Gypsum industry news

Belgium: Serge Azais has retired from Knauf Group. The 67-year old’s most recent posting was as the chief executive officer (CEO) for the Western Europe and Latin America Region. He has been succeeded by Dominique Bossan, a French national, who was previously responsible for the development of the Central Europe Region for Knauf Insulation.

Azais was successively the Managing Director of Isolava in Belgium, then Managing Director of Knauf Belgium before joining the Knauf Group Management Committee in 2010. Azaïs also took over responsibility for the European Gypsum Industry as president of Eurogypsum in 2006 and 2007. He retires after spending more than 40 years in the plaster industry, including 27 years with the Knauf Group.

US: Ultimate Software says that National Gypsum is using its UltiPro product to manage its human resources system. The gypsum wallboard producer is using the product to address challenges in manufacturing and cost control and manage its skilled workforce. National Gypsum started working with Ultimate Software in 2004 and it launched UltiPro's talent management solutions in 2015.

"I can say without exaggeration we are creating ad-hoc reports daily that look at data such as labour allocation, succession planning and global demographics," said Bruce Williams, director of human resources at National Gypsum. He added that the real-time reports aid the company to adapt to industry conditions, extend key resources and make cost savings. The software product has also enabled National Gypsum to reduce the size of its human resources team.

US: Ann Franzen, the plant manager of USG’s gypsum wallboard plant in Rainier, Oregon has been recognised by the Manufacturing Institute as part of its annual Science, Technology, Engineering and Production (STEP) Ahead Awards. This marks the fourth consecutive year a USG employee has received this honour for her contributions to the manufacturing industry. The STEP Ahead Awards honour women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of the manufacturing industry, from the factory-floor to the executive level.

Franzen, a STEP Ahead Honouree, joined USG more than 20 years ago. She became USG’s first female plant manager and has played a role in USG’s lean management initiative. Franzen is also a founding member of USG’s Women in Manufacturing group, which connects female plant employees across the USG network and promotes career advancement.

The STEP Ahead Awards are part of the larger STEP Ahead initiative, launched to examine and promote the role of women in the manufacturing industry through recognition, research, and leadership for attracting, advancing, and retaining strong female talent. In five years, STEP Ahead Award winners have impacted more than 300,000 individuals — from peers in the industry to school-aged children. The Manufacturing Institute will recognize all 130 recipients of the STEP Ahead Awards on 10 April 2018 at a reception in Washington, DC.

Spain: Isolana has gained an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for its Isoplac laminated gypsum wallboard product. The EPD was registered in late January 2018, it will last five years and it was verified by Tecnalia R&I Certifcación. Isoplac A13 and A15 are laminated gypsum boards with double-sided cardboard and gypsum core, manufactured by continuous rolling process. Isoplac gypsum boards are installed in partitions, backings and interior ceilings forming systems that provide the acoustic insulation, thermal resistance and fire resistance required in each case.

France: Saint-Gobain’s Interior Solutions division sales rose by 4.6% year-on-year to Euro6.88bn in 2017 from Euro6.58bn in 2016. However, its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 3% to Euro953m form Euro982m. The group said that its division sales grew faster in the second half of the year, driven by growth in Asia and emerging countries. Volumes continued to pick up in Western Europe, especially in France. Trading in North America improved in the second half. Prices rose ‘significantly’, with an acceleration over the course of the year, but remained behind the ‘sharp’ increase in raw material and energy costs.

“All Business Sectors and regions contributed to this good set of results, especially France, which confirmed its recovery. In line with our focus on pricing in an environment where inflation is increasing once again, sales prices rose significantly, particularly in the second half of the year,” said Pierre-André de Chalendar, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Saint-Gobain.