Canada: Cabot Gypsum is investing just under US$5m on upgrade to its Port Tupper gypsum wallboard plant in Nova Scotia. Company president Marcel Girouard said demand for rented residential properties was driving the expansion, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The project is expected to create up to 40 new jobs.

The wallboard producer has benefited from the building materials distribution network operated by its parent company, Acadian Drywall. It acquired the Port Tupper plant in 2011 following its closure in 2008.

Australia: The board of directors of Boral has announced that Boral CEO and managing director Mike Kane will declare his retirement after delivering the company’s whole-year 2020 (1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020) results in mid-August 2020. Kane said, “I am proud of Boral’s people and I thank them for their continued support as well as the support of our customers. I remain committed to Boral and look forward to delivering Boral’s full-year 2020 results and facilitating a smooth leadership transition.”

The Sydney Herald newspaper reported that Boral revised its whole-year net profit forecast up from US$214m to US$228m, which would be down by 19% from US$281m in the Australian financial year 2019.

US: France-based Saint-Gobain has announced a 120MW wind power supply deal with Blooming Grove Wind Farm, the largest renewable energy contract in the gypsum wallboard producer’s history. The 12-year contract, which secures 120MW of the available 250MW of power for Saint-Gobain from the wind farm in Illinois, will reduce the company’s US carbon footprint by 21%, it says. “This makes North America a significant contributor in our global network towards helping meet Saint-Gobain’s sustainability goal of net-zero CO_² emissions by 2050,” said Saint-Gobain North America president and CEO Mark Rayfield.

Germany: Wacker has reported a fall of 16% year-on-year in its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) to Euro780m in 2019 from Euro 930m in 2018. Wacker Group CEO Rudolf Staudigl said, “Our earnings last year were strongly influenced by non-recurring effects from insurance compensation received and from the impairment charge on fixed assets. We are currently working on a comprehensive program to make Wacker more efficient and capable, and to achieve substantial cost savings.” He indicated that the group would set out specific targets in early-2020.