Gypsum industry news

Brazil: Trevo Drywall has named Wilson Soares as its new CEO. In the role, Soares will be responsible for leading the US$25m expansion of the group’s 16Mm²/yr Juazeiro do Norte gypsum wallboard plant. The unit’s capacity will increase to 30Mm²/yr by 2026. The company subsequently plans to build a second plant.

Prior to joining Trevo Drywall, Soares served as general director of packaging producer Smurfit Westrock and industrial director of its Brazil-based subsidiary WestRock Brazil. His 29-year career also includes positions at food producer Danone and beverages producer Ambev. Soares holds a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) from Fundação Dom Cabral and a degree in mechanical engineering from Rio de Janeiro State University.

India: Coromandel International has approved an equity infusion of up to US$7.68m in its wholly owned subsidiary Coromandel Chemicals to explore joint venture opportunities for the production of gypsum-based building materials. Capital Market News has reported that the move forms part of the company's long-term diversification strategy.

Albania: UK-based Eco Buildings Group says that it has produced 16,200m² of glass fibre-reinforced gypsum panels for delivery under a €4m deal with a modular construction company. Alliance News has reported that the customer is still completing foundation work for the relevant project.

CEO Sanjay Bowry said "Our ability to produce 16,200m² of modular walls under single-shift operations not only demonstrates our excellent operational effectiveness but also sets the stage for even greater production capacity."

Eco Buildings Group has secured sales contracts in Albania and Kosovo worth up to €114m. It is reportedly seeking to diversifying its customer base to include construction firms working on larger, non-modular projects.

Pakistan: The government will launch its first ever National Minerals Harmonisation Framework for 2025 on 8 April 2025. The aim of the framework is to streamline and standardise mining regulations across provinces and territories, with a view to attracting investments. It will include tax incentives, fast-tracked licensing and a dispute resolution mechanism. The News International has reported that provincial governments collaborated in drawing up the framework.

US: Eagle Materials raised its sales in the first nine months of 2024 to US$1.79bn – up by under 1% year-on-year. Its profit also grew by under 1%, to US$569m. In the group’s Light Building Materials business, gypsum wallboard sales were US$271m, up by 8% year-on-year.

President and CEO Michael Haack praised the growth in the face of ‘ongoing adverse weather’ conditions in the Midwest and Great Plains markets. He said “While the path to lower interest rates and improved home-buying affordability is less certain today, we remain optimistic about our businesses and our ability to execute on the opportunities in front of us. Steady employment, housing supply that remains chronically short and our cost-structure advantages continue to provide favourable conditions for our gypsum wallboard business.” He added “Our consistent, disciplined operational and strategic approach should position us to continue to perform well through economic cycles and deliver value over the long term.”

US: GMS raised its sales by 3.5% year-on-year to US$1.5bn in the second quarter of the 2025 financial year. The producer noted volumes growth and ‘resilient or improved’ pricing across its product categories, with gypsum wallboard accounting for 39% of total sales. It recorded an impact of US$20m in reduced sales due to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, primarily impacting the single-family residential market. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 11% to US$152m.

GMS said that an ‘attractive capital structure’ helped it to achieve its strategic priorities in the quarter, including expanding its market share for its core products.

US: GMS recorded first-quarter sales of US$1.4bn in the 2025 financial year, which began on 1 April 2024. This corresponds to a 3% year-on-year rise from first-quarter 2024 financial year levels. Group adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) dropped by 16% to US$146m. During the reporting period, GMS increased its gypsum wallboard sales by 3%, to US$588m. It reported an overall rise in sales volumes, buoyed by 4% growth in single-family residential construction, offsetting declines in multi-family residential and commercial construction. President and CEO John Turner nonetheless announced a new US$25m/yr costs reduction programme, due to on-going ‘market pressures.’

Turner said "We continued to focus on the execution of our strategic pillars and adapting to shifting end-market demand, and are managing costs more firmly across the business. We believe the market pressures we faced this quarter will likely persist over the next several quarters, at least until the expected reduction in interest rates can positively impact demand for our products.”

Azerbaijan: A delegation from Knauf met Azerbaijan’s Prime Minister Ali Asadov on 6 June 2024. Trend news has reported that the meeting covered the expansion of the parties’ collaboration, among other issues.

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.”

France: Saint-Gobain recorded sales of Euro51.2bn during 2022, up by 16% year-on-year from Euro44.2bn in 2021. The group reported that its sales volumes fell by 1.3% year-on-year. It nonetheless recorded growth in revenues of 9.2% in Northern Europe, 8.2% in Southern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, 33% in the Americas and 19% in Asia-Pacific.

During the year, Saint-Gobain made Euro3.8bn-worth of divestments, including of its Polish and UK distribution businesses, and Euro1.9bn-worth of new acquisitions.

CEO Benoit Bazin said “In an unsettled geopolitical, energy and macroeconomic environment in 2022, the group once again delivered record results. The group’s profile has been profoundly optimised: one-third of the group’s scope has changed in the past four years and over 60% of our earnings now come from North America and emerging countries." Bazin continued "I am confident that 2023 will be a good year for Saint-Gobain. Our roadmap is clear: disciplined execution of the Grow & Impact strategic priorities, leveraging the strength of our operating model against the backdrop of a slowdown in new construction but good resilience in renovation."