Gypsum industry news

Saudi Arabia: Mada Gypsum Co, part if Al Rajhi Building Solutions Group and a Saudi producer of gypsum wallboard and related gypsum products, plans to build a new environmentally-friendly gypsum plant in Saudi Arabia. It will meet the increasing demand for gypsum and modern building materials and systems in the GCC and the Middle East.

The new US$67m investment will provide work for around 200 employees. It will have a production capacity of approximately 30Mm²/yr of gypsum wallboard and related gypsum based products and systems.

"We see promising growth in the building solutions market across the GCC region, driven by the strong fundamentals of the construction industry," said D Khalid S Al-Rajhi, chairman of Al-Rajhi Building Solutions Group. "Setting up this new plant in Saudi Arabia also confirms the strategic importance of Saudi Arabia as a platform to serve markets in Africa and Europe in addition to the GCC. The investment confirms our commitment to maintain leadership in the industry."

"The new plant will be equipped the with latest state-of-the-art manufacturing machines and production technology," said Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Bassam, CEO of Al Rajhi Building Solutions Group. "The plant will have a capacity of 30Mm²/yr and is scheduled to commence operation in the third quarter of 2016. Mada Gypsum Co is also proud of the environmental benefits associated with the new plant: This is a genuinely green project. The gypsum on site will be processed and removed, returning the site to its natural state."

Saudi Arabia: The Saudi industrial company Al-Ahsa Development's management board has halted the construction of a gypsum plant in the Al-Ahsa Governorate, Eastern Province. The decision was made after a feasibility study of the deposits showed that the economic efficiency would be insufficient. The company has spent US$879,952 on the feasibility study and government fees for the project.

In May 2008 Al-Ahsa got a licence from the Saudi Ministry of Petrol to build a gypsum plant with a capacity of 500,000t/yr. The company planned to invest US$40.3m in the project and expected US$23.5m/yr revenue.

Saudi Arabia: The Khamis Mushayt Municipality has closed down 30 gypsum plants in Umm Srar neighbourhood for violating health and safety regulations. Mesfer Al-Wadai, mayor of the city, said that several plants were permanently closed, while others were closed temporarily until they correct their shortcomings.

"The municipality will be monitoring their activities to ensure they abide by the regulations," said Al-Wadai. "Some of the plants were found operating in old houses inside the neighbourhoods."

Al-Wadai said that the municipality's inspectors have also been conducting regular checks downtown in the Al-Darb area, where illegal workers sell goods from vehicles, pavements and on the streets. The inspectors confiscated more than 30 vehicles and fined their owners for selling goods without licenses.

"Members of the administrative control department in Khamis Mushayt conducted the inspections aided by the traffic department and other security bodies," said Al-Wadai. He added that the teams also removed two shacks on the Military City Road that were built without permits.

Abkhazia/Saudi Arabia: Grenzebach BSH GmbH has ordered two Gebr. Pfeiffer vertical roller mills, one MPS 140 GC and one MPS 180 GC, for gypsum grinding-calcining for its new works in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia and in Saudi Arabia.

The two vertical roller mills are designed to attain throughput rates of 16t/hr and 35t/hr, respectively. They are slated for delivery in the first and second quarters of 2014.

Saudi Arabia: National Gypsum Company has reported that its net income for the first quarter of 2013 fell year-on-year by 31.5% to US$1.72m from US$2.50m in the same period in 2012. The wallboard producer attributed the decrease in net income to increased competition.

National Gypsum Company noted that its gross profit for the first quarter of 2013 fell by 6% to US$2.25m from US$2.39m. Operational income fell by 8.84% to US$1.65m from US$1.81m

Saudi Arabia: National Gypsum Company has announced interim financial results for the period ending 30 June 2012. These show a net income for the second quarter of 2012 of US$1.76m compared to US$2.7m in the same period of 2011, a year-on-year drop of over a third. There was also a sharp drop compared to the first quarter of 2012, when the company had a net income of US$2.50m. National Gypsum's gross profit for the second quarter of 2012 came in at US$2.26m compared to US$3.39m for the same quarter of 2011, a near-30% fall.

Over the course of the six months to 30 June 2012, the company said that it made a net profit of US$4.26m, compared to US$5.6m in the six months to 30 June 2011. Its gross profit for the six months came in at US$4.65m compared to US$6.73m a year earlier, another drop of more than 30%.

National Cement said that the reason for the drop in its performance was increased competition.

Saudi Arabia: National Gypsum Company (NGCO) has announced that its net income fell by 44% in the financial year ending 31 December 2011 compared to 2010. The company reported an income of US$14m in 2010 compared to US$7.9m in 2011.

Gross profit in 2011 fell by 37%, to US$11m from US$17m in 2010. Income from operations declined by 42% in 2011 to US$8.2m from US$14m in 2010.

For the fourth quarter of 2011 net income fell by 48% compared to the same quarter in 2010, dropping from US$2.1m to US$1.1m. Net income fell by 3% in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared to the third quarter of 2011. Gross profit for the fourth quarter fell by 34% compared to 2010, falling from US$3.3m to US$2.2m. Income from operations for the fourth quarter fell by 38% compared to 2010, dropping from US$2.6m to US$1.6m

NGCO has attributed the reason for these decreases to net income, gross profit and income from operation to increased competition.