Gypsum industry news

Spain: Saint-Gobain plans to invest Euro120m over the next three years in its local subsidiary. In an interview with the Cinco Dias newspaper, Gianni Scotti, the chief executive officer (CEO) for Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece and North Africa warned against rising electricity costs in the country. The bulk of the investment will go towards upgrading the Fábrica de Quinto wallboard plant in Zaragoza.

Spain: Saint-Gobain Placo Iberia plans to spend Euro4.5m on upgrades to its Fábrica de Quinto wallboard plant in Zaragoza. The project started in 2017 with an investment of Euro1m, according to the Heraldo de Aragón newspaper. In July 2018 the company plans to spend Euro0.5m towards improving the quality of its wallboard and preparing a production line for new products. The majority of the investment will go towards improving logistics at the unit and expanding its storage capacity. A new wallboard recycling plant is also planned.

Spain: Saint-Gobain Ibérica’s Sorbas gypsum quarry has marked a record of 17 years without any accidents. The local subsidiary of Saint-Gobain has gone 6500 days without incident. The milestone was recognised as the company signed an agreement to join a workplace health promotion program with the local government.

Spain: Saint-Gobain España’s sales rose by 8% year-on-year to Euro1.18bn in 2017. In an interview with the Expansión newspaper, Mediterranean Region chief executive officer (CEO) Gianni Scotti said that increased housing construction in Spain had driven demand for building products. He added that Spain represents 58% of the sales from the eight countries in the company’s Mediterranean region. The majority of the division’s sales come from products for the construction industry including gypsum wallboard and insulation. However, Scotti wanred that high energy costs in Spain are making the country less competitive compared to other parts of Europe.