Gypsum industry news

South Africa: Raubex recorded sales of US$617m in the first half of the 2025 financial year, following ‘strong performances’ across all divisions. This corresponds to a 30% year-on-year rise. Operating profit also grew, by 35%, to US$47.7m.

Raubex’s gypsum, concrete and aggregates subsidiary OMV performed ‘well,’ according to the parent company. It attributed the performance to a growth in the local construction industry.

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.

South Africa: Waster water specialist Talbot is working with a coal producer in the Highveld region to remove gypsum generated as a by-product of its mine water purification process.

As part of a pilot project conducted in March 2020, a hydraulic filter press was used to dewater the solids, dry and press them into briquette form for transportation to end-use customers. The remaining filtrate was directed to an evaporation dam before returning to site processes via a blend line. Talbot says it reduced the waste solids from 84 - 2900mg/l and demonstrated that the technology would extract gypsum at a rate of 100kg/hr on a full-scale site operation. Previously the company has used this method on behalf of a South African platinum producer where the recovery of precious metals from a wastewater stream using the same technology.

South Africa: Belgium's Etex Group has announced the acquisition of Lafarge's South African gypsum business. An Etex press release stated that Lafarge Gypsum South Africa and its local company Marley Building Systems, two businesses of equal size, will team up to create a 'unique and competitive offer that capitalises on today's Southern African building trends.'

The deal is in line with Etex's aims of strengthening its position in Africa, with the Southern African region and Nigeria its main drivers of growth. In South Africa, the demand for housing has been on the rise, driven by a growing population and an emerging middle class. In addition, the market is becoming increasingly regulated. Consequently, alternative building methods like dry construction are gradually replacing traditional construction methods.

"Combining these two product offerings enables us to provide the full scope of Etex's portfolio," said Paul van Oyen, CEO of Etex. "That way, we can answer the changing local demand with a global approach for the whole southern African market, including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique."

For factory personnel, Etex has said that everything will remain as it is. Meanwhile, the support teams at Marley will be strengthened by teams from Lafarge Gypsum. "Lafarge Gypsum (adds) the technical and innovation support an international group can offer," added van Oyen. A transition team will ensure the smooth merger of both companies once the deal has been finalised. The acquisition is subject to the customary closing conditions.