Gypsum industry news
Knauf reports cyber attack
08 July 2022Germany: A cyber attack compromised Knauf's computer systems on 29 June 2022, leading the producer to opt for a complete services shutdown. The group said that its information technology (IT) unit successfully isolated the breach and has launched an investigation.
Knauf thanked customers for their understanding and trust. It said "We are currently working heavily to mitigate the impact to our customers and partners – as well as to plan a safe recovery. However, we apologise for any inconvenience or delays in our delivery processes that may occur."
Japan: Data from the Gypsum Board Industry Association shows that domestic shipments of gypsum wallboard fell by 0.9% year-on-year to 455Mm2 in 2021. This is the second consecutive annual decline, according to Nikkei. Local wallboard production is reportedly linked to new housing starts in the country. Recovery in non-residential markets, such as office interiors, has been slow.
US: The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports that total gypsum board product sales grew by 4% year-on-year to 2.54Bnm2 in 2021 from 2.43Bnm2 in 2020. 22.4Mt of gypsum was mined in 2021, a 1% rise from 21. Synthetic gypsum supply decreased by 10% to 13Mt from 14.4Mt. Imports declined by 11% to 25,700t from 29,000t but exports grew by 11% to 98,800t from 89,300t.
US gypsum supply rises in first nine months of 2021
25 January 2022US: The US Geological Survey (USGS) reports that 17Mt of gypsum was mined in the first three quarters of 2021, a rise of 9% year-on-year from 15.6Mt in the same period in 2020. Imports grew by 14% to 5Mt but synthetic gypsum supply declined by 10% to 9.75Mt. Total gypsum board product sales grew by 8% to 1.94Bnm2 from 1.80Bnm2.
US: The United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) Gypsum in the First Quarter 2021 report has shown a 2% year-on-year increase in sales of gypsum-based board products to 624Mm2 in the first quarter of 2021 from 609Mm2 in the same period in 2020. Calcined gypsum used by board producers rose by 3% to 5.6Mt from 5.5Mt. Natural gypsum production fell by 4% year-on-year to 5.0Mt from 5.2Mt, synthetic gypsum production remained level at 3.6Mt and gypsum imports rose by 14% to 1.6Mt from 1.4Mt.
US: Data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) shows that national natural gypsum production was 20.5Mt in the US in 2020, down by 5% year-on-year from 21.5Mt in 2019. Synthetic gypsum production remained constant at 14.4Mt and calcined gypsum production fell by 2% to 17.2Mt from 17.5Mt. Crude gypsum exports fell by 13% to 32,200t from 37,000t and calcined gypsum exports fell by 21% to 89,400t from 113,000t.
Domestic calcined gypsum consumption totalled 17.2Mt, down by 1% from 17.4Mt. Calcined gypsum imports rose by 8% to 29,000Mt from 26,900Mt. Crude gypsum consumption also fell, by 3% to 40.9Mt from 42.0Mt. Crude gypsum imports fell by 2% to 6.03Mt from 6.14Mt. Mexico overtook Spain as the leading exporter of crude gypsum to the US in 2020.
Azerbaijan records 11-month rise in gypsum production
18 December 2020Azerbaijan: Gypsum producers produced 20,300t of building gypsum in the first 11 months of 2020, up by 2% year-on-year from the same period in 2019. The total value of building products rose by 25% to US$389m, according to the Trend News Agency.
Azerbaijani eight-month gypsum production rises in 2020
16 September 2020Azerbaijan: Gypsum producers achieved a total output of 13,000t of gypsum in the first eight months of 2020, up by 1.3% year-on-year from 12,800t over the corresponding period of 2019. Total building materials production fell by 1.8% in value to US$293m from US$298m.
Oman’s gypsum exports recover in July 2020
12 August 2020Oman: Oman’s gypsum exports fell by 4% year-on-year to 4.99Mt in the first seven months of 2020 from 5.20Mt in the same period in 2019. However, data from Zawawi Minerals shows that exports picked up by 28.7% year-on-year to 1.14Mt in July 2020 from 0.89Mt in July 2019. The government allowed industry to reopen in late June 2020 following a coronavirus-related lockdown.
Simotix Connect 400 forms basis of Currax and Siemens joint Industry 4.0 pilot project
24 March 2020Germany: Currax and Siemens have announced their collaboration on a mill operations digitisation pilot project involving the Simotics Connect 400 motor data collector and transmitter. They hope that analysis of data processed via the Simotics 400 will better enable the remote operating of mills ‘to increase efficiency and component life’ and speeding the shift towards automation and production that is resilient to crises such as the coronavirus outbreak.