Gypsum industry news

UK: Adaptavate has inaugurated its first pilot line to produce Breathaboard bio-based alternative wallboard. Breathaboard performs in the same way as ordinary gypsum wallboard, but sequesters and avoids additional CO₂ emissions, reducing the board’s total carbon footprint by 4kg/m². Adaptavate's production process uses fibrous and cellulosic by-products from agricultural crops, combined with minerals. It has a minimal water footprint and does not require natural gas.

Chief technical officer Jeff Ive said "The commissioning of our pilot line is the culmination of a year's hard work. We knew the solution had to be scalable for significant impact. With full-size boards produced on a continuously extruded process, we’re turning our vision into reality. This pilot line is a game changer for us, our industry, and the planet, laying the foundation for global replication of our core innovation."

France: Saint-Gobain’s sales dropped by 6.4% year-on-year to €48bn in 2023. Meanwhile, the group’s earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) dropped by 1.7% year-on-year to €7bn. Despite this, it achieved average organic growth of 6.4% across its markets, buoyed by sustainable solutions, which accounted for 75% of its sales. Throughout the year, Saint-Gobain invested €223m in capital expenditure and research and development, in line with rising internal carbon prices. This contributed to a 34% reduction in its Scope 1 and 2 CO₂ emissions compared to 2017 levels. The company used 57% renewable electricity in 2023, compared to 52% in 2022, and concluded eight new renewable energy supply deals. It aims to reach 66% renewables by 2025.

Australia: Belgium-based Etex has acquired BGC Plasterboard and BGC Fibre Cement from BGC. The assets include the Hazelmere gypsum wallboard plant in Western Australia, as well as nine warehouses across Australia and New Zealand. Both businesses reported total sales of US$101m in the 2023 financial year.

Etex CEO Bernard Delvaux said “We warmly welcome our 200 new teammates coming from BGC. Joining forces with their plasterboard and fibre cement activities is a strategic opportunity for Etex. With this, we complement our gypsum footprint in Australia and, for our customers, we further increase the accessibility of our sustainable products and services.”

Etex already operates three gypsum wallboard plants in Australia, in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.

Canada: Canadian Gypsum Company (CGC) plans to build a US$155m gypsum wallboard plant in Wheatland County, Alberta. The producer has acquired 86.6 hectares of land near the town of Carseland. It will also use the site for a 15MW solar power plant. CGC has hired Duane Van Duuren as the upcoming plant’s general manager.

Van Duuren said "The solar field will be more than enough to support our energy needs with clean power, and so this is really exciting for our company. We want to bring the best products to Western Canada and be a great community member both socially and environmentally.”

Saudi Arabia: Mada Gypsum Company has announced the appointment of Sami Helmy as its president. The company noted Helmy’s distinguished track record in the industry and considerable experience in leadership roles. He has served as operations director at the company since 2017, and was previously technology director at The Industrial Group and Banawi Industrial Group. Helmy is a mechanical engineer by training, holding a degree from the University of King Abdulaziz in Jeddah.

Mada Gypsum Company said “Mr Helmy leads Mada Gypsum towards a future defined by innovation, success and Building Excellence.”