Gypsum industry news

UK: Knauf has ordered a second Samson Material Feeder for its Immingham gypsum wallboard plant. The 100t/hour feeder is to be supplied in October 2017 and it has a centre distance of 11.7m. Knauf is extending an existing raw materials reception area, where products arriving by truck are transferred directly by the feeder to an ongoing conveyor to the production facility.

The Samson Feeder presents an alternative to fixed bunker constructions and can receive bulk materials directly from diggers or dumper trucks. The wide conveyor belt design allows a very low loading height so that trucks can discharge directly into the entry section of the unit. Therefore the bulk material can be unloaded and transferred to the plant straight away, with no requirement for interim storage on arrival. If continuous discharge to an ongoing conveyor is not required at any given time, the bulk material can also be stored in the Samson unit.

Peru: Eternit plans to re-launch its image to better target the local construction sector. The aim of the marketing re-launch is to increase sales of gypsum wallboard and fibre cement the country, according to an interview with CEO Fegale Manzur in the Gestion newspaper. The two lines represent half of the company's sales driven by its US$77m Huachipa plant that was built in 2015.

Kuwait: Kuwait Gypsum Manufacturing and Trading's profits have risen to US$149,000 in the second quarter of 2016 from US$6660 in the same period in 2015. The company was also able to double its half-year profit to US$329,000 from US$162,000. The rise in profits was attributed to lower administrative and general expenses.

US: James S Metcalf will retire as chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of USG with effect from 31 October 2016. He will be succeeded by Jennifer F Scanlon, executive vice president, president, International and president of L&W Supply Corporation. Scanlon has been appointed as a director of USG immediately and she will serve as executive vice president and CEO-elect until 1 November 2016. As part of the leadership transition, Steven F Leer, lead director, will become non-executive chairman of the board, effective 1 November 2016.

"After more than 35 years with the company and more than a decade in senior leadership roles, including almost six years as president and chief executive officer, I believe that it is the right time for me to move on to the next phase of my professional life and for Jenny to guide USG into its next chapter," said Metcalf. He has served as president and chief executive officer since January 2011 and as chairman since December 2011.

Jennifer Scanlon is also a director on the USG Board of Directors and the chairman of the board of USG Boral Building Products. She leads USG's international joint ventures across Asia, Australasia and the Middle East. Her previous assignments at USG include vice president and chief information officer and head of corporate strategy. Scanlon joined USG in 2003 as the director of supply chain and customer relationship strategy. Prior to USG, Scanlon was a senior vice president for Bricker & Associates, a management consulting firm that specialised in assisting Fortune 500 organisations dramatically increasing profits through operational improvement. She began her career at IBM, serving in various operational and consulting roles.

Scanlon graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1988 with a BA in government and computer applications. She earned an MBA in finance and marketing from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 1992. Scanlon serves on the boards of the Chicago Council of Global Affairs and of Shore Community Services. Scanlon is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and the Executives' Club of Chicago.

Steven Leer has been a director of USG since June 2005, and lead director since January 2012. He serves as chair of the Governance Committee and a member of its Compensation and Organisation Committee. Leer retired as chairman of Arch Coal in 2014 after having served in that position since April 2006. He was also the chief executive officer of Arch Coal, Inc. until April 2012. Leer is a director of Norfolk Southern Corporation, Cenovus Energy Inc. and Parsons Corporation. He is a former director of the Greater St Louis Area Boy Scouts of America and the National Association of Manufacturers.

Switzerland: Jan Jenisch, the chief executive of Sika, has said that he will resign if Saint-Gobain wins its bid to takeover the company. He added that he does not see a positive future for the growth of Sika should Saint-Gobain succeed, in comments at a company event reported upon by Reuters. The management of Sika have been fighting a takeover attempt by Saint-Gobain since December 2014.