Canada: Residents rebuilding their homes in Fort McMurray, Alberta will be compensated for duties liable on gypsum wallboard imported from the US. Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau made the announcement, according to the Canadian Press. A source quoted by the agency said that it is part of the government's response to a Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) ruling that lobbied it to cut duties imposed on wallboard products being imported into Western Canada from the US. The CITT ruled that gypsum wallboard imports from the US had 'hurt' the local industry in January 2017 but, in a separate ruling, it also recognised that competition had been 'substantially' reduced in Western Canada.

Switzerland: Sika's net sales rose by 4.7% year-on-year to Euro5.40bn in 2016 from Euro5.16bn in 2015. Its net profit rose by 21.8% to Euro533m from Euro437m. the company attributed this to growth in all regions.

"We continued our growth strategy with great success in the 2016 business year, once again increasing both sales and earnings. Operating profit, net profit and operating free cash flow reached new records. By opening nine new factories, establishing four more national subsidiaries and acquiring four companies, we have laid the foundations for ongoing future growth," said chief executive officer Jan Jenisch.

US: Thomas J Plath has been elected by the board of directors of International Paper to become Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Global Citizenship, from effect from 1 March 2017. Plath joined International Paper in 1991, serving most recently as Vice President, Human Resources, Global Businesses.

The company also announced the retirement of Thomas G Kadien, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Government Relations and Global Citizenship. Kadien joined the company in 1978 and will retire effective 30 June 2017.

France: Saint-Gobain's Interior Solutions division's sales rose by 1.5% year-on-year to Euro6.58bn in 2016 from Euro6.49bn in 2015. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 9.6% to Euro982m from Euro896m. It attributed the rise in sales to good growth in the first half of the year with growth in most regions. It also noted that productivity gains and a fall in costs, particularly energy, drove a 'sharp' improvement in its operating margin.

"Saint-Gobain showed strong progress in its 2016 results. We saw the benefits of our optimisation efforts and of our development in emerging markets, in a more supportive economic environment than 2015. As expected, France stabilised over the year as new-build activities recovered. All other regions enjoyed good momentum. The group also benefited from its focus on pricing against a backdrop of lower energy and raw material costs," said Pierre-André de Chalendar, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Saint-Gobain.