Gypsum industry news

France: Saint-Gobain’s sales rose by 6% year-on-year to Euro10.4bn in the first quarter of 2019 from Euro9.76bn in the same period in 2018. Sales for most of the group’s divisions rose with the exception of Asia-Pacific. Gypsum business growth was reported in Northern Europe, South Europe – Middle East & Africa and Asia Pacific. Like-for-like sale in Asia Pacific were supported by the start-up of a fifth float line in India. Insulation business growth was also noted in France.

Belgium: Etex’s Building Performance division’s sales rose by 6.9% year-on-year to Euro1.65bn in 2018. It attributed this growth to the good performance of gypsum wallboard sales in most territories and especially in France, the UK and Central & Eastern Europe. However, challenging market conditions and competition were reported in Germany. Overall, the group’s revenue rose by 4.1% to Euro2.9bn from Euro2.78bn. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBTIDA) fell by 9.5% to Euro391m from Euro432m. Issues with negative exchange rate effects and hyperinflation in Argentina were reported.

Germany: Wacker’s silicones division has driven its sales growth in 2018 despite a contraction in the polysilicon market. Its group sales rose by 1% year-on-year to Euro4.98bn in 2018 from Euro4.92bn in 2017. Its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 8% to Euro930m from Euro1.01bn. It blamed this on issues at its Charleston plant in the US, an on-going insurance claim and higher raw material and energy costs.

“From today’s perspective, 2019 is not going to be an easy year,” said chief executive officer Rudolf Staudigl. “For our chemical divisions, we are confident that our excellent products will keep us on our growth path. On the other hand, solar-grade polysilicon overcapacities in China are slowing the earnings trend at our polysilicon business – and thus at the group – despite our leading market and quality position.” He added that a ‘particular’ challenge facing energy-intensive companies like Wacker was the increase in electricity prices in Germany.

Saudi Arabia: National Gypsum Company ‘s sales rose by 40% year-on-year to US$16.3m in 2018 from US$11.7m in 2017. Its net profit after Zakat and tax was US$3.01m following a loss of US$4.38m in 2017. The company attributed its turnabout to increased sales, external investment and changes in its accounting.

Australia: USG Boral’s earnings fell in the first half of its financial year due to a slowdown in South Korea. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) dropped by 16% year-on-year to US$89.3m in the half-year to 31 December 2018 from US$107m in the same period in 2017. Its revenue grew by 2% to US$594m from US$583m. This was attributed to sales volumes growth in Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam and India.

France: Saint-Gobain’s Interior Solutions division’s sales revenue grew by 4% year-on-year to Euro7.17bn in 2018 from Euro6.88bn in 2017. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 11% to Euro1.06bn from Euro953m. Overall, the group’s sales and earnings rose in 2018, although at slower rates.

"As expected, our results for the second half show a significant improvement, benefiting from broadly supportive markets, a strong pricing dynamic and the settlement of industrial issues that had weighed on the group's profitability in the first half,” said Pierre-André de Chalendar, chairman and chief executive officer of Saint-Gobain. He added that the group has a program underway to divest sales of over Euro3bn by the end of 2019.

Switzerland: Sika’s net sales grew by 13.4% year-on-year to Euro6.23bn in 2018 from Euro5.5bn in 2017. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 7.6% to Euro1.01bn from Euro940m. The building chemicals producer reported growth in all regions, with highlights in Eastern Europe, the US, India, Indonesia and China.

US: USG’s net sales grew by 4% year-on-year to US$3.34bn in 2018 from US$3.20bn in 2017. Its operating profit fell by 36% to US$227m from US$353m. Sales from its wallboard and surfaces division were stable at US$1.93bn but its operating profit fell by 19% to US$248m. The building materials company said that its operating profit in the fourth quarter was negatively affected due to lower sales caused by the timing of when it announced wallboard price increases. USG’s takeover by Germany’s Knauf is expected to close in early 2019.

Australia: Boral has warned that its USG Boral joint venture has suffered from market decline and competition in South Korea. It operations in the country were also negatively affected by Typhoon Soulik in August 2018. However, the company reported ‘strong’ results in Australia. Overall, Boral expects that USG Boral will contribute less earnings to the company in the first half of its financial year to the end of 2018.

US: Eagle Materials’ revenue rose slightly to US$1.11bn in the nine months to 31 December 2018. Revenue from its Light Materials business, including gypsum wallboard, grew by 3% to US$479m from US$467m. Gypsum wallboard production dropped slightly to 185Mm2. Operating earnings increased by 13% to US$166m from US$146m.

“Adjusting for the effects of unusual weather trends during 2018 and a shift in the timing of wallboard price increases and related buying activity, we estimate that the overall market demand for our building materials, notably cement and wallboard, remained in positive territory in 2018, with growth rates in the low single digits,” said chief executive officer (CEO) Dave Powers.