Gypsum industry news

US: Cold-formed steel framing products company ClarkDietrich has acquired fellow framing producer Studs Unlimited from building materials distributor Foundation Building Materials. ClarkDietrich says that the Oklahoma City-based business will help to accelerate its growth.

ClarkDietrich president Brian Panuccio said "We are excited to welcome the Studs Unlimited employees to the ClarkDietrich family. This geographic expansion will help us amplify our service levels to our customers located in the Midwestern US. We will be significantly expanding the existing footprint of Studs Unlimited by adding square footage and machinery to the operation."

India: Knauf India says that all of its products are compliant with Indian Standards Institution (ISI) norms, as dictated by the Bureau of Indian Standards.

The Hindustan Times newspaper has reported that Knauf India CEO Sumit Bidani said "Knauf India is proud to be the first company in the market to achieve full compliance with the new ISI standards for plasterboards. This milestone is a reflection of our ongoing commitment to quality, safety and sustainability. We believe these standards will further enhance the trust our customers and partners place in us."

Romania: Saint-Gobain Romania has completed construction of a new 1730-panel solar power plant at its Turda gypsum wallboard plant in Cluj County. Electronics retailer Visual Fan supported the project, which will contribute ‘significantly’ to meeting the plant’s energy consumption. When commissioned, it will reduce the Turda plant’s CO₂ emissions by 238t/yr. Romania’s government partly funded the installation under its National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

Saint-Gobain Romania CEO Ovidiu Păscuțiu said “This project represents an important step for Saint-Gobain in the direction of adopting renewable energy and reinforcing our commitment to the environment. It is a concrete example of investments made to optimise our production processes by reducing internal energy consumption. We have an ambitious sustainability goal – net zero carbon emissions by 2050. We will achieve this by investing in innovation, new technologies and a portfolio of solutions that pave the way for lightweight and sustainable construction.”

Belarus: The Council of Ministers has issued Resolution 688, effecting a temporary ban on exports of most foreign gypsum from the country. Business World Magazine News has reported that the ban only affects gypsum that originates outside of Belarus and Russia.

US: Xeriant will begin to produce its Nexboard alternative wallboard for sale at some time in the near-term future after making further recipe adjustments focused on ensuring fire safety. The company has contracted large-scale production to a ‘well-established’ producer, with which it is currently in the setup stage. It is also in talks with a bank about finance.

CEO Keith Duffy said "After initial fire testing at a national certification laboratory in June 2024, we engaged a polymer chemist to refine Nexboard's composition with a focus on passing the rigorous NFPA 286 fire safety test. This step followed several modifications in the base material and fire-retardant compositions and the finalisation of a production method that ensures the highest-volume, best quality and lowest-cost output. This extensive research and testing over many months has led us to believe that the additional changes will enable Nexboard to meet or even surpass the existing code requirements for building materials used in our targeted applications."