- Written by Dr Robert McCaffrey, Editor, Global Gypsum Magazine
Gypsemna has made a bold move by building a 110MM2/year-capacity gypsum wallboard plant in the UAE with facilities to supply the rest of the Middle East and further afield. Opening in the middle of an economic downturn was not part of the plan, but Gypsemna is biding its time and is waiting for the upturn to come again.
The Gypsemna factory in Abu Dhabi is so well-connected to the sea that you might be surprised to find an ocean-going ship progressing in stately fashion along a huge sea-connected canal right next to the factory (a factory which otherwise appears to be in the desert). But here, appearances can be deceptive: The Gypsemna factory was built on flat scrubland partially reclaimed from the sea and which is now part of a huge industrial estate on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, the richest of the seven Emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
- Written by Dr Robert McCaffrey, Editor, Global Gypsum Magazine
Pabco's Las Vegas plant enjoys a number of advantages due to its history and location - it might just be the luckiest place to be in Las Vegas.
Away from the glitziest part of the Las Vegas Strip, along the freeway, through the suburbs, over the low mountain pass, through the canyons and out into the low hills and the scrubland, twelve miles north east of the neon signs and spectacular show-girls, you will find a compact and fortunate wallboard factory: Pabco Gypsum Las Vegas.
- Written by Maurizio Bellotto, Giovanni Bozzetto S.p.A.
A decrease in overall demand for gypsum wallboard and strong competition among producers over raw materials is pushing the plasterboard industry towards rapid innovation. This innovation is focused in two directions: the first is product innovation, with the appearance of new products like the ultra-lightweight boards, the requirements posed on dimensional stability and creep resistance and the growing concerns about sustainability and environmental compatibility of the manufacturing process and the final product. The other direction is rigid optimisation of the manufacturing process, with a streamlining of operations, a reduction of energy consumption and a better use of raw materials.
Introduction
Both product and process innovation require a thorough reconsideration of the wallboard production equipment and the process. The gains that can be obtained by an equipment upgrade are immediately apparent when we consider that a rebuild and revamping of the dryer may end up with a 25% energy consumption decrease, an increased flexibility to adapt to different raw material sources and an increased quality (e.g. higher flexural strengths) in the finished product.
- Written by Dr Peter Edwards, Global Gypsum Magazine
The British Gypsum Robertsbridge wallboard plant, part of the French building materials giant Saint-Gobain since 2005, is located near the village of Robertsbridge in rural East Sussex. One of the largest employers in the local area, the site has been used for gypsum production for over 100 years, first as a plaster of Paris plant and then as a wallboard site since 1973. Today the site is one of the most flexible wallboard plants in the world, capable of producing 761 different types of board. It has recently undergone remarkable process improvements and is one of the safest in Saint-Gobain.
The Plant Manager of the Robertsbridge plant, Mike Emson, introduced Global Gypsum to the plant and provided an interesting history of the site's near 140-year gypsum production history.
- Written by Dr Peter Edwards, Global Gypsum Magazine
The British Gypsum Brightling mine, near the Robertsbridge wallboard plant in East Sussex, has been in operation since the early 1960s. In the 1970s and 1980s it supplied up to 0.8Mt/yr of gypsum to the Robertsbridge wallboard plant, first via an aerial ropeway system and then a 4.7km-long conveyor, which was installed in 1989.
In the early 1990s the arrival of flue gas desulphurisation gypsum (FGD or DSG), rendered much of the mine's gypsum less desirable for use in wallboard. The mine now predominantly produces 'cement rock', gypsum for the cement industry and operates at only around ~10% of its historical capacity.
The Mine Manager at British Gypsum's Brightling mine is David Partridge. Along with Production Manager David Dunk, he took Global Gypsum on a tour of the Brightling workings, which have been operational for nearly 50 years.
