Gypsum industry news

US: GMS has completed its acquisition of interior building products distributor Westside Building Material. The group says that it funded the US$135m deal with cash-on-hand and available borrowings on its revolving credit facility.

President and chief executive officer John Turner said, “Building on the momentum of our very solid fourth quarter 2021 earnings report, we are pleased to announce the successful completion of this transaction and welcome the Westside team to GMS. Westside significantly increases our reach in several major California markets and represents our first foray into the Las Vegas market. Expanding our geographic platform through accretive acquisitions such as this one continues to be a vital component of our strategic growth priorities.”

Kazakhstan: France-based Saint-Gobain subsidiary Zhambylgips plans to resume the production of gypsum wallboard. Kapital News has reported that the move will create jobs and lead to the development of transport infrastructure in the area, according to the company.

Belgium: Etex has appointed Bernard Delvaux as its chief executive officer (CEO) with effect from 1 January 2022. He will succeed Paul Van Oyen when he retires at the end of 2021. Delvaux has held senior executive roles for over 30 years in large groups such as bpost, Proximus and Sonaca. Van Oyen joined Etex in 1990 as a laboratory and project manager active in the research and development department. He became the CEO of Etex on 2015.

Norway: France-based Saint-Gobain plans to upgrade its 13Mm²/yr Fredrikstad gypsum wallboard plant in partnership with state-owned sustainable energy agency Enova. The Euro25m upgrade will expand the plant’s production capacity by 40% and make it, what the producer says, is the world's first carbon-neutral plasterboard plant. One feature of the plan is electrification of the currently gas-powered production process. The upgrade will be completed in early 2021.

Saint-Gobain is considering implementing the net-zero CO₂ plant project across others of its gypsum wallboard plants.

Saudi Arabia: National Gypsum’s three-month profit in the first quarter of 2021 declined by 23% year-on-year to US$7.20m from US$9.33m in the first quarter of 2020. During the quarter it recorded a net profit of US$3.78m, down by 20% from US$4.72m.