Gypsum industry news

Russia: Mordovcement has announced that its Euro87m gypsum plant, in the federal region of Mordovia, will be operational by the end of 2012. Doing business as LLC Magma, the Russian cement producer's new plant has four production lines. Its gypsum wallboard line has a capacity of 30Mm2/yr. Its gypsum partition block line has a capacity of 560,000m2/yr. Its gypsum construction block line has a capacity of 100,000t/yr. Its fourth line produces gypsum binder for dry construction mixes at a capacity of 90,000t/yr.

Germany/Brazil/Mexico: Wacker Chemie AG, the Munich-based gypsum additive producer, is extending its existing technical centre in São Paulo, Brazil, and creating a new technical centre in Mexico City, Mexico. The company will also expand its training centre in São Paulo and open a new one in Mexico City. Both projects have a combined investment of Euro1.2m and are scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2013.

"Central and South America are key future markets for Wacker. Our sales in these regions have grown by an annual average of 15% over the past five years," said president and CEO Dr Rudolf Staudigl.

US: Eagle Materials has reported a rise in revenue of 22% to US$165m for the quarter that ended on 30 September 2012. Previously the company reported $135m for the same period in 2011. Eagle also reported a rise in net earnings of 66% to US$18m in the second quarter of 2012 from US$6.03m in 2011.

The North American building materials producer's Gypsum Wallboard business benefited in the quarter from higher wallboard average net sales prices and higher gypsum wallboard sales volumes. Revenue for the Gypsum Wallboard business increased by 34% to US$77.3m from US$51m. Operating earnings increased to US$16.5m from a loss of US$2.54m in the same quarter in 2011. Wallboard sales volumes increased by 24% to 500MMSF from 403MMSF.

In September 2012 Eagle entered into a definitive agreement with Lafarge North America to purchase Lafarge's Sugar Creek, Missouri and Tulsa, Oklahoma cement plants, as well as related assets, for its cement business. The purchase price was US$446m. The acquisition is expected to close by December 2012.

Romania: Siniat Romania plans to start building a gypsum board factory in the southwestern town of Turceni in March 2013.

"We reached an agreement with the Turceni energy complex, which will provide the raw materials for the plant, and this is the reason we considered this investment," said Siniat Romania director general Marc-Andre Fritsche.

Belgium's Etex group, which controls Siniat Romania, will finance the plant's construction. The investment is estimated at tens of millions of Euros. The plant is scheduled to start operations from the beginning of 2015.

Siniat Romania, formerly Lafarge Arcom Gips, reported a turnover of Euro22.6m in 2011 and projects a slight increase for 2012. Siniat runs a gypsum board plant in Bucharest and a plant for plasters and coatings in the northwestern county of Cluj. Currently 35% of its total output is exported.

UK: British Gypsum, part of the Saint-Gobain group, has been shortlisted for a Best Practice award in the Eco Innovation category from the Association of Interior Specialists (AIS). Judges recognised the lengths to which the company went to help customers prove traceability of products and, in turn, meet and exceed environmental targets. British Gypsum was the first UK gypsum-based wallboard and drylining manufacturer to achieve a BES 6001 'very good' rating for its core range of products.

Four other companies have been shortlisted in the category and the winner will be announced at a ceremony during the AIS conference at the Forest of Arden Hotel, Birmingham, on 13 November 2012.