civil engineer graduate of the École Centrale de Paris. He also has an MS in Industrial Engineering & Engineering Management from the University of Stanford, US. Tardy joined Saint-Gobain in 1981 and between 2005 and 2009 he was chief operating officer of Saint-Gobain Insulation, before being appointed as president of Saint-Gobain Gypsum in 2009.

"I am convinced that wallboard and plaster solutions will play a growing role in the future," said Tardy. "The unique attributes of our products; recyclability, ease of installation, fire resistance, acoustics and thermal properties make our systems inescapable for the construction and renovation of buildings. During my presidency I will concentrate my efforts on the promotion of gypsum industry solutions as the best option to create safe and comfortable interior spaces."

Vietnam: David Victor Thomas, general director of Knauf Vietnam, has announced that Thuan Hung Building Materials Co, based in Tien Giang Province, will be the first distributor of Knauf's gypsum wallboard in the region.

Knauf has imported its products to Vietnam since late 2013. The company was licensed to build a wallboard factory in the city of Haiphong in 2013 and its products will be launched in 2015.

Uzbekistan: Knauf plans to invest up to US$50m to double its production capacity in Uzbekistan, according to Akbar Muhiddinov, a senior manager of Uzstroymaterialy (Uzbek Construction Materials). Knauf currently produces gypsum wallboard at its 20Mm2/yr Knauf Gips Bukhara plant in the Bukhara region that was built in 2011. Including a gypsum-based mix plant, Knauf has invested more than US$51m in the region.

Brazil: Knauf plans to set up a plant in Camaçari, Bahia with an investment of US$61.5m. Commissioning is due in 2014. The plant will produce gypsum products and the metallic structures for construction systems. It will be the second such plant in Brazil after the first in Queimados, Rio de Janeiro. Knauf's total capacity in Brazil will grow from 24 Mm² to 44Mm² of gypsum products.

New Zealand: Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has officially opened a distribution centre for Knauf Plasterboard in Christchurch. Kanuf's distribution centres in Christchurch and Auckland consists of a 5000m² warehouse, showrooms and offices.

"Knauf Plasterboard is a competitive supplier to be reckoned with having significant scale and resource to enter a dominated market. An impressive worldwide operation, with two manufacturing facilities on Australia's eastern seaboard and superior technical expertise, puts Knauf Plasterboard in a strong position to service the growing needs of New Zealand's housing and commercial market," said Mark Norris, Managing Director, Knauf Plasterboard, Australia & New Zealand.

Norris also revealed that Knauf's rollout plans will include a network of independently-owned PlastaLink Trade Centres to sell Knauf products across New Zealand. The company was selected as a partner for the New Zealand government to rebuild Christchurch in January 2013 following the earthquake in 2011.

US: A Florida-based property development built with 'defective' Chinese wallboard has reached a US$22m settlement with the manufacturer, supplier and installer, according to its attorney.

The settlements mark the first time a multifamily structure has received compensation under the multi-district litigation in New Orleans federal court, which consolidated Chinese wallboard lawsuits from the individual homeowner to the wallboard makers, said attorney Greg Weiss of Palm Beach Gardens. Weiss has represented the owners of 320-unit Villa Lago at Renaissance Commons in Boynton Beach.

Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin reached a global settlement in the litigation to pay for the repairs. It is estimated Knauf will have to pay US$10.2m to repair Villa Lago. A previous US$4.6m settlement had been reached with the builder, RJR Holdings II LLC, Boynton Beach. In a twist, RJR Holdings was both a defendant and a plaintiff after developing the property and still owning 130 units.

New Zealand: A US$34m New Zealand government procurement deal to supply wallboard for the rebuilding of Christchurch has been split between New Zealand's only wallboard manufacturer, Winstone Wallboards, and multinational manufacturer Knauf. Home affordability and a lack of competition for building supplies in the country were cited by a Productivity Commission report as key issues in making the decision.

"Having Knauf set up shop in New Zealand will see increased industry competition that will provide consumers with more choice and could potentially drive down prices," said Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce. The government expects to save around 6% on wallboard costs.

Knauf, the world's second-largest wallboard manufacturer and one of only seven firms that dominate four-fifths of global production, already has a New Zealand operation, selling wool-based insulation material. The contracts will cover wallboard and associated fasteners, adhesives and jointing compounds being used in the Earthquake Commission and Southern Response Earthquake Services Limited reconstruction programmes. The contracts were let after a competitive tender that attracted nine bids.

Australia: Construction materials company Knauf has appointed Mark Norris as the managing director of its Australian division. Prior to this, Norris spent 11 years managing Knauf's North Asia Pacific business, eventually becoming general manager for Greater China.

"Mark's significant experience in the construction industry and his authoritative knowledge on Knauf's systems and solutions, is invaluable in driving growth in Asia Pacific and establishing Knauf as a full system provider of innovative products and systems in Australia," said Jan Kreibaum, CEO Asia Pacific.

In 2011, Knauf purchased Lafarge's gypsum business in Australia. It has two manufacturing facilities, over 220 employees and a national distribution network in the country.

Turkey: The winners of the Global Gypsum Awards 2012 have been announced at the Global Gypsum Conference and Exhibition 2012, taking place on 16-17 October 2012 in Istanbul, Turkey. Over 300 delegates and 50 exhibitors attended the conference.

Global Gypsum Plant of the Year was awarded to SaintGobain Rigips' Brieselang plant in Germany. Global Gypsum Personality of the Year was awarded to Jörg Bold of Bold-Technoconsult. Global Gypsum Supplier of the Year was awarded to WTW Americas. Global Gypsum Company of the Year was awarded to Knauf Gips KG. Isabel Knauf accepted the award on behalf of Knauf, while Knauf also won the Global Gypsum Product of the Year for its Safeboard X-ray resistant product. The ceremony took place at the Binbirdirek Cistern, a 1500 year old structure dating back to the Byzantine Empire.

The organisers also announced that the Global Gypsum Conference and Ceremony 2013 will take place in Toronto, Canada.

Image 1: Isabel Knauf accepting Global Gypsum Company of the Year for Knauf Gips KG at the Global Gypsum Awards 2012

Image 2: Global Gypsum Supplier of the Year was awarded to WTW Americas

Image 3: Bob Bruce, Innogyps, presenting at the Global Gypsum Conference & Exhibition 2012

China: German construction group Knauf is currently expanding its business in China as the local housing market booms. Knauf produces 65mm2/yr of plasterboard at its three existing plants in China. With a new facility in Greater Shanghai the production capacity will increase by more than 50%.

However, Knauf is facing heavy competition from two local state firms which have considerably larger production capacities. The German company intends to fight this with a long-term strategy envisaging investments in its own plants and training of drywall finishers and distributors.

Knauf, which entered the Chinese market in 1997.