Gypsum industry news

China: Beijing New Building Materials (BNBM) raised its revenues from its gypsum wallboard business in 2024, with a 56% rise in gross profit. The group says that it continues to strengthen its gypsum wallboard market presence. Home renovations have now risen to 35% of business sales. Taishan Gypsum increased its share of BNBM’s high-end product sales to over 2%.

Gypsum wallboard projects in Thailand and Bosnia & Herzegovina are under implementation ‘in an orderly manner’ in line with BNBM’s focus on increasing operational strength in South-East Asia, Central Asia, Periphery Middle East and Mediterranean-Europe.

China: BNBM says that despite issues with the domestic real estate sector demand for wallboard had ‘remained relatively stable’ in the first half of 2024. It attributed this to retrofit activity, government changes to the housing market and infrastructure projects. Its operating income grew by 19% year-on-year from US$1.60bn in the first half of 2023 to US$1.91bn in the first half of 2024. Sales volumes of gypsum wallboard rose by 7% from 1092Mm² to 1168Mm². The company added that overseas sales had grown in the reporting period and its Thailand Gypsum Board project had started construction.

CNBM’s New Materials business division, comprising BNBM and other subsidiaries, saw its sales grow slightly but profit fell. However, CNBM’s group revenue and gross profit fell significantly due to the poor performance of its heavy building materials division.

Iran: A gypsum exporter has despatched a trial shipment of 50 containers of ground gypsum by rail from Qom to Yiwu, China. Trend News Agency has reported that the trial is the outcome of successful negotiations between China, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in April 2024. The 15-day train journey passes through all four countries. The containers will transfer trains at the Etrek rail terminal in Turkmenistan, in order to circumvent issues of rail gauge differences between countries.

Switzerland: Chemicals producer Sika reported sales of €6.08bn in the first half of 2024, up by 9% year-on-year. The company’s earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 24% to €920m. During the reporting period, the company successfully integrated Germany-based MBCC. It also acquired US-based Kwik Bond and opened new production facilities in Peru and China. The company confirmed its Strategy 2028 targets for sustainable, profitable growth.

Sika CEO Thomas Hasler said "With our good operating result in the first half of 2024, we have shown that we are in an excellent position to gain market share even in challenging markets. Furthermore, our emissions reduction targets, aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050, have been validated by the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). This important achievement underscores Sika's commitment to sustainability and its proactive role in decarbonising the construction and automotive industries."

For the full year 2024, Sika forecast 6 – 9% sales growth in local currencies and an over-proportional increase in EBITDA.

Kazakhstan: Switzerland-based EuroChem has signed an agreement with China National Chemical Engineering for the design, construction and commissioning of a chemical complex in Janatas, Jambyl Region. The third phase of the ongoing project will see the building of a site that will produce synthetic gypsum and calcium chloride as byproducts of the main processes. These byproducts will then be used used in construction materials and as reagents for the road construction, coal and hydrocarbon industries.

During Phase I, a phosphate mining complex was built and commissioned. As part of Phase II, a contract has been signed and the company has started construction of a sulphuric acid facility to be commissioned in 2026. Following the realization of Phase III, in 2027, the group will launch a chemical complex. The combined total investment to date and planned capital expenditure will exceed US$1bn and the project is included in the Integrated Kazakhstan Industrialization Roadmap.

Oleg Shiryaev, the Group President of EuroChem, said “The total annual output will exceed 1Mt/yr of mineral fertilisers and associated industrial products. The products from the new complex will be in high demand in Kazakhstan, other Central Asian countries, as well as in China, Russia and European countries.”

EuroChem is a global fertiliser company that manufactures and supplies nitrogen, phosphate and potash products. It employs 32,000 people worldwide.

China: Beijing New Building Materials’ (BNBM) operating revenue increased by 11% year-on-year to US$3.10bn in 2023 from US$2.79bn in 2022. Its net profit rose by 32% to US$483m from US$367m. Its sales volumes of gypsum wallboard rose by 4% to 2.17Bnm² from 2.09Bnm². This compares to total national sales of 3.21Bnm2. The company is the largest seller of wallboard in China.

The subsidiary of CNBM reported that the country has a wallboard production capacity of 4.95Bnm²/yr, using data from Gypsum Building Materials Branch of the China Building Materials Federation, although 280Mm²/yr of this is classified as ‘backward and uncompetitive.’ It also added that the National Development and Reform Commission proposed in February 2024 that China phase out wallboard production lines with a capacity below 10Mm²/yr as part of the country’s plans to become net zero by 2060.

Asia: India’s new anti-dumping duty on imports of gypsum wallboard from China and Oman will remain in force for the five-year period up to the end of 2028. The Hitavada newspaper has reported that the duty also applies to gypsum tiles.

India: The government has implemented new duties on imports of gypsum wallboard from China and Oman. Importers will pay US$23.46 – 47.62/t on Chinese gypsum wallboard and US$71.80 – 91.42/t on Omani gypsum wallboard. The Hindu newspaper has reported that precise rates will depend upon the producer of the wallboard.

China: Switzerland-based Sika has opened its new Suzhou Technology Centre in Jiangsu Province. The centre will help Sika to develop its sustainable and high-performance technologies in order to grow it market potential throughout the Asia/Pacific region. By strategically expanding its research and development activities across all core technologies, Sika aims to further strengthen its global innovation leadership.

Chief innovation and sustainability officer Patricia Heidtman said "With our new technology centre, we are strengthening our innovation capabilities in the Asia/Pacific region and are fostering synergies in sustainable construction and environmentally friendly mobility. We have created the ideal framework for close collaboration between our research teams. It will thus enable us to develop forward-looking technologies for our customers that combine sustainability with performance."

India: The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has recommended a five-year anti-dumping duty on gypsum tiles imported from China and Oman. Saint-Gobain India initiated the investigation that started in late 2022. It considered gypsum tiles laminated on one side with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or wax paper that are typically used in ceilings. The study concluded that the product had been “exported to India at a price below the normal value, resulting in dumping.”