Gypsum industry news

Sweden: Gyproc Saint-Gobain has commissioned a new Claudius Peters type EM 65-592 grinding and drying mill, to be installed at its Gyproc Balsta plant.

The project, which includes dismantling of the existing mill and erection of the new one within a six-week time frame, uses Claudius Peters' newly developed hydraulic tensioning system for adjustment of grinding pressure. This system, installed here for the very first time, has been specially developed to optimize the efficiency of the grinding and drying processes and also to aid maintenance.

"This new EM drying and grinding mill, representing the very latest in technology from Claudius Peters, delivers unprecedented levels of efficiency and precision. We are delighted to be partnering with Gyproc Saint-Gobain in this project," said Stephan Oehme, sales director for Claudius Peters.

Commissioning of the new mill is planned for the middle of July 2016.

Belgium: Etex's cladding and building board sales revenue rose by 5% year-on-year to Euro1.44bn in 2015 from Euro1.38bn in 2014. It attributed the growth to a strong market in the UK, stabilised performance in construction markets in Germany and the Benelux region and recovery in most of South America.

Overall the company reported that its revenue rose by 2.3% to Euro3.05bn from Euro2.99bn. However, its profit fell by 60% to Euro37m from Euro95m. This was attributed to restructuring in Argentina, France and Germany and impairment charges. The cladding and building board business represents 47% of Etex's building products portfolio. It built three gypsum wallboard plants, in Peru, Brazil and Romania, in 2015.

Etex expects to achieve modest growth in revenue and profit in 2016.

UK: Etex Group has merged Siniat, Promat and EOS Facades to create Etex Building Performance UK. The new division will combine technical knowledge and research and development resources in the dry construction sector. Etex intends to create new products aimed at reduced installation times whilst catering to specifiers' requirements.

The division will employ over 500 people, with production sites in Bristol, Yorkshire and County Durham. It will be led by Neil Ash, the managing director of Siniat UK, who will become Head of Etex Building Performance UK. Each company will continue to trade separately in the UK as Siniat, Promat and EOS Facades.

"Our vision is singular - to be the leading expert in dry construction, concentrating our efforts on creating solutions for the buildings of tomorrow. The three brands within Etex Building Performance complement each other and are well known for their innovation, high-quality manufacturing and technical know-how," said Ash.

Siniat produces drywall products and Promat specialises in passive fire protection. Siniat acquired EOS Facades, a provider of Steel Frame Systems, on 8 April 2016,

Honduras: Knauf International has acquired Caspian International in Honduras. Caspian International operates a gypsum wallboard plant in Choloma. The transaction also includes Cateras de Sula, a gypsum quarry in Honduras, and Caspian Panama, a commercial office.

"After our two recent acquisitions in Colombia, we are extremely pleased to strengthen our geographical footprint in the central American market... We are convinced that this acquisition is the beginning of a strong evolution in Central America and in the Caribbean Islands. As we have done in other countries, we will bring our expertise in plasterboard manufacturing to Central America, but also in other construction fields such as Aquapanel cement board, ceilings, jointing and Cleneo, our decorative boards," said Serge Azaïs, member of the Knauf Management Committee and CEO for South America. "Knauf Honduras will benefit from the strong knowledge of our Argentinian team, leading the integration process of the former Gypcen brand."

Russia: The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) has approved an application by Knauf Gypsum Kuban to acquire a 100% stake in ZZSG. FAS ruled that the takeover would not have any effects for competition in the market sector.

ZZSG is a producer and seller of gypsum products in the Mari El federal region of Russia. Knauf Gypsum Kuban is a Russia subsidiary of Knauf.