Gypsum industry news

Canada: Saint-Gobain completed its acquisition of building materials producer Bailey Group on 3 June 2024. Bailey Group produces structural and wallboard framing, wallboard trim and other systems. Saint-Gobain says that Bailey Group will enrich its full-range offer of exterior and interior solutions in Canada.

US: GLC Minerals has increased its production of specialised gypsum formulas for various applications, after the Port of Baltimore closed on 26 March 2024. The port previously received the largest quantity of gypsum imports of any US port. It closed when the Singapore-registered container ship Dali collided with the nearby Francis Scott Key bridge in the Baltimore harbour. GLC Minerals says that it is collaborating with public and private entities, among them the Port of Green Bay in its home state of Wisconsin, to support supply chains reliant on gypsum.

GLC Minerals’ chief commercial officer, Ed Van Poucke, said “We’re ramping up gypsum production to help support specific segments of the supply chain until the Port of Baltimore is up and running. We operate a terminal at the Port of Green Bay, in the heart of the Midwest, which enables us to help fill this gap in demand, allowing industries that rely on gypsum to continue operating.”

GLC Minerals president Holly Bellmund said "We are nearly 1600km away from the Port of Baltimore, and we’re seeing the impact this event has had on the market. We’re just pleased to be able to assist and be a stop-gap for certain industries until their supply chain is restored.”

US: Southern Wall Products plans to invest US$23m in the construction of a new gypsum wallboard finishing products plant in Anderson, South Carolina. When commissioned in June 2025, the plant will employ 28 people.

President Chris Winkler said "Southern Wall Products has been constructing communities since 1981. We are thrilled about this next chapter for our company, our employees and their families.”

UK: The Pallet LOOP says that the first batch of its RFID-tagged reusable pallets has entered the UK construction supply chain. This follows its delivery of 30,000 of the pallets to British Gypsum’s Barrow, East Leake and Kirkby Thore gypsum wallboard and plaster plants earlier in May 2024, in partnership with Scott Pallets.

The Pallet LOOP CEO Paul Lewis said "If your business hasn’t already signed up for LOOP collections, now is the time to do so. Our distinctive green reusable pallets are now winging their way across the country, and we want recipients to be ready to send them back to us."

The Pallet LOOP will collect, inspect, repair and redistribute the pallets, paying registered return partners up to €4.69 for each pallet returned.

Oman: The Ministry of Energy and Minerals has launched its Taqa digital investment platform. The Taqa platform will help to leverage digital technologies in the energy and minerals sectors. It includes investor packages for bidding, inspections and licence management. Gypsum quarries will be among sites included in an initial set of studies available on the platform.

Acting Director of the Petroleum Concessions Department Raya Al Abri said “This will allow investors and companies to bid transparently and within a fair competitive environment, based on technical expertise, financial solvency and value-added priorities.”