Gypsum industry news

Belgium: Etex’s Building Performance division’s sales revenue rose by 5.35% year-on-year to Euro1.53bn in 2017 from Euro1.45bn in 2016. Strong performance in the UK, France and Germany contributed to this result in Europe. In Latin America growing markets were noted in Argentina, Brazil and Peru. The group acquired full control of Spanish gypsum wallboard manufacturer Pladur in 2017.

Overall, the group reported that its revenue rose by 4.5% on a like-for-like basis to Euro2.79bn across all business lines. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation rose by 7% to Euro432m from Euro404m.

US: USG has rejected a proposal by Germany’s Knauf to buy all of its shares for US$42/share in cash or for around US$5.9bn. Jennifer Scanlon, president and chief executive officer of USG, described the offer as ‘wholly inadequate’ and said that it ‘substantially’ undervalued the company. She added that USG had discussed the proposal on the telephone with Knauf in December 2017 and met in mid-March 2018. Knauf submitted a revised proposal around the same time.

US: Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has completed fire performance evaluation on some of USG’s Sheetrock Brand EcoSmart Panel products. The testing concluded that 15.9mm USG Sheetrock Brand EcoSmart Panels Firecode X (UL Type ULIX) and USG Sheetrock Brand EcoSmart Panels Mold Tough Firecode X (UL Type ULIX) is specified in more than 260 fire-rated wall, column, and floor- and roof-ceiling UL designs in which Type X or Type C panels are required.

“Quickly and accurately identifying gypsum panel types in the field – especially after the panels have been hung and the joints are finished – can be challenging. Consequently, fire performance may be compromised if Type X panels are inadvertently hung as the ceiling membrane, whether in steel or wood construction, when Type C panels are required,” said Nestor Sanchez, senior manager, building science at USG.

China/Tanzania: China National Building Material (CNBM) has started work on a gypsum wallboard plant in Tanzania. The project is part of its participation in the government’s ‘One bet, one road’ industrial strategy.

Revenue from the group’s new materials division that produces gypsum wallboard rose by 25% year-on-year in 2017 to US$2.03bn from US$1.62bn in 2016. Its adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBTIDA) rose by 40% to US$577m from US$413m. Its production volumes of gypsum boards rose by 12% to 1826Mm² from 1632Mm².

Canada: Lafarge Canada has filed an application under the Environmental Management Act to discharge emissions from a pumice dryer and gypsum granulator at its mothballed cement plant at Kamloops in British Colombia. The building materials manufacturer plans to produce agricultural gypsum and dry pumice for concrete production at the site, according to the Kamloops This Week newspaper. The plant stopped cement production in late 2016.