Spain: France-based Saint-Gobain has announced plans for a new Euro40m production line at its Quinto gypsum wallboard plant near Zaragosa, Aragon. The line will integrate recycled raw materials use and an Industry 4.0 digitisation programme to increase production, warehousing, transport and delivery automation.The scheduled commissioning date for the expanded facility is in 2022. When operational, the line will generate 70 new direct jobs. The government of Aragon has declared the work a project of regional interest.

The group says that the new line will enable it to capture the growth of the Spanish market and its rapid shift towards more complex needs and especially more lightweight construction systems.

Spain: Saint-Gobain Placo has launched Placo Hermetic, a gypsum-based hermetic system for application to building envelopes. The company says that the product is the first of its kind to be gypsum-based that meets the Passivhaus standard. The Catalonia Institute of Construction Technology (ITEC) has certified the system with a Document of Suitability for Use (DAU).

The producer said “With this DAU, Saint-Gobain Placo continues to guarantee the suitability of its solutions, providing professionals in the sector with more sustainable and efficient systems that adapt to different projects and requirements, with total safety and reliability.”

UK: Durham County Council has granted Agricore permanent permission for its Hill Top Farm gypsum wallboard recycling plant near Darlington, County Durham. The Darlington and Stockton Times newspaper has reported that the gypsum producer had previously held permission on a five-year basis.

Locals in the rural former coal mining area had appealed against the application. Many of the 110 complainants claimed that heavy traffic had rendered a local lane dangerous to walk and cycle on. Agricore sells gypsum to local farmers for use as fertiliser.

The county council required that the company submit plans for a power supply transition from diesel generators to ‘a more sustainable alternative’ before 3 September 2020.

China: Rui Silicone subsidiary Ruijiang has commissioned a new methyl hydrogen silicone oil RJ-202 plant in China following completion of a successful test run on 10 February 2021. The plant will supply the gypsum wallboard industry with methyl hydrogen silicone oil for use as a waterproofing additive. It will also produce hexamethyldisilazane RJ-HMDZ, hexamethyldisiloxane RJ-MM, heptamethyltrisiloxane RJ-HMTS and some other modified silicone oils.