Gypsum industry news

Canada: CertainTeed Gypsum is reportedly looking at opening a new gypsum mine near Canal Flats. The company currently mines at its Elkhorn Quarry West property near Windermere, which is projected to have between seven and 12 years of gypsum reserves left. The new mine, called the Kootenay West Mine, is projected to employ around 18 people, including drivers. The project start date for the new mine is 2017.

Canada: USG's Canadian subsidiary, CGC Inc, has introduced CGC Sheetrock® Brand UltraLight Mold Tough® Panel to the Canadian market. It is the lightest 1/2" mould-resistant gypsum panel available in the industry. This innovative gypsum panel is 20% lighter than traditional water and mould-resistant panels, making it easier to lift, carry and install.

CGC Sheetrock® Brand UltraLight Mold Tough Panels have a non-combustible, water and mould-resistant core encased in 100% recycled water and mould-resistant green face and brown back papers. The green face paper is folded around the long edges to reinforce and protect the core and the ends are cut square and even. The long edges of the panels are tapered, allowing joints to be reinforced and concealed.

Canada: Cory Schurman has accepted the role of national sales manager with Gypsoil, a division of Beneficial Reuse Management. He will oversee the Gypsoil sales team, coordinate marketing programs and work with customers, sales representatives and agricultural consultants.

"We are very excited to add Cory Schurman to the Gypsoil team," said Robert Spoerri, CEO of Beneficial Reuse Management. "He possesses a highly advanced understanding of soil improvement and agronomics and he is a leader in analysing agricultural business processes, identifying sales opportunities and executing integrated marketing programs. Schurman is a widely-recognised resource for helping crop growers incorporate efficient and effective agronomic solutions through careful management decision-making."

"I'm looking forward to building the Gypsoil sales team to help growers achieve maximum soil productivity and agronomic results through the use of Gypsoil brand gypsum," said Schurman.

Schurman replaces Steve Musser who was named director of new product development for Gypsoil. In his new role Musser will focus on advancing several initiatives to broaden the company's offerings and service to agricultural producers.

US/Canada: Georgia-Pacific plans to 'idle' one wallboard plant in Caledonia, Ontario and one wallboard plant in West Memphis, Tennessee in early 2014. Eric Abercrombie, a spokesperson for Georgia-Pacific, attributed the decision to production optimisation and a slow recovery in the building materials market.

"We are doing this because of market conditions and the fact we've just acquired new capacity through a merger," stated Abercrombie to local media. 60 employees will be affected at the Caledonia plant and 39 employees at the West Memphis plant.

In early 2013, Georgia-Pacific acquired four new gypsum wallboard plants when it took over Memphis-based Temple-Inland Building Products from International Paper. That deal, worth US$750m, added 1800 employees to Georgia-Pacific and 16 production facilities.

Canada: Gypsum Technologies Inc (Gyptech) will officially open its new corporate headquarters in Burlington, Ontario on 17 October 2013. The global supplier of wallboard process equipment and engineering services has built a new 2040m² headquarters to meet corporate growth objectives and long-term goals. The company's manufacturing facility will remain in Mississauga, Ontario.

"We look forward to getting into the new building where we have a modern facility and the improved quality of life that Burlington offers," said Gary Murray, President and CEO of Gyptech.

Canada: Bob Bruce of Innogyps has announced that Robert Morrow has joined Innogyps as a partner. Innogyps says that Rob brings with him North American, European and Australasian regional experience and gypsum and construction products business experience with CertainTeed (BPB), Genstar Corporation and Arthur Young (Ernst & Young).

In addition to his undergraduate degree in commerce, Rob is a chartered accountant and has operations experience in supply chain and mining, business strategy and leadership development. Inogyps says that his diverse set of skills will assist Mark Flumiani and the rest of the team in providing an organisation to meet customer needs.

US: The Gypsum Association, the gypsum industry association for North America, has announced that Stephen H Meima has assumed the position of Deputy Executive Director / Chief Operating Officer. The association said that, in this role, Maima would help strengthen the organisation as the gypsum wallboard industry's pre-eminent resource for leadership, education and objective expertise.

"I'm looking forward to working closely with Gypsum Association Executive Director Michael Gardner, the Board of Directors and committees and the staff to promote the value and sustainability of gypsum board and gypsum panel products," said Meima. "I am, indeed, eager to help advance the development, growth and general welfare of the gypsum industry in the US and Canada."

Michael Gardner praised Meima's extensive background in marketing and building materials management. "This position will contribute significantly to the Gypsum Association's ability to meet the challenges of representing a building materials industry as the economy continues to recover," said Gardner. "Steve's strong industry background and his experience in sustainability issues impart a substantial talent to our organisation."

Canada: The NuGyp Corporation is entering into discussions with major equipment suppliers, plasterboard manufacturers and other plaster product manufacturers in the gypsum industry in order to commercialise its patented technology for gypsum, 'The NuGyp Process,' which enables major savings in water consumption and operating costs in plaster production.

The technology, which was voted Best New Product at the Global Gypsum Conference & Exhibition in 2010, has now been proven at full commercial scale and the company's directors believe that it will best be exploited by and benefit a major organisation with established resources, expertise and international distribution networks.

The company has been approached during the development process by a number of interested parties and has now decided formally to offer the technology for sale or possible joint venture.

North America: CertainTeed Gypsum, a Saint-Gobain subsidiary, has announced that UL Environment Inc. has completed its independent Environmental Claims Verification (ECV) process for products manufactured at five of its sites in North America. The company says that the move demonstrates a strong commitment to environmental responsibility and transparency.

UL Environment's ECV process has been completed for products manufactured at CertainTeed's Cody (Wyoming, US), Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada), Toronto (Ontario, Canada), Seattle (Washington, US), and Moundsville (West Virginia, US) manufacturing facilities. Specifically, UL Environment confirmed the pre- and post-consumer recycled content, origination of source materials (and adherence to ASTM D 3273 mould-resistance standards, if applicable) for 19 CertainTeed products. The validation process is currently underway for products manufactured at the company's remaining North American plants.

"CertainTeed has taken a unique approach by seeking validation for environmental product claims based on the specific plant in which they are manufactured," said Steve Wenc, president of UL Environment. "This demonstrates CertainTeed's commitment to providing detailed product information and an unprecedented level of transparency."

"Third party verification of environmental claims is a critical component of today's green building culture, as it provides independent evaluation and enhanced transparency," said John Donaldson, president of CertainTeed Gypsum. "CertainTeed has made significant strides in ensuring that building and design professionals have access to sustainable, high-performance gypsum products that help them to achieve their goals in the responsible development of our built environment."

Canada: Georgia-Pacific has idled its Cape Breton gypsum mine in Nova Scotia due to the weak US dollar and low demand for wallboard in the US. The company is laying off 34 workers at the site whilst retaining eight others as a skeleton staff.

Georgia-Pacific told its workers on 2 December 2011 that it will indefinitely idle operations at its Sugar Camp quarry. "This is not a closure or a shutdown; it's an indefinite idle," said company spokesman Eric Abercrombie. "This is purely a business decision to idle the facility based on the North American market conditions and the weaker US dollar."

Georgia-Pacific had 73 employees in Cape Breton until the autumn of 2011. The Sugar Camp operation has been open since 1962. In December 2011 USG permanently closed the Fundy Gypsum mine in Hantsport, Nova Scotia.