Gypsum industry news

Colombia: Knauf Colombia has acquired Paneltec, a local gypsum wallboard producer. The acquisition enlarges the wallboard manufactures footprint to a second plant in the country.

"We at Knauf are happy to welcome into our family Paneltec, a company that has earned recognition in our country and the region," said Miguel Rangel Galvis, Knauf Colombia General Manager. "With two industrial plants, the education and service that this operation will bring about in the next months and years, many more customers will be able to enjoy all the benefits of technology that Knauf develops for drywall construction in Colombia."

Knauf Colombia has a wallbaord plant in Cartagena. Paneltec began to produce plasterboard in its Barranquilla plant in 2008. Wallboard sales grew by 10% in 2015 in Colombia.

US: Gypsum Management and Supply (GMS) has acquired Robert N Karpp Company, a drywall supplier based in Boston, Massachusetts. The purchase gives GMS, a North American distributor of gypsum wallboard and suspending ceiling systems, entry into the New England market.

"This addition to our business is a natural fit for GMS as we continue to expand our geographic footprint, while providing our resources as a national brand to help support new and existing local yards," said Mike Anderson, the GMS VP of Operations for the Northeast region.

US: Gypsum Management & Supply (GMS), a Georgia-based distributor of specialty interior building products, has bought Gypsum Supply Co. Inc. for an undisclosed sum. Gypsum Supply has one location in Toledo and seven sites across Michigan.

"We are thrilled to welcome Gypsum Supply Co. to the GMS family," said the President and CEO of GMS, Mike Callahan. "The acquisition positions us to capitalise on markets throughout Michigan and Northwest Ohio. We plan to leverage the long-term relationships and reputation that Gypsum Supply Co. has built to enhance our presence in this strategic market. We believe that the company and its employees are a natural partner for our growing company as their culture and dedication to excellence mirrors our own mission."

US: Gypsum Management and Supply, Inc. (GMS), a leading North American distributor of wallboard, suspended ceiling systems and other specialty building products, has acquired Badgerland Supply and its six locations in Wisconsin and Illinois.

Badgerland has served the Wisconsin and Northern Illinois markets for over 25 years through its diverse offering of high-quality wallboard and construction products. Badgerland has an established market presence with a strong customer base primarily in the remodeling, residential, commercial and institutional sectors.

"We are pleased to have Badgerland Supply join our growing network of GMS companies," said Jerry Speights, Vice President of the Central Division of GMS. "Its longstanding presence in these dynamic Midwest regions, paired with its employees' in-depth knowledge of the local markets, makes Badgerland Supply an invaluable addition to the GMS family."

US: Londonderry-based Wallboard Supply Co, part of US LBM, has acquired Vermont-based Poulin Lumber. Poulin, based in Derby, Vermont, has supplied building products and hardware to homeowners and contractors since 1936. It has four locations in northern and central Vermont and sells engineered wood and wall panels, gypsum wallboard, insulation, roofing, moulding, windows, doors, fasteners, tools, kitchen and bath cabinetry and fixtures, as well as numerous lines of hardwood and laminate floors.

China: China National Building Materials' (CNBM) 45.2%-owned subsidiary Beijing New Building Material Public Limited Company (BNBM) has agreed to acquire a 35% equity interest in Taishan Gypsum Company through a private issuance of 369 million BNBM shares to Taishan Gypsum minority shareholders at US$1.79/share for a total of US$661m.

Upon completion, BNBM will directly and indirectly hold the entire equity interest in Taishan Gypsum. Taishan Gypsum minority shareholders will hold 20.7% of the enlarged issued share capital of BNBM after the private issuance. The equity interest held by CNBM in BNBM will reduce from about 45.2% to 35.84%.

Upon completion of the transaction, Taishan Gypsum will be wholly-owned by BNBM, enabling CNBM to further integrate its internal resources, allowing BNBM to improve its operating results and further consolidate the group's market position.

Europe: USG has entered into a definitive agreement for the sale of its interest in Knauf-USG Verwaltungs GmbH and Knauf/USG Systems GmbH and Co KG to Knauf Aquapanel GmbH for approximately Euro48m in cash.

The Knauf-USG joint venture manufactures and distributes Aquapanel brand cement panels throughout Europe (excluding Turkey) and all countries that were part of the former Soviet Union.

USG's equity method income in the Knauf-USG joint venture amounted to Euro1.79m for the year that ended on 31 December 2014. Upon the close of the transaction, USG anticipates recording a Euro2.68 – 6.26m gain. The closing of the sale is subject to the receipt of necessary governmental approvals and other customary closing conditions and is expected to take place by the end of 2015.

Colombia/Germany: Knauf International GmbH has announced that a definitive agreement has been signed with Gyptec, a Colombian wallboard producer, to acquire the assets of the company. As well as in Colombia, Gyptec has interests in Venezuela, Ecuador and Central America. The transaction also includes Hanetec, a supplier of building products associated with wallboards.

Serge Azaïs, member of the Knauf Management Committee in charge of South America, said, "It is a very significant move for our group to be part of the development of the northern part of South America, after our industrial presence for 15 years in Brazil and Argentina. We are extremely confident of the potential of this zone. We will very shortly increase capacity in order to deliver to Central America and the Caribbean countries from the facility in Cartagena. We look forward to welcoming the Colombian team into the Knauf family."

Qatar: SIG plc, a distributor of specialist building products in Europe, has acquired a majority shareholding in Drywall Qatar, an independent distributor and specialist installer of interior finishing materials in Qatar.

"We are excited to partner with SIG, a leading European player in the construction material procurement sector. SIG's financial strength and wide product portfolio of 30,000 products coupled to the key relationships with over 6000 suppliers will allow Drywall Qatar to provide an even deeper product supply chain and enhanced product offering to both new and existing clients," said Drywall Qatar's director, George Xydas.

US: H.I.G. Capital, a global private equity investment firm, has announced that its portfolio company ACG Materials, a vertically integrated producer and processor of high-quality minerals and aggregates including gypsum, limestone, sand, gravel and downstream food, pharmaceutical and plaster products, has acquired Art Wilson Company (AWC). AWC mines, processes and markets anhydrite, gypsum and limestone products used in agricultural, industrial, and commercial applications across Nevada, California, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. It owns and operates a quarry and downstream production facility in Carson City, Nevada with additional owned reserves under development nearby.

"We are excited about the continued expansion of our operations into the Western US," said Paul Harrington, CEO of ACG Materials. "Art Wilson Company not only allows us to acquire the market leading supplier of agricultural gypsum serving California's Central Valley and surrounding areas, but also broadens our customer footprint, product portfolio and end market diversification. AWC has had a long and successful history since its founding by Art Wilson in the 1950s and we look forward to serving as great stewards of the business going forward."

AWC is the fifth add-on acquisition that ACG has completed since H.I.G. acquired ACG at the end of 2012 and marks the second acquisition in 2015. In February 2015, ACG acquired JA Jack & Sons, a Seattle, Washington-based miner and processor of limestone products.