Gypsum industry news

Colombia: Gypsum wallboard producer Gyplac and cement producer Skinco Colombit will rebrand as Grupo Etex. The group also has investments worth US$77m planned over the next five years, according to Dinero magazine. The company holds a 12% share of the building materials market locally.

Argentina: Centurion Minerals is in the process of buying the remaining 50% share in the Ana Sofia Agri-Gypsum Project from its joint-venture partner Demetra Minerals. The final transaction will be subject to shareholder and regulatory approval.

"Owning 100% of the Ana Sofia Agri-Gypsum Project has been our goal since we were first introduced to the project. Despite unprecedented weather-related disruptions for the agricultural industry in South America in 2017, we see these short-term challenges as long-term benefits that will drive increased agri-gypsum demand," said Centurion's president and chief executive officer, David Tafel.

UK: Mid UK Recycling plans to increase the amount of plasterboard it processes by 50% to 75,000t in 2018. The waste management company recycles gypsum wallboard at its Ancaster plant in Lincolnshire. It processes plasterboard from waste transfer stations and local governments across the UK. Subsequently, it produces several grades of gypsum products for different industries, including gypsum wallboard, cement production, cat litter and industrial absorbents.

US: Continental Building Products' Palatka wallboard plant in Florida has endured Hurricane Irma without any serious damage to the facility. The site is about 30 miles inland of St Augustine and it employs over 125 workers. It closed for the storm to allow employees to prepare themselves and their families. However, it didn't lose power and 'sustained essentially no known damage'. Continental Building Products has announced it will donate US$25,000 to the American Red Cross to support the relief effort.

Turkey: Hamburger Turkey, part of Austria's Prinzhorn Group, has signed a land purchasing agreement to set up a third paper mill at Kütahya.

The new paper machine will have state-of-the-art technology, a width of 7.80m and an annual production capacity of 480,000t containerboard, mainly light-weight Testliner and Fluting. The Euro300m investment will create 500 new jobs and is planned to be finalised in 2020.

"Turkey is an important market for us and this investment shows our strong commitment to this fast growing region. If all relevant factors, such as governmental permissions and political stability, show a green light we are happy to proceed with the next project steps." said Cord Prinzhorn, chief executive officer (CEO) of Prinzhorn Group.

Hamburger Turkey is part of the Hamburger Containerboard Division of Prinzhorn Group with a total of seven paper mills in four countries and 2Mt/yr of produced containerboard. The two existing paper mills in Turkey are based in Corlu and Denizli.