Displaying items by tag: Germany

Germany: Knauf has announced that it is ‘future proofing’ its leadership structures for accelerated and sustainable growth worldwide,’ as part of a generational transition. Alexander Knauf will join the Partners’ Committee on 1 January 2026. At the same time, the group will reshape its top management to be broader and more diverse.

Kristin Neumann, most recently CFO at the DAX-listed company Brenntag, joined as a General Partner on 1 September 2025. Beginning in 2026, Neumann will oversee the CFO functions and the areas of Corporate Development, Human Resources, Legal & Compliance, Internal Audit, IT, and SAP Transformation, taking over from Alexander Knauf. The Gypsum Americas business, as well as Knauf’s global insulation activities, will be handed over from Alexander Knauf to Uwe Knotzer.

Murat Akyildiz, who has been responsible for the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia region at Knauf since 2021, will become General Partner on 1 January 2026. This role will see him assume operational responsibilities previously led by Uwe Knotzer. Jörg Kampmeyer will continue to oversee the gypsum business across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, among other activities.

Rupert Knauf, chair of the Partners’ Committee of the Knauf Group, said “I would like to thank Alexander for his many years of entrepreneurial dedication. He has driven our evolution into what is now a world-leading building materials company, providing key drivers for our dynamic business growth. With this personnel change, we are aligning continuity with renewal. Alexander’s long-standing leadership experience at Knauf will be a great asset to the Partners’ Committee and will ensure continuity in the company.”

Alexander Knauf said “I look back with gratitude on the past years in which I had the opportunity to contribute to the development of our company. I thank all our employees for their tireless dedication. Without them, the company’s success story would not have been possible. I am excited to start my new role, which I will approach with great passion. In this context, continuity in our values and strategy is particularly important to me. We can build on this strong foundation.”

Kristin Neumann said “Knauf has defined a very ambitious vision: To make tomorrow a home for all of us. I am very much looking forward to working with my colleagues to live up to this ambition, bringing a fresh outside perspective from my previous roles.”

Murat Akyildiz said “I am very pleased to take on even more responsibility for our company in the future. Particularly in Asia, the need for affordable housing and efficient infrastructure is significant. We can make important contributions there.”

Kyrgyzstan: Germany-based equipment supplier Grenzebach has concluded a preliminary agreement to build a gypsum wallboard and dry construction mixes plant in southern Kyrgyzstan. Trend News has reported that the announcement is the outcome of talks in Germany between Grenzebach and representatives of the Kyrgyz government and diplomatic service.

Ukraine: Knauf Ukraine says that equipment is already in place for its upcoming 30Mm²/yr Ternopil gypsum wallboard plant at Borschiv, construction of which began in December 2024. Business World Magazine News has reported that the company imported the equipment from the site of a dismantled plant in Southern Germany.

World: Germany-based Knauf and its insulation subsidiary Knauf Insulation have consolidated their online presence with a new website, knauf.com. The site offers access to the group’s entire product range. Knauf said that the shift is intended to help customers to increase their productivity.

Knauf Ibérica marketing and technical director Pablo Maroto said "This new platform reinforces our commitment to innovation and facilitates access to our solutions at a global level."

Germany: Chemicals company BASF's sales fell by 19% year-on-year to €37.3bn in the first half of the 2024 financial year (FY2024). Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) declined by 34% to €4.72bn. As a result, the company now anticipates full-year sales of €73 – 76bn in FY2024, down from the previously forecast €84 – 87bn. It revised its earnings forecast to €4 – 4.4bn, from €4.8 – €5.4bn previously. At the same time, it increased its anticipated reduction in CO₂ emissions for the year. It now expects to generate 17 – 17.6Mt of CO₂ from its operations, down from its previously forecast 18.1 – 19.1Mt.

Germany: A working group of gypsum producers in the Harz region has supported the Mission: Urban Forest Rescue 2024 reforestation initiative in Osterode, Lower Saxony. The group, including CASEA, Saint-Gobain, Rump & Salzmann and VG Orth, donated €12,500 to the initiative.

The Mayor of Osterode, Jens Augat, said "We are pleased about the companies' commitment to conservation, which goes far beyond the required level.”

Germany/Ukraine: The Würzburg Prosecutor's Office has opened a preliminary investigation into Knauf over its alleged involvement in the on-going reconstruction of Russian-occupied Mariupol. The investigation will seek to establish whether an ‘initial suspicion’ of criminal activity exists. Germany-based media outlet ARD published its allegation of Knauf’s involvement in the reconstruction via the use of its materials earlier in April 2024. The Würzburg Prosecutor's Office added that "There is currently no initial suspicion against Knauf employees."

The producer denied the allegations, adding that it complies with relevant laws and sanctions.

Germany: Grenzebach has expanded its portfolio by acquiring the technology to build its own special hammer mill, previously sourced from Beumer Group subsidiary FAM Minerals & Mining. The hammer mill processes particle sizes of 0 – 50mm, with a throughput of up to 50t/hr. The acquisition also covers technology for the dynamic classifier. Grenzebach says that it will continue to further develop its portfolio of calcination line components, focused on energy efficiency, carbon reduction and digitisation.

CEO Robert Brier said “We are constantly looking for ways to optimise our customer orientation. That is why we were very interested in expanding our portfolio and ultimately acquired the technology.”

Germany: Rigips held the first meeting for its specialist contractor advisory board on 13 – 14 September 2023 at the Brieselang gypsum wallboard plant in Brandenburg. The managing directors of 10 wallboard construction companies met to discuss the market and future challenges. The program for the two-day meeting included a tour of the plant and a workshop moderated by the Rigips product management and the research and development departments.

Danijel Lučić, the director of sales at Saint-Gobain Isover G+H and Saint-Gobain Rigips said “With the expertise of the 'Rigips Experts', we want to be even closer to the market, from product management through research and development to sales.” He added, “The members of the advisory board are all professionals in modern wallboard construction. We want to include these experts in our considerations when developing products and systems and also when developing messages for and in the market. Your feedback is enormously valuable for us in order to be able to prepare and make important decisions safely.”

Germany: Knauf Gips has started an upgrade at its Iphofen gypsum wallboard plant to switch its use of synthetic gypsum to natural gypsum. The project is taking place to prepare the unit for the local phase out of coal-fired power plants by 2038 at the latest. Early work at the site has involved using a 700t crane to lift material over the Würzburg-Nuremberg railway line, during planned renovation to the transport link in late July 2023. The company described the cost of the upgrade as a “mid-double-digit million sum.”