Gypsum industry news

Türkiye: Competition authorities have approved France-based Saint-Gobain's merger of its Türkiye-based subsidiary Saint-Gobain Rigips with Dalsan Alçi. Regulatory News has reported that the companies have a combined gypsum wallboard capacity of 100Mm²/yr and sales of Euro160m. Dalsan Alçi is currently in the process of acquiring fellow producer Manisa Turgutlu.

Philippines: Knauf Gypsum Philippines has signed an agreement with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to provide construction skills training in Calabarzon. The partnership links to the country’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), a poverty reduction scheme that started in 2019, according to the Manila Bulletin newspaper. Knauf Gypsum Philippines opened its first gypsum board training centre in the country in Quezon City in mid-2022. It has trained nearly 800 workers on gypsum board installation and jointing skills since the centre opened.

UK: Belgium-based Etex has announced a new UK trading agreement with Kier, a provider of construction and infrastructure services.The arrangement will see Etex and Kier collaborate on a variety of new projects using Etex’s products, including its Siniat brand wallboard.

Gerard Cox, Head of Procurement for Kier Construction, added “We are excited to include Etex Building Performance to our carefully selected list of preferred supply chain partners and look forward to engaging with them on our projects where we believe their range of products, warrantied systems and customer focussed approach, have the potential to add real value to our business.”

Etex previously said it plans to start operations at its new wallboard plant at the Port of Bristol in 2022. It has invested around Euro165m in the project that is set to double its production capacity in the UK.

Mexico: Saint-Gobain has agreed to acquire construction chemicals producer IMPAC. The company operates a construction chemicals plant in Monterrey, where it employs 630 people. The takeover aims to strengthen Saint-Gobain’s Latin American regional position and to accelerate its growth by growing its light and sustainable construction product range. The transaction is due to close in late 2021 or early 2022.

Australia: Boral has announced that it is ‘considering a range of potential options’ regarding its planned resumption of 100% ownership of USG Boral Plasterboard from Germany-based Knauf in light of the fact that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is ‘unlikely to approve the call option in relation to the Australia and New Zealand business.’ The call option would have given Knauf the right to return to 50% ownership of USG Boral Plasterboard within five years. The ACCC’s likely intervention in the transaction is believed to have to do with Boral’s financial situation.

Tanzania: Knauf Gypsum Tanzania has signed a five-year agreement with the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) to supply gas for a gypsum plant it is building at Kisemvule, Mkuranga District. The arrangement will started at the end of 2020, according to the Daily News newspaper. Commissioning at the plant is expected to start at the end of August 2019.

France/Switzerland: Saint-Gobain has extended its agreements with the Burkard family relating to the sale of the shares of Schenker-Winkler Holding (SWH), which holds the majority of Sika voting rights, to 31 December 2017. Saint-Gobain will then have the right to extend the agreement up until 31 December 2018. The building products manufacturer said that that the further extension reflected its determination to eventually buy Sika.

Saint-Gobain has attempted to buy Sika since at least 2014. An attempt to transfer shares of Sika from the Burkard family was blocked by a Swiss court in late 2016.