Gypsum industry news

Serbia: Elektroprivreda Srbije, a government-owned power company, has completed a Euro14m terminal on the River Danube for its Kostolac B coal-fired power plant. The unit will be use to transport 105,000t/yr of synthetic gypsum and 157,000/yr of fly ash. It will also process limestone. The terminal was built as part of the first phase of a credit arrangement between Serbia and China.

Belgium: Etex’s Building Performance division’s sales rose by 6.9% year-on-year to Euro1.65bn in 2018. It attributed this growth to the good performance of gypsum wallboard sales in most territories and especially in France, the UK and Central & Eastern Europe. However, challenging market conditions and competition were reported in Germany. Overall, the group’s revenue rose by 4.1% to Euro2.9bn from Euro2.78bn. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBTIDA) fell by 9.5% to Euro391m from Euro432m. Issues with negative exchange rate effects and hyperinflation in Argentina were reported.

Australia: The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has approved Knauf’s acquisition of USG subject to asset divestments. The ACCC’s review focused on competition for the supply of wallboard, joint plaster compounds and treatments, metal profiles, fixed and modular suspended ceilings and insulation.

USG has a presence in Australia through its USG-Boral joint venture, which the ACCC says competes with Knauf and with Armstrong World Industries. The commission requires Knauf to divest USG’s interest in the joint venture, either entirely or just in Australasia, to a buyer approved by the ACCC. If divestiture of the joint venture interest is not achieved within a certain period, Knauf has agreed to divest certain other assets.

“The transactions raised some significant concerns as it would lead to Knauf owning a 50% in the joint venture, which is a significant competitor in several markets, including markets with limited alternatives for customers,” said ACCC Commissioner Roger Featherston.

Each acquisition is subject to review by different international competition agencies given the global nature of the Knauf’s acquisition of USG.

Switzerland: Sika has appointed Philippe Jost as its new head of Construction and a member of group management with effect from 1 June 2019. He will succeeds Yumi Kan who will become the Regional Target Market Manager Concrete Asia/Pacific and Area Manager South Asia.

Jost, aged 47 years, began his career at Sika in 1997. He held various management positions at the Swiss and US national subsidiaries, before joining the corporate organisation in 2007, where he assumed the role of Corporate Target Market Manager Concrete, among others. In 2014 Jost was appointed Corporate Head Human Resources. He is a qualified civil engineer from ETH Zurich and holds an MBA from the London Business School. He is a Luxembourg national and is married with two children.

Egypt: Dahab Sinai for Manufacturing and Building Materials has ordered a gypsum plant from Germany’s Claudius Peters to be built in the Suez region. The new plant will be used for the production of basic plaster for wall and ceiling plaster products. Construction is scheduled to start in early 2020 with commissioning to follow in the the third quarter of the year. No value for the order has been disclosed.

Claudius Peters will supply a grinding and calcining plant with a EM47 type mill with a stucco throughput capacity of 25t/hr. A homogeniser for product optimisation is connected behind the calcining process. After the cooling process the produced basic gypsum can be adapted to the market requirements by adding setting regulators and hydrated limestone. This part of the plant is also included in the scope of supply. The finished product is bagged by means of a four spout packer RotoFill type R6/4L with a capacity of 1137bags/hr. Various silos, a truck loading and unloading plant, the complete electrical equipment and control systems as well as the raw material handling with corresponding conveying technology are also part of the delivery.

The new plant will be used to supply the local market but exports to Africa and Europe are also planned. The plant is designed in such a way that further plant equipment can be installed at a later stage. The mixing plant can be extended with the admixture of further additives. Furthermore, a reserve space for the later retrofitting of a bag applicator with loading equipment has been taken into consideration.