Gypsum industry news

US: Saint-Gobain subsidiary CertainTeed's Buchanan gypsum wallboard plant in New York has successfully participated in a gypsum wallboard recycling pilot. Together with contractors Structure Tone and Cooper Recycling, it processed 20t of gypsum from waste wallboard in its gypsum wallboard production.

CertainTeed interior products vice president and general manager Jay Bachmann said "For us to achieve our sustainability goals, we must change the way we think. By partnering with organisations in the community like Cooper Recycling and Structure Tone, we can get there faster." Bachmann continued, "As the only gypsum manufacturing plant in New York, our colleagues in Buchanan were able to create a true circular economy. From the creation of drywall products to construction, to processing scraps and back into drywall production, the material is continuously used and never leaves the state. This maximises our company's positive impact while working to minimise our environmental footprint. Our Buchanan plant has increased our capacity to reuse recycled material, and we look forward to growing this successful pilot into a long-term programme, while working with builders and recyclers across the state. Partnering with CertainTeed, New York builders have the opportunity to not only reduce waste at their job sites, but also gain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) points on their projects."

The Buchanan plant joins CertainTeed's units at Nashville in Arkansas and Palatka in Florida in supporting the company's circular economic efforts in the US. The Nashville plant commissioned a 65,000t/yr line in May 2022, while the Palatka plant increased the recycled content of its wallboard by 18,000t/yr in August 2022. The Palatka plant plans to install a new 100t/hr Rotochopper grinding unit to replace its existing trommel machine in its reclaim processing and screening operations.

Azerbaijan: The Yukhari Agjakend gypsum deposit in Goranboy District will go up for sale on 11 November 2022. Offers will be received in an auction held by the Azerbaijan Centre for Organisation of Auctions of the Ministry of Economy's State Service on Property Issues.

India: The state government of Karnataka has approved the allotment of 6 hectares of land to Everest Industries. Reuters News has reported that the company is considering building a Rapicon reinforced aerated concrete and gypsum wallboard sandwich panel plant at the site.

China: China National Building Material (CNBM) expects its profit to decline by 50% year-on-year in the first nine months of 2022. The group said that this will be due in part to reduced gypsum wallboard sales and a 'substantial' decline in the value of its financial assets.

UK: Knauf UK has announced a collaboration with Modulous, a company that supplies technology products to support offsite construction. The light building materials producer has become a supply chain partner with Modulous. It also gave Modulous space at its Sittingbourne headquarters site to build a demonstration module, which was completed at the end of 2021.

Liam Poole, the head of marketing at Knauf UK, said, “We came on board as an early supply-chain partner because Modulous has built an inspired solution to some of the biggest pain points in construction and development.”

Modulous is marketing a set of digital products that connect manufacturers, designers and clients in the construction sector. It claims it is an efficient way to develop residential buildings at speed and scale. The company offers a virtual design for any building, complete with product selections and assembly instructions, which contractors can then use to build modules and assemble them on site. Modulous uses a so-called ‘kit of parts’ to help contractors assemble the modules. Knauf’s contribution towards this includes products such as floors, external walls, interior partitioning systems and spray finishes.