Displaying items by tag: cement boards
Sahyadri Industries to establish cement board plant in Maharashtra
04 February 2022India: Sahyadri Industries plans to invest US$12.7m in the establishment of a cement board plant in Maharashtra. Reuters News has reported that the company expects to commission the unit by mid-2024.
India: NCL Industries has reported an 11% drop in its cement production in the third quarter of the 2022 financial year (1 October 2022 – 31 December 2022) to 561,000t from 633,000t in the corresponding period of the 2021 financial year. The company’s cement dispatches also fell by 11% in the period, to 558,000t from 625,000t. Meanwhile, its cement board production grew by 16% to 19,900t and dispatches of cement boards remained level year-on-year at 19,100t.
Australia: James Hardie recorded consolidated sales of US$1.75bn in the first half of its 2022 financial year, up by 28% year-on-year from US$1.36bn in the first half of the 2021 financial year. Its earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) more than doubled to US$398m from US$197m. Fibre cement board sales increased by 17% in North America to 463Mm2 from 395Mm2 and more than doubled to 96.5Mm2 from 47.3Mm2 in Asia Pacific.
During the 2022, 2023 and 2024 financial years, the group plans to complete expansions of its Prattville, Alabama, cement board plant in the US and a European cement board plant, and to establish a new cement board plant in Victoria, Australia. It also aims to purchase land in the US for a future new cement board plant there.
CEO Jack Truong said "Our mission is to be a high-performance global company that delivers organic growth above market with strong returns, consistently. Ten consecutive quarters of growth above market with strong returns has led to an acceleration in operating cash flow, which is allowing us to expand our global manufacturing capacity, accelerate our growth initiatives, return to ordinary dividends, reduce our debt position, and increase the cash contributions to the Asbestos Injuries Compensation Fund (AICF)."
India: NCL Industries recorded a 10% year-on-year rise in cement production to 677,000Mt in the second quarter of the 2022 financial year from 615,000t in the second quarter of the 2021 financial year. Its cement dispatches also increased by 10% to 678,000t from 617,000t. The company's cement board production during the quarter was 19,200t, while its cement board dispatches were 18,800t.
India: Visaka Industries plans to establish a US$10.8m cement boards plant at Coimabatore, Tamil Nadu. The Hindu newspaper has reported that the plant will be the company’s fourth to produce its Vnext product range of cement boards.
Joint managing director Vamsi Gaddam said that, together with a new US$6.74m roofing plant, the Coimbatore will add US$27.0m-worth of additional turnover in their first full year of operation. She added, “While the company passed through a tough phase due to Covid-19 led disruption, we managed to do well after the lockdown with volumes coming back to normality. We are adding these two plants due to the demand for our sustainable products.”
Kalsi Malaysia rebranded in Etex reshuffle
12 October 2020Malaysia: Belgium-based Etex has merged its cement boards subsidiary Kalsi Malaysia with fireproofing specialist Promat Malaysia under the new brand Etex Malaysia. The company says that the name change “reflects Etex's broader commitment to inspire ways of living through innovation.” PR Newswire Asia has reported that by combining its Malaysian subsidiaries under the Etex Malaysia brand the group aims to strengthen its offerings to local and export Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) markets.
India: Sustainable roofing specialist Visaka Industries has acquired a 20-year patent for production of ATUM, a roofing system consisting of cement boards with integrated solar panels. The company says that the product, which has been in development since 2016, is both insulative and capable of generating up to 28W/m2 of power.
Australia/New Zealand/US: Ireland-based James Hardie has announced the planned closure of three of its fibre cement board plants. The Cooroy, Queensland plant in Australia, Summerville, South Carolina plant in the US and Penrose, Auckland plant in New Zealand will close permanently in mid-2020, resulting in a total of 375 job cuts. The NZ Herald newspaper has reported that the decision to shut the plants came about due to the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak on the global economic situation. James Hardie will now supply the New Zealand market from its Carole Park, Queensland and Rosehill, New South Wales plants. James Hardie also closed its Siglingen, Baden-Württemberg plant in Germany on a temporary basis, ‘in order to better match supply and demand in the European market.’
James Hardie revised its 2020 profit forecast to US$355m, down by 4.1% from US$370m.
National Gypsum launches Permabase cement board
05 February 2020US: National Gypsum has launched Permabase WP Waterproof Cement Board, a 1.3cm-thick cement board with a waterproof core, reinforced edge and smoother surface and stronger tile bond than previous Permabase boards for mould and moisture resistance and ease of cutting and installation. National Gypsum product manager for Permabase Tony Fuller said that “National Gypsum is committed to creating innovative products with performance benefits” for construction.
Global CemBoards Conference opens in Munich
21 January 2020Germany: The 4th Global CemBoards Conference & Exhibition has begun at the Marriott Hotel in Freising, near Munich, Germany. The event, which covers global market trends in cement-based boards and panel systems, the latest advances in production technology and how producers can add value to their products worldwide, will hear nine presentations over the course 21 and 22 January 2020.
The event is also host to a related exhibition of suppliers to the global cement board sector. Extensive opportunities for networking will be available, with the Global Boards Social Evening held at the Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan on the evening of the first day.
A full report from the event will be published in due course.