Gypsum industry news

New Zealand: Winstone Wallboards says that it successfully started a test run on the new production line at its new Tauriko gypsum wallboard plant in mid-May 2023. In a statement general manager David Thomas said “The team successfully put ‘slurry on paper’ and ran board down the line and, beyond our initial plan, through the dryer.” He added the company was confident that it would be producing wallboard in the second half of 2023.

Japan: Chiyoda-Ute is preparing to launch a gypsum board product, Chiyoda Circular Gypsum Board, from June 2023 that uses 100% recycled gypsum. The company says it is the first product of its kind in the world to use 100% waste gypsum board collected from construction sites. Manufacturing will also be carbon neutral through the use of wood chips to heat the plant’s boiler and electricity supplied from renewable sources.

Japan: Yoshino Gypsum has developed a new gypsum wallboard fixing method called ‘Smart JG’ that uses adhesive and a magnet. It is intended to replace the usual installation method using power tools, screws and nails. The Smart JG method uses a special tape-like solid adhesive ‘JG02’ and a special tool ‘Super Mag Chuck’ to fix boards to the iron base and layer them. Notably, this new approach does not use screws and does not have staple marks on the surface of the board allowing for more decorative applications. This method is also quieter as power tools are not used. The patent for ‘Smart JG’ is currently pending.

US: USG has announced a strategic partnership with construction robotics company Canvas. The agreement intends to bring together USG’s expertise in building materials and Canvas’ experience in on-site robotics, notably in gypsum wallboard finishing. The companies hope to address industry issues such as labour shortages, schedule and budget overruns, quality inconsistencies and productivity and safety issues through their collaboration.

Canvas introduced its wallboard finishing machine to contractors in 2022. It can apply both level 5 and level 4 wallboard finishes. In contrast to manual application, the robot applies a single layer of joint compound over wet tape and telescopes to around 4.5m to do the vast majority of the work at height. It also reduces repetitive motion injuries and captures the majority of the dust produced by sanding.

Jonathan Hughes, USG’s Vice President of Estimating at Daley’s Drywall & Taping, said “As an early adopter of the Canvas machine, we see three clear benefits of the system: 1) it makes work safer for our tapers by eliminating dangerous dust, minimising repetitive motion injuries and reducing accidental falls; 2) the finish is amazing and consistent; and 3) the machine makes the work much faster, improving our productivity metrics and making us much more competitive.”

In March 2023 Canvas said that construction equipment manufacturer, Hilti, would now produce its robotic machines.

US: Georgia-Pacific has appointed Andy Konieczka as Executive Vice President of Building Products. He will report to the company's president and chief executive officer (CEO) Christian Fischer.

Konieczka previously worked as the president of Structural Panels at Georgia Pacific since 2019. He has worked for Koch Industries and subsidiaries, including Georgia-Pacific, since 1992. In 2006, he joined Georgia-Pacific, holding strategy, optimisation and management roles in wood, fibre and building products. Konieczka serves as a member of the board of directors for the APA - The Engineered Wood Association.