Gypsum industry news

South America: Belgium-based Etex has announced planned and on-going capital expenditure (CAPEX) investments of €65.7m in its gypsum wallboard plants in South America up to 2027. This consists of a €32.5m upgrade to its Huachipa plant in Lima, Peru, a €21.4m upgrade to its Santa Rosa plant in Santiago, Chile, and a €11.8m upgrade to its La Pampa plant in General Acha, Argentina. The Huachipa plant upgrade is scheduled for completion in late 2026, the Santa Rosa plant upgrade for August 2026 and the La Pampa plant upgrade for early 2027.

CEO Bernard Delvaux said "Latin America is a key region where we have been present for 90 years, with 23 sites and close to 2300 teammates today. We are not only scaling our operations but also raising the bar in efficiency, safety and environmental performance."

Saudi Arabia: United Mining Industries says that an upcoming new gypsum wallboard line in Saudi Arabia is ‘near to completion’ and will commence commercial production ‘soon.’ In a post to LinkedIn, CEO Hamad Alsourayia gave his best wishes to ‘new plant manager’ Kassim Fakir. No further details on any new plant are yet forthcoming.

United Mining Industries currently operates a 30Mm²/yr gypsum wallboard plant in Yanbu.

Kazakhstan: Germany-based Knauf will build a US$30.5m, 225,000t/yr dry plaster mix plant in Zhambyl, creating 100 new jobs in the region. When operational, 80% of the plant’s production will supply the domestic market and 20% will supply other Central Asian countries. Business World Magazine News has reported that Knauf has secured a licence for gypsum extraction at the Ulken-Burultau deposit in the Zhambyl region with verified reserves of 84Mt.

Knauf regional representative Alexander Blumhardt said "We consider Kazakhstan as a priority direction for the development of our business in the region. The country has a powerful raw material base, a growing market and high openness to investors."

US: USG plans to make a US$4.5m expansion to a mill building at its Jacksonville gypsum wallboard plant in Florida. The plant also produces ceiling tiles and panels and flooring and roofing materials. The Jacksonville Business Journal newspaper has reported that the company has applied to city authorities for a permit for the expansion.

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.

Senegal: UK-based modular construction firm Eco Buildings Group has formed a joint venture with facilities management and logistics company G2 Invest Group. G2 Invest Group has committed US$1.98m for a 35% stake in Eco Buildings Senegal, which will fund a new plant to produce Eco Buildings Group’s glass fibre-reinforced gypsum (GRFG) wallboards in Senegal. Eco Buildings Group says that it has appointed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor to implement the production facility.

Eco Buildings Group CEO Sanjay Bowry said "We are now entering the execution phase,” and noted the company’s “readiness to deliver modular housing at scale in West Africa."

A delegation from G2 Invest visited Eco Buildings' existing plant in Albania earlier in 2025. The companies will collaborate on plant setup, technology transfer and a workforce training programme.

Canada: USG subsidiary CGC has begun the process of hiring employees to fill 100 roles at its Wheatland gypsum wallboard plant, scheduled to commence operations in 2026. The plant will produce CGC’s Sheetrock wallboard panels for the Western Canada market.

Plant manager Duane VanDuuren said “What will ultimately drive our success here is our people. The people we hire today will play a key role in creating the homes, workplaces and infrastructure of tomorrow in this region.”

Albania: UK-based Eco Buildings Group says that it has produced 16,200m² of glass fibre-reinforced gypsum panels for delivery under a €4m deal with a modular construction company. Alliance News has reported that the customer is still completing foundation work for the relevant project.

CEO Sanjay Bowry said "Our ability to produce 16,200m² of modular walls under single-shift operations not only demonstrates our excellent operational effectiveness but also sets the stage for even greater production capacity."

Eco Buildings Group has secured sales contracts in Albania and Kosovo worth up to €114m. It is reportedly seeking to diversifying its customer base to include construction firms working on larger, non-modular projects.

UK: Etex subsidiary Siniat has inaugurated a new line at its Bristol gypsum wallboard plant in the West of England. The plant will produce 98% of Siniat’s portfolio of wallboard products for the UK and Ireland markets. It will incorporate 45% recycled content in its products, with zero waste to landfill. The company said the upgrade to the plant cost €200m.

Belgium-based Etex says that the inauguration marks its single largest production investment in its history.

Russia: Türkiye-based Parget Makina has begun construction of a plaster plant for Litox under an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract.

In a post to LinkedIn, Parget Makina General Director Cevdet Karaibrahimoğlu said that the site of the project is in Southern Russia, where Litox is a leading producer of plaster and dry mixes.