Gypsum industry news

US: Taishan Gypsum and its owner China National Building Material Company (CNBM) say they have settled with Lennar Homes, LLC and US Home Corporation in one of its lawsuits about alleged defective gypsum wallboard. Fellow subsidiary Beijing New Building Material (BNBM) and Taishan Gypsum have agreed to pay the companies concerned US$0.5m and US$6m respectively in instalments by 31 July 2017. In return the plaintiffs have agreed to drop all claims and allegations within three days of receipt of the payment.

US: National Gypsum has published 17 health product declarations (HPD) for a range of products that cover nearly all of its interior wall systems.

"At National Gypsum, we recognize that sustainable building design isn't just a trend but has become the preferred business practice for top architects and developers in the country," said John Mixson, vice president of sales and marketing.

The HPDs cover all product brands and 40 products. They include: Gold Bond Brand; Fire-Shield Type X; Fire-Shield Type C; XP Fire-Shield Type X; XP Fire-Shield Type C; High Strength Fire-Shield LITE; High Strength Fire-Shield LITE 30; SoundBreak XP Fire-Shield; eXP Interior Extreme; eXP Tile Backer; eXP Sheathing; eXP Shaftliner; DEXcell Brand Glass Mat Roof Board; DEXcell Brand Cement Board; and PermaBase Brand Cement Board.

UK: British Gypsum has completed a Euro7.4m upgrade of its Barrow-Upon-Soar gypsum mine. The investment is expected to secure supplies of gypsum to produce gypsum wallboard for 20 years at the company's production sites at East Leake in Nottinghamshire and Fauld in Staffordshire, and at British Gypsum's sister business Saint-Gobain Formula based at Newark, according to the Loughborough Echo. The upgrade will allow the mine to be expanded using conveyors, fans and other mining equipment.

South Korea: KCC has completed the third gypsum wallboard line at its Seosan plant in South Chungcheong. Following the upgrade, the plant has increased its production capacity by 40% to 24.2Mm2, according to the Maeil Business Newspaper. Commercial production on the new line is expected to start in July 2017. KCC also says that it has become the largest wallboard producer in the country.

US: USG has won two manufacturing awards from Frost & Sullivan's Manufacturing Leadership Council. The building materials manufacturer earned an award in the 'Improving Operational Excellence' category for its Lean Six Sigma (LSS) programme achievements and its Mexican subsidiary, USG Mexico, earned an award in the category of 'Supply Chain Leadership' for the optimisation of its import logistics and distribution programs. The Manufacturing Leadership Awards recognise manufacturing organisations and individual leaders shaping the future of global manufacturing.

"USG is committed to manufacturing excellence and it is an honour to receive these prestigious Manufacturing Leadership Awards," said Dom Dannessa, USG's Executive Vice President and Chief Operations and Innovation Officer. "Investments in Lean Six Sigma and our Supply Chain have allowed us to better anticipate our customers' needs so that we can continue to provide them with superior solutions."

USG says that its LSS programmes have enabled it to optimise production and pricing, cut transportation costs and reduce excess inventory, leading to more than US$250m in operational savings and significantly improving team productivity. USG Mexico meanwhile invested in local distribution centres to increase its product range in the region.