Gypsum industry news

Bolivia: The Port Services Administration (ASP) despatched a 3000t pilot shipment of gypsum to Paraguay on 23 July 2024. The gypsum, from Cochabamba, was loaded onto three river barges for transport via the River Paraguay from Puerto Busch in Santa Cruz. Local press has reported that ASP used 200t/hr conveyor belts for loading.

General manager Dante Justiniano said "This milestone not only represents a significant advance in the area of infrastructure and national logistics, but also fulfils the mandate of our President Luis Arce, which aims to establish a port that enhances foreign trade and strengthens import and export, with access to the Atlantic Ocean.”

Europe/US: Tristan Suffys, secretary general of Eurogypsum, the European gypsum association, presented the association’s net zero roadmap at the Global Gypsum Conference 2023 in Chicago, US, on 9 November 2023. Live and online audiences heard Eurogypsum’s full life cycle-based carbon footprint analysis, according to which European gypsum wallboard currently generates CO₂ emissions of 2kg/m², 14% lower than 2008 levels. On its pathway to net zero by a deadline of 2050, Eurogypsum plans to reduce wallboard’s CO₂ emissions from raw materials by 13%, from transport by 12%, from production by 69% and from end-of-life processes by 6%.

Suffys said “Presenting our roadmap today in Chicago is a clear signal that global warming requires global action. We want to engage with other regional actors along the way to climate neutrality.”

Eurogypsum president Jörg Ertle added “We are committed to making this transition a reality. First examples show that we can move towards net-zero emission production if we have access to low-carbon energy at affordable costs and optimal raw material supply, but this will require significant investment from our sector.”

Canada: USG Corporation subsidiary Canadian Gypsum Company (CGC) plants to restart operations at its 2Mt/yr-capacity Little Narrows gypsum quarry in Nova Scotia. Construction Canada News has reported that the company expects the commissioning to take until early-mid 2026. Work includes the construction of a new crusher and conveyor systems, as well as a dock and ship loader, and the purchase of new mining equipment, including drills, loaders, excavators and haul trucks. When operational, the quarry will ship gypsum to markets along the east coast of North America, including Montréal, Québec.

USG Corporation CEO Chris Griffin said “This investment will cement our long-term commitment to the Canadian market and our dedication to providing the best experience for our customers across North America. CGC has a proud history of operations at the Little Narrows gypsum quarry, which was active from 1954 to 2016. We are deeply connected to Little Narrows and Cape Breton, and thrilled to return to drive economic growth and support the local community as a neighbour and partner.”

India: UltraTech Cement has transported a shipment of 57,000t of phosphogypsum by coastal and inland waterways to its Gujarat plant at Kovaya in Amreli district. The subsidiary of Aditya Birla Group says this is the first operation of its kind in the country, according to Orissa Diary.

K C Jhanwar, the managing director of UltraTech Cement, said "The cement industry plays a pivotal role in driving the circular economy in India through the use of industrial and municipal waste in cement manufacturing. This industry-first initiative of UltraTech Cement in using inland and coastal waterways for transport of phosphogypsum will help to further strengthen the role of the cement sector in driving the circular economy in India."

The cement company sourced the phosphogypsum from the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative and Paradeep Phosphates. Legacy stock of the by-product from fertiliser plants in the country are estimated to be about 70Mt.

New Zealand: The government has established a taskforce to tackle the on-going national gypsum wallboard shortage. Scoop News has reported that the taskforce consists of industry experts. The body says that it will renew the focus on competition in the building materials sector. Minister for Building and Construction Megan Woods has written a letter to Winstone Wallboards' parent company Fletcher Building regarding trademark protections, specifically urging it not to take action on its product colour trademarks. The taskforce also plans to explore new distribution models and investigate the potential of new products in the New Zealand market.

Megan Woods said "The taskforce has a very clear aim: to increase sector productivity as quickly as possible, and to remove any unnecessary barriers, including around certification, to facilitate the use of different types of plasterboard."

US: Eagle Materials has recorded consolidated sales in its 2022 financial year of US$1.9bn, up by 15% year-on-year. The group’s adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) was US$657m, up by 15%. Full-year light materials sales totalled US$804m, up by 27%, with gypsum wallboard and paperboard operating earnings of US$274m, up by 42%. The group sold 269Mm2 of gypsum wallboard, up by 3% year-on-year.

President and CEO Michael Haack said "As we look back on another extraordinary year, I am extremely proud of our team's ability to deliver record operating and financial results despite multiple external challenges, including transportation disruptions, supply chain constraints and, of course, continuing to navigate the Covid-19 pandemic.” He added "As we begin our new fiscal year, Eagle is well-positioned, both financially and geographically, to capitalise on the underlying demand fundamentals that are expected to support steady and sustainable construction activity growth over the near and long term. We expect that infrastructure investment should increase in the latter part of our fiscal year, as federal funding from the recently enacted Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act begins in earnest. And, despite recent interest rate increases, housing demand remains strong across our geographies, outpacing the supply of homes. Nonresidential construction activity is also picking up."

Belgium: ETEX recorded consolidated net sales of Euro2.97bn in 2021, up by 14% year-on-year from Euro2.62bn in 2020. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 12% to Euro522m from Euro468m, while its profit for the year dropped by 1.4% to Euro198m from Euro201m. The group’s building performance recorded like-for-like sales growth of 21% from 2020 levels and of 15% from 2019 levels. Its gypsum wallboard volumes grew year-on-year, while strong demand in all regions except South Africa impacted some export businesses through supply chain issues and increased shipping costs. The company adapted its prices to offset a sharp rise in raw material and energy cost prices.

During the year, ETEX acquired a top-three Australian gypsum wallboard producer and completed its rebranding as Siniat. It also diversified with the launch of a fourth group division, new ways, which includes light steel framing production operations.

UK: British Gypsum has signed a five-year contract with PD Ports to process its natural gypsum imports. The deal will bring raw materials from Europe into the country via Teesport every two weeks where it will be stored in a new bulk storage unit. The gypsum will then be dispatched by rail to British Gypsum’s plants at Kirkby Thore in Cumbria and Sherburn-In-Elmet in Yorkshire. No value for the deal has been disclosed.

Oman: Northern Ireland’s Telestack has won a Euro5.7m deal to supply a mobile shiploading system to the Port of Salalah. The system will be used to load gypsum, limestone, and cement clinker and will be operational later in 2018, according to the Irish News newspaper. The project is part of an on-going Euro17bn government infrastructure investment to support mining, quarrying and the cement industry. It is Telestack’s largest single order to date.

US: The Port of Monroe in Michigan has been busy exporting gypsum since 4 September 2015, according to Paul C LaMarre III, port director. Five consecutive gypsum loads will leave the port in less than two weeks. Most of the activity takes place at night. The first four loads for USG Corp will be shipped to Port Colborne, Ontario, while the fifth load, for Lafarge, is headed for Alpena.

"Last year, we shipped two loads and this year we will have shipped 10, with more on the horizon," said LaMarre said. The port is also 'very close' to executing a gypsum management agreement with DTE Energy, in which the port will manage and market the gypsum produced. "This would be the first such agreement of its kind between a public port and a public utility," said LaMarre. The Port of Monroe moved more than 2.4Mt of cargo through its shipping channel in 2014, shattering the record for the second time in a row.