Gypsum industry news

US: Steve Rowley will retire as president and CEO of Eagle Materials on 31 March 2016. Dave Powers, Executive Vice President for Gypsum Wallboard at Eagle since 2005, will succeed Rowley as President and CEO. He will also be appointed to the Board of Directors.

"Steve has positioned Eagle for an exciting future. He has led the doubling of the scale of our cement business and has guided the growth of our gypsum wallboard business in achieving its nation-wide scope. He also has successfully led the company through the longest and most challenging construction market down-cycle in US history," said Larry Hirsch, Chairman of the Board. Health reasons were cited for Rowley's retirement.

Dave Powers, aged 65, holds over 35 years of experience in the building materials industry. He joined Eagle Materials (formerly Centex Construction Products) in 2002 as Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing. In January 2005, he was promoted to his role as Eagle's Executive Vice President for Gypsum (and President, American Gypsum Company LLC).

US: CertainTeed has launched its new Habito wallboard, which it says is the strongest and hardest 1/2-inch (12.5mm) wallboard on the market.

Dave Engelhardt, President of CertainTeed Gypsum, said that the product helps eliminate the frustration homeowners have when hanging heavy objects as Habito can hold heavy objects without involving anchors or wall studs.

"Habito continues our emphasis on providing innovative products that offer practical solutions to builders and homeowners," said Engelhardt. The manufacturer pointed to the following features:

• Fastening capability: Fixing capabilities that eliminate the need for threaded wallboard anchors or nailing to wall studs for fixtures under 13.6kg.
• Builder and developer upgrades: Offers professionals an upmarket option, replacing standard wallboard in high-traffic and high-impact areas of the home.
• Better acoustics: Delivers homeowners better sound insulation than traditional wallboard.

US: Gypsum Management & Supply (GMS), a Georgia-based distributor of specialty interior building products, has bought Gypsum Supply Co. Inc. for an undisclosed sum. Gypsum Supply has one location in Toledo and seven sites across Michigan.

"We are thrilled to welcome Gypsum Supply Co. to the GMS family," said the President and CEO of GMS, Mike Callahan. "The acquisition positions us to capitalise on markets throughout Michigan and Northwest Ohio. We plan to leverage the long-term relationships and reputation that Gypsum Supply Co. has built to enhance our presence in this strategic market. We believe that the company and its employees are a natural partner for our growing company as their culture and dedication to excellence mirrors our own mission."

US: Gypsum Management and Supply, Inc. (GMS), a leading North American distributor of wallboard, suspended ceiling systems and other specialty building products, has acquired Badgerland Supply and its six locations in Wisconsin and Illinois.

Badgerland has served the Wisconsin and Northern Illinois markets for over 25 years through its diverse offering of high-quality wallboard and construction products. Badgerland has an established market presence with a strong customer base primarily in the remodeling, residential, commercial and institutional sectors.

"We are pleased to have Badgerland Supply join our growing network of GMS companies," said Jerry Speights, Vice President of the Central Division of GMS. "Its longstanding presence in these dynamic Midwest regions, paired with its employees' in-depth knowledge of the local markets, makes Badgerland Supply an invaluable addition to the GMS family."

US: USG Corporation has announced it has partnered with Honeybee Robotics, a spacecraft technology and robotics company, for the field testing of Honeybee's Planetary Deep Drill System. The field testing, which will take place at USG's Plaster City gypsum quarry in Salton Sea, California is part of Honeybee's broader Mars exploration program, which aims to better understand the planet and the capabilities needed to send humans to the planet by the 2030s.

"We are honored to be the only company in our industry to play a role in this innovative endeavour to advance planetary exploration and the broader field of science," said Dominic Dannessa, Senior Vice President of Operations and Chief Technology Officer at USG. "We believe innovation comes from inspired thinking inside our company and outside of it, so sharing our geotechnical expertise with Honeybee was a natural fit."

USG's Plaster City gypsum quarry was selected by Honeybee as the ideal site to test the Planetary Deep Drill due to gypsum's similarity to cryogenic ice observed on Mars, Enceladus, Europa and other planetary bodies. Honeybee will drill 100 feet into the depths of the gypsum quarry, which is significantly deeper than drills previously deployed to Mars were capable of accessing. The field test will assess the functionality of the Planetary Deep Drill and provide data for future improvements and enhancements. Scientists have suggested that inside gypsum crystals may be the ideal environment for life to exist on the surface or near surface or Mars.

Drilling at Plaster City will take place from mid-November 2015 until mid-December 2015.

US: CertainTeed has announced that it is the first company in the gypsum manufacturing industry to offer Health Product Declarations (HPDs) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for wallboard products.

The newly-published HPDs and EPDs provide scientifically-robust and transparent information about environmental performance and third-party verification to confirm the true sustainability of a product. The declarations also allow products to contribute towards points in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building projects.

42 HPDs have been published to cover all CertainTeed gypsum wallboard product categories, including standard and specialty wallboard; Type X fire resistant and M2Tech moisture and mould-resistant wallboard products; GlasRoc exterior sheathing; AirRenew Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) wallboard; SilentFX noise-reducing wallboard and Easi-Lite lightweight gypsum wallboards. Six EPDs, grouped by manufacturing plant location, are also now available for Easi-Lite and 5/8-inch Type X fire-resistant gypsum wallboard.

US: USG Corporation has been named by EHS Today as one of its 2015 America's Safest Companies. The award recognises 16 companies that have demonstrated innovative solutions to safety challenges, exhibited strong management support and employee engagement programmes and achieved injury and illness rates lower than average for their respective industries.

"We are proud to be recognised by EHS Today for our dedication to creating the safest environment possible for our 9000 employees around the world," said Brian Cook, Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at USG. "Safety is a core value of our organisation and every employee is committed to working safely; every minute, every task and every day."

USG's manufacturing facilities routinely operate at five to 20 times better than industry safety norms. Twelve of the company's 34 US manufacturing locations and three of its L&W Supply distribution facilities have applied and qualified for the Operational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Programme (VPP) Star status. To attain the Star designation, USG employees and management work with OSHA to implement safety and health programmes and processes that go beyond regulations to further protect employees and promote safe operations.

"We developed and adhere to safety guidelines that exceed industry standards and regulations," said Paul Haney, Vice President, Global Safety and Health and Employee Relations and Chief Labour Counsel at USG. "At USG, we strive to create an injury-free workplace and model safe behaviours for our families, colleagues, customers and communities."

US: Kodiak Building Partners, in a switch from its past practice of buying established companies, has announced the creation of a new business: Freedom Materials, a distributor of wallboard and related materials in Newark, Delaware. Freedom will be led by Silvio Ferrari, who Kodiak CEO Steve Swinney said 'brings nearly 25 years of excellence in serving customers in the building materials industry.' Freedom will be Kodiak's first operation in the Mid-Atlantic. Its other gypsum companies are New England Building Supply, Colorado's Jones-Heartz Drywall and the Dallas-Fort Worth area's Architectural Opening Professionals.

US: Londonderry-based Wallboard Supply Co, part of US LBM, has acquired Vermont-based Poulin Lumber. Poulin, based in Derby, Vermont, has supplied building products and hardware to homeowners and contractors since 1936. It has four locations in northern and central Vermont and sells engineered wood and wall panels, gypsum wallboard, insulation, roofing, moulding, windows, doors, fasteners, tools, kitchen and bath cabinetry and fixtures, as well as numerous lines of hardwood and laminate floors.

US: The Port of Monroe and DTE Energy have officially announced a partnership for the port to manage synthetic gypsum, a by-product of the Monroe Power Plant in Michigan.

"This is more than an agreement, but a partnership for mutual prosperity," said Paul C LaMarre III, Port Director. The partnership will bring new jobs to the community and help grow the economy, officials said. About 30 full-time jobs will be created. The port will build a 24,000ft2 storage building on its property, allowing gypsum customers to have direct shipping access to the material year-round.

Brian Rice, Director of the Monroe Power Plant, said that the company has been seeking a partner for a while to manage gypsum. "We wanted to work with someone locally," said Rice.
The Monroe Power Plant is one of the five-largest coal plants in the country and is the only plant in Michigan operating the flue gas desulfurisation system. "The advantage to this agreement is that it allows us to recycle all of it," said Rice about the gypsum.

In 2014, DTE recycled more than 350,000t of gypsum. Monroe Mayor Robert E. Clark called the partnership 'a great opportunity' between partners who have already had a long established relationship. "Outbound cargo is being generated and our community is better for it," said LaMarre.