Gypsum industry news

US: USG Corporation (USG) has announced two executive organisational changes effective from 1 October 2013. Christopher R Griffin, previously Executive Vice President, Operations is appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, USG Corporation. Jennifer F Scanlon, previously Vice President, USG Corporation and President, International, is appointed Senior Vice President, USG Corporation and President, International. Griffin and Scanlon will report to James S Metcalf, Chairman, President and CEO.

Since joining the company in 1997, Griffin has had responsibility for a variety of functions and departments, including sales, product management, marketing and international operations. He has more than 28 years of experience in the building materials industry.

Scanlon joined USG in 2003 as the Director of Supply Chain Management and Customer Relationship Management Strategy. In 2007, she assumed responsibility for the company's Information Technology strategy and operations until 2010, when she was appointed Vice President, International.

"These organisational changes will facilitate the continued implementation of USG's Plan to Win: Strengthening our core manufacturing and distribution businesses in North America and Diversifying the sources of our earnings, as we continue to Differentiate USG through innovation," said Metcalf.

US: Carbon monoxide (CO) from external sources can easily penetrate gypsum wallboard according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association by Neil B Hampson, James R Holm and Todd G Courtney of the Virginia Mason Centre for Hyperbaric Medicine. The study is believed to be the first to examine the ability of CO to diffuse through gypsum wallboard.

In the study, a plexiglas chamber divided by various configurations of gypsum wallboard was used to determine whether CO diffuses across wallboard. Wallboard of various thicknesses were used. CO test gas was infused into the chamber and then CO concentrations were measured once per minute in each chamber for 24 hours. The authors sought to determine how rapidly a concentration of CO toxic to humans would be reached in the non-infused chamber and whether diffusion would then continue. The researchers found that CO diffused across single-layer gypsum wallboard of two thicknesses, double-layer wallboard and painted double-layer wallboard.

"Gypsum's permeability to CO is due to its porosity. The ability of CO to diffuse across gypsum wallboard may explain at least some instances of CO poisoning in contiguous residences. Exempting residences without internal CO sources from the legislation mandating CO alarms may put people in multifamily dwellings at risk for unintentional CO poisoning," said the study. Carbon monoxide poisoning causes about 500 accidental deaths annually in the US.

Belgium: Jean-Pierre Hanin joined Etex as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) on 1 September 2013. He succeeds Frédéric Deslypere, who becomes Division Director Latin America.

Hanin, age 47, has held various executive functions in the Belgian Lhoist Group, a producer of lime and dolomite. Following several years as CFO, he became its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 2011. Prior to Lhoist, he worked as an attorney in different law firms. In his function as CFO of Etex, Jean-Pierre Hanin will be a member of the Executive Committee.

Frédéric Deslypere, age 51, started as working for Etex as a Legal Advisor in 1991 and built up experience as Group Tax Advisor, as Finance Director for the Central & Eastern Europe Division and as Secretary General of Etex, responsible for legal and tax matters. In the past five years, Frédéric held the function of CFO at Etex. In his new role he will continue to be part of the Executive Committee. Deslypere will succeed the existing Division Director Latin America, Jorge Bennett, on 1 December 2013 after a handover period.

Belgium: Etex Group has reported that its net profit fell by 63% year-on-year to Euro69m for the fist six months of 2013 from Euro89m for the same period in 2012. Sales fell by 6.5% to Euro1.48bn from Euro1.59bn. Etex's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 13.9% to Euro190m from Euro221m. The building materials group blamed a harsh winter in Europe and weak market conditions.

"Bad winter conditions in Europe affected our half year results, particularly in Eastern Europe. Etex continues its debt reduction programme by selling non-used assets and divesting non-core businesses. At the same time, we are investing in promising growth markets," said CEO of Etex, Fons Peeters.

In early August 2013 Etex announced that it was investing Euro25m in Siniat's French polystyrene factories to strengthen its market position in polystyrene backed plasterboards. It also expected that its CO₂ emission would drop due to a shorter distance between production sites and the market.

For the remainder of 2013 Etex expects 'slightly' better results than in 2012 due to its growth in the dry construction market.

US: US private equity firm HIG Capital LLC said that its portfolio firm, gypsum and plaster products maker Harrison Gypsum LLC had bought the Eagle Ford unit of aggregate materials and soil stabilisation products supplier Pinnacle Materials LLC. Financial details were not revealed.