Italy: Assogresso, the association of the Italian plaster industry, has elected Luca Sironi as its president for a two year term until 2028. He succeeds Gaetano Terrasini in the role.

Sironi has been the General Manager of Knauf in Italy since April 2026. He previously worked as the Chief Marketing & Commercial Officer, Western Europe & Israel for Knauf Group from 2024. Earlier in his career he worked for Hilti Group and Emerson. Sironi holds a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering from the Politecnico di Milano and a master’s in business administration (MBA) from SDA Bocconi.

Brazil: France-based Saint-Gobain plans to build a fourth production line at its Feira de Santana gypsum wallboard plant in Bahia. The producer says that the line will be the largest in South America. It follows the inauguration of the plant’s third line in 2024.

Iraq: Gypsum plants in Najaf governorate have received no fuel oil since May 2026 amidst a shortage due to high seasonal electricity consumption and low gas supplies. Shafaq News has reported that plants remain subject to deductions for their allocations of 60,000l/month. These allocations would allow for 10 days’ gypsum plaster production at a rate of 60t/day of gypsum. The local Najaf oil refinery is currently producing 2800m³/day of fuel oil and supplying 2600m³/day to power stations.

The Iraqi Geological Survey has recorded 142Mt of natural gypsum reserves nationally.

Germany: Switzerland-based Holcim has entered into an agreement to acquire alternative boards and flooring systems producer Fermacell from Australia/US-listed James Hardie Industries for €840m. MarketScreener News has reported that Fermacell employs 1000 people across six production sites, with forecast full-year revenues of €430m in 2026. The partners expect to complete the transaction by mid-2027.

James Hardie Industries previously acquired Fermacell, via its acquisition of parent company XI (DL) Holdings, for €473m in 2018.