Gypsum industry news

UK: Belgium-based Etex has announced a new UK trading agreement with Kier, a provider of construction and infrastructure services.The arrangement will see Etex and Kier collaborate on a variety of new projects using Etex’s products, including its Siniat brand wallboard.

Gerard Cox, Head of Procurement for Kier Construction, added “We are excited to include Etex Building Performance to our carefully selected list of preferred supply chain partners and look forward to engaging with them on our projects where we believe their range of products, warrantied systems and customer focussed approach, have the potential to add real value to our business.”

Etex previously said it plans to start operations at its new wallboard plant at the Port of Bristol in 2022. It has invested around Euro165m in the project that is set to double its production capacity in the UK.

Bosnia & Herzegovina: China-based BNBM plans to build a 40Mm²/yr gypsum wallboard plant in a joint venture with Rudnik i Termoelektrana Ugljevik (RiTE Ugljevik). The new company will be called BNBM Eastern Europe and based at Ugljevik, where RiTE Ugljevik operates the coal-fired Ugljevik Power Plant. The project has an investment of Euro50m with BNBM contributing Euro45m towards the total. Construction is expected to take 18 months, although a start date is subject to the joint-venture meeting certain conditions to the satisfaction of its parent companies. RiTE Ugljevik is a subsidiary of the state-owned power company Elektroprivreda.

Spain: Knauf has received a 30 year extension to its quarrying permit supporting its Escuzar wallboard plant in Granada. The company also plans to increase production capacity at the unit, according to Europa Press. The plant was established in 2008 and it has a capacity of 50Mm²/yr.

Thailand: BNBM plans to launch a joint venture with Sinoma International Engineering and its subsidiary Sinoma (Thailand). The new company will build and operate a 40Mm²/yr gypsum wallboard plant in the country. BNBM says that the plant will additionally be equipped with a 4Mm²/yr decorative gypsum line.

Brazil: Saint Gobain has predicted a 40% year-on-year turnover increase from its Brazilian operations to US$2.63bn in 2021. It said that it expects demand for its products from civil construction to have accounted for 67% of its income for the year.

In 2021, Saint-Gobain invested a total of US$52.6m in its Brazilian operations, consisting of 56 sites. It aims to increase its total income by 15% in 2022 compared to 2021 levels. During the year, it plans to commission a new gypsum wallboard plant at Mogi das Cruzes in São Paulo.

Brazil: Trevo Drywall has begun raising funds for the construction of a new gypsum wallboard plant in Southeast Brazil. The company’s existing gypsum wallboard plant at Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará, is currently undergoing expansion to 16Mm²/yr from 14Mm²/yr. The plant will transition to natural gas power in January 2022. Trevo Drywall plans to further increase its capacity to 20Mm²/yr before 2024. Prior to this, it will use resources from its cash generation and proprietary and third-party capital to build the new unit in the Southeast. The company says that its location will be ‘closer to the main drywall consumer centres in Brazil.’ Currently, more than 80% of its sales are outside of the Northeast. The producer holds an 11% share of the Brazilian gypsum wallboard market.

CEO Sávio Maia said “We have been expanding our production potential at a rate of 26% per year since 2014 and, despite all the macroeconomic difficulties that Brazil went through during this period, we have always used 100% of our installed capacity.” He added “We generate more than 220 direct jobs, which has a great effect on the lives of many families in Juazeiro do Norte and the surrounding region, either by the income generated directly and indirectly, or by the company's prominent role among the largest local taxpayers.”

Brazil: Saint-Gobain plans to expand the capacity of its Mogi das Cruzes gypsum wallboard plant with the installation of a third production line. The plant will produce wallboard with its expanded capacity from early 2023. The Mogi das Cruzes plant currently has a gypsum wallboard production capacity of 22Mm²/yr.

Romania: Etex Building Performance has announced plans to build a Euro6m sludge drying unit at Oltenia Energy Complex’s (OEC) Rovinari coal-fired power plant in Oltenia. The subsidiary of Belgium-based Etex will derive synthetic gypsum from the unit for use at its Turceni wallboard plant, according to Economica. It already operates a similar sludge drying unit at OEC’s Turceni coal-fired power plant.

Industrial director Gheorghe Budrugeac said "We count on the fact that both the OEC and the local and central authorities will understand the importance of the investment for the local community and the positive impact on the environment, therefore we expect no delays in the approval process."

France: Saint-Gobain’s sales grew by 24.6% year-on-year to Euro22.1bn in the first half of 2021 from Euro17.8m in the same period in 2020. Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) nearly doubled to Euro3.25bn from Euro1.64bn. Both sales and earnings were also higher than the comparable period in 2019.

“These first-half 2021 record results surpass even our second-half 2020 performance. This success reflects the profound positive changes in our organisation from Transform & Grow,” said Benoit Bazin, chief executive officer of Saint-Gobain. “It also reflects structural changes in our markets, which should show an acceleration in growth over the coming years.” The group added that it was planning to catch up with previously delayed expansion projects for the construction Industry and in façade and gypsum solutions in Mexico, India and China in the second half of 2021.

US: The Economic Development Department of the state of New Mexico has granted American Gypsum US$0.5m-worth of funding for an upgrade to its Albuquerque gypsum wallboard plant in Bernalillo County. The grant will facilitate equipment and infrastructure modernisation. The department says that the producer will invest US$22m in the state between 1 July 2021 and 31 December 2022. It employs 140 locals including Pueblo Indian people, in whose lands its gypsum mine is situated.

State Governor Lujan Grisham said "This investment means New Mexico jobs will stay in New Mexico. I'm glad the state could partner with American Gypsum and ensure long-term viability of their operations, and stabilise a New Mexico employer."