Gypsum industry news
USG Boral India launches Sheetrock gypsum wallboard
15 October 2020India: USG Boral India hosted a virtual event for the launch of its new Sheetrock gypsum wallboard on 14 October 2020. The company said that the product is suited to a range of interior applications.
US: National Gypsum Company has published SoundBook 2.0, an updated version of its manual for technical information and architectural drawings of sound-rated assemblies for architects and contractors seeking to achieve required sound transmission class (STC) ratings on their projects. The publication includes details and drawings of 310 sound-rated assemblies for steel and wood stud construction, as well as for floor-ceiling applications. The book also features acoustical terms, concepts and proper installation methods for optimal sound control. The original SoundBook was published in 2015.
“Acoustical performance is one of the most popular topics covered by our Construction Services Team,” said John Bianchi, gypsum product manager for National Gypsum. National Gypsum’s goal in publishing SoundBook 2.0 is to provide architects, contractors and others involved in specifying products current information and illustrations on sound-rated wall, ceiling and floor assemblies.
National Gypsum has released several new acoustical gypsum products as part of the company’s SoundBreak XP family of products since the initial rollout of its SoundBreak XP Wall Board, including SoundBreak XP Retrofit Board, designed for use as an extra noise reducing layer over existing wallboard, and its most recent innovation, SoundBreak XP Ceiling Board, a board for floor-ceiling applications.
Schenck Process introduces ProFlex C100 product
08 October 2019Germany: Schenck Process has added the ProFlex C100 to its range of ProFlex C family of products. The new offering is the smallest of the range and it is intended for small extruders. It is designed for flexibility allowing for a range of additives to be used, the asymmetric design is designed to prevent the bridging and plugging of sticky materials, it is equipped with an integrated gearbox for turndown ratios of up to 1:120 and it has a flexible wall liner massaged at eight points, which the manufacturer says allows a constant and accurate filling of the screw feed element.
The ProFlex C feeding system is used for the continuous feeding of bulk materials such as powder, granulates, pellets or fibers. The series is targeted for the compound and masterbatch industries.
Knauf launches Knauf Fino in Spain
14 June 2019Spain: Knauf has launched its Knauf Fino product, a fine, high-performance for indoor use. It is classified as lightweight construction gypsum C7 / 20/2 according to the UNE-EN 13279-1 standard. It has CE Marking.
Haver & Boecker focuses on Adams products for Powtech exhibition
04 February 2019Germany: Haver & Boecker is focusing on its Adams packaging product line for the Powtech trade fair taking place in early April 2019 in Nuremberg. The company says that the system offers the clean packaging of powdery, bulk products into watertight polyethylene (PE) packaging. The closed packaging protects products from loss and secures the quality against environmental impacts.
"Manufacturers are producing and packaging where the raw materials are located, which often means in countries with special climatic conditions. The packaged products are also exposed to extreme environmental conditions during global transport. This is precisely why the packaging has to withstand these conditions and absolutely protect the product," said Robert Brüggemann, Business Unit Head at Haver Chemicals.
Haver & Boecker’s Machinery Division is exhibiting at Powtech with a sustainability and resource conservation focus along with the motto ‘perfect Flow for our blue planet."
Underwriters Laboratories clear selected USG Sheetrock EcoSmart Panel products for wall, column and ceiling applications
27 March 2018US: Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has completed fire performance evaluation on some of USG’s Sheetrock Brand EcoSmart Panel products. The testing concluded that 15.9mm USG Sheetrock Brand EcoSmart Panels Firecode X (UL Type ULIX) and USG Sheetrock Brand EcoSmart Panels Mold Tough Firecode X (UL Type ULIX) is specified in more than 260 fire-rated wall, column, and floor- and roof-ceiling UL designs in which Type X or Type C panels are required.
“Quickly and accurately identifying gypsum panel types in the field – especially after the panels have been hung and the joints are finished – can be challenging. Consequently, fire performance may be compromised if Type X panels are inadvertently hung as the ceiling membrane, whether in steel or wood construction, when Type C panels are required,” said Nestor Sanchez, senior manager, building science at USG.
India: FACT - RCF Building Products (FRBL) plans to double production of its Gypwall product. The decision follows the Kerala Mission Livelihood Inclusion and Financial Empowerment housing scheme’s approval of Gypwall, according to the Hindu newspaper. The state government aims to build 430,000 houses in five years.
FRBL, a joint venture between FACT and Rashtriya Chemicals, produces Gypwall, a load bearing prefrabicated walling system. It consists of gypsum plaster reinforced with glass fibre. The company produces 86,000m2/yr of panels at its plant in Ambalmugal in Kochi.
US: Ultimate Software says that National Gypsum is using its UltiPro product to manage its human resources system. The gypsum wallboard producer is using the product to address challenges in manufacturing and cost control and manage its skilled workforce. National Gypsum started working with Ultimate Software in 2004 and it launched UltiPro's talent management solutions in 2015.
"I can say without exaggeration we are creating ad-hoc reports daily that look at data such as labour allocation, succession planning and global demographics," said Bruce Williams, director of human resources at National Gypsum. He added that the real-time reports aid the company to adapt to industry conditions, extend key resources and make cost savings. The software product has also enabled National Gypsum to reduce the size of its human resources team.
Spain: Isolana has gained an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for its Isoplac laminated gypsum wallboard product. The EPD was registered in late January 2018, it will last five years and it was verified by Tecnalia R&I Certifcación. Isoplac A13 and A15 are laminated gypsum boards with double-sided cardboard and gypsum core, manufactured by continuous rolling process. Isoplac gypsum boards are installed in partitions, backings and interior ceilings forming systems that provide the acoustic insulation, thermal resistance and fire resistance required in each case.
Finland: Construction materials manufacturer Saint-Gobain has transferred some of the manufacturing of Gyproc Habito wallboard from the UK to Kirkkonummi in Finland. Deliveries from Kirkkonummi started at the beginning of 2017. Habito products are exported from Kirkkonummi to the Baltic and the Nordic countries.
The company has invested Euro1m in Gyproc Habito production at its Kirkkonummi site in 2017. Investments have been made in the laboratory, product development, personnel training and the production line. Virpi Riekkinen, Business Director at Saint-Gobain Finland, expects further investments to be made in 2018. Gyproc Habito accounts for roughly 10% of the production of the Kirkkonummi factory. The company expects to recruit around five new employees for the Kirkkonummi site in 2018.