Oman: USG Boral Middle East has started manufacturing its Sheetrock wallboard brand and wall solutions at its production unit in Salalah, Oman.

The local production will cater to its customers in the Gulf and the wider Middle East region. USG Boral Zawawi Drywall is the first to produce the Sheetrock brand in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

"Here in the Gulf region and around the world, our focus is on delivering innovation that helps our customers work smarter, do more and build better projects," said Fares Saghbini, the Managing Director at USG Boral Middle East. "That is exactly what the launch of our locally-produced Sheetrock brand wallboard products in the GCC enables us to do. We are delighted to bring our manufacturing facility and premium products closer to our customers without compromising on quality, dependability and, most importantly, the safety standards upon which Sheetrock's reputation has been built."

USG's Sheetrock production line in Oman has been fully certified by UL to produce fire rated products and will continue to undergo quarterly inspections according to UL's standards testing for quality, uniformity and safety including fire resistance.

Asia: USG has expanded its business in the Asian region with a joint venture with Australia's Boral to strengthen its foothold in the wallboard market.

"Korea is our second-largest market and is one of the big elephants along with Australia, Thailand and Indonesia," said James Metcalf, USG President and CEO.

USG Boral, a 50-50 joint venture formed in 2014, entered the building materials business with sales and operations across Asia, Australasia and the Middle East with a goal to grow earnings from the regions and to transform the business over the longer term through its product and manufacturing solutions, which include ceilings, cement board, fibreboard and lightweight wallboard.

Metcalf said that USG Boral has a five-year capital plan of investment in the areas and facility expansion, as well as transfer of technological know-how. He declined to disclose the exact amount of investment, citing confidentiality. "With strong GDP growth, Asian countries' adoption rate is expected to increase. The critical mass happening in Korea and the rest of Asian countries will continue to round out our portfolio," said Metcalf.

Metcalf said that the marriage between USG's building supply technologies and Boral's wallboard distribution footprint in the Asian and Australian markets is expected to create greater synergies in the next decade. "I wouldn't be surprised if this part of the business becomes larger than what we have in North America in the next 10 years," he said.

Egypt: National Cement plans to add a new gypsum wallboard production line for US$1.24m, according to the company's Chairman. It has also decided to resume operations at its brick factory.

Vietnam: Gypsum and Cement JSC (TXM) has posted a US$27,501 net loss in the third quarter of 2015, compared to a US$82,861 net profit in the same period of 2014. The company generated US$6.72m net revenue in the period, down by 16% year-on-year. TXM attributed its loss to the depreciation of the Vietnamese Dong compared to the US Dollar, increases in management costs and a fall in financial income. In the first nine months of 2015, TXM made a US$134,370 net profit on a US$19.5m net revenue, down by 42% and 10% year-on-year, respectively.