If the UK house-building industry stands any chance of meeting Keir Starmer鈥檚 target of 1.5 million new homes by 2030 then it鈥檚 going to need plenty of building materials like plasterboard.
Many people doubt that such an ambitious target will be met 鈥� indeed the chancellor herself conceded in her Spring statement that the final figure is likely to be less than 1.3 million.
A lack of capacity, due to shortages of both labour and materials, is a major factor.
But global materials producer Etex is confident that a shortage of plasterboard will not be part of the problem for British builders: it has just unveiled a new 拢1.7m production line for its Siniat plasterboard brand on a site adjacent to its existing plant in Bristol.
Etex says that, with the completion of the new factory, it can now manufacturer nearly all of the plasterboard it sells in the UK right here 鈥� at its new production line in Bristol and at its existing factory in Ferrybridge, Yorkshire.
Etex has owned the old Bristol plant since 2011 when it bought the business from French materials giant Lafarge and rebranded the product Siniat.
The rationale behind the new 拢1.7m plant is 鈥渢o make more board in the UK 鈥� that鈥檚 it,鈥� says John Sinfield, UK and Ireland country manager for Etex.
鈥淭he UK is our second largest market 鈥� in Etex, that is 鈥� and we are confident in the growth of the market in this territory.
Sinfield welcomes Starmer鈥檚 pre-election promise to 鈥榖ack the builders, not the blockers鈥�: 鈥淚t was pledged to get Britain building again 鈥� we back that all the way,鈥� he says.
鈥淚nvesting in increasing capacity ahead of the curve is our stamp of confidence in the imminent 鈥� relatively speaking 鈥� growth of the market. When the demand comes, we鈥檒l be ready.鈥�
He adds: 鈥淪tarmer has shown a good level of aspiration. The government gets construction, it understands the industry. It just has to create the right conditions for growth.鈥�
Of course, when Etex first announced plans for the new plant, in November 2019, it was a Conservative government, not a Labour one, that was in power. And at that time a huge cloud of uncertainty hung over UK markets in the wake of the Brexit vote and the ongoing struggle to negotiate a deal with the EU.
Nevertheless, boosting UK manufacturing capacity for the UK market certainly looked like the smart thing to do at that time. But Sinfield plays down the role of the Brexit vote in Etex鈥� decision to build the plant, pointing out that producing material for your second largest market within that territory is just good business.
He also observes that investing during a period of low demand also makes good sense. 鈥淭he challenge for any business is knowing when to invest but it鈥檚 best to do it when demand is relatively low in anticipation of growth in demand,鈥� he says.
With the opening of the new plant, Etex has ceased imports to the UK from its Belgian factory 鈥� which Sinfield concedes is tough on the Belgians but essential to the strategy.
鈥淭he plasterboard market has fluctuated a lot, especially since Covid, but we鈥檙e now self-sufficient. That鈥檚 very reassuring given the current turmoil in global trade,鈥� he says.
鈥淏ristol and Ferrybridge are equally critical to the business. We have mothballed the second line at Bristol due to market demand but it will remain on site and will be available if needed as the market and demand grow.鈥�
Nearly all plasterboard products in the Siniat range will be manufactured in the UK from now on, including Weather Defence, Siniat鈥檚 specialised gypsum-based external sheating product which is currently imported from France. 鈥淭his Easter we begin trials of Weather Defence production and we hope to be able to manufacture it in Bristol by the third or fourth quarter of 2025,鈥� says Sinfield.
The one product that won鈥檛 be made here is LaDura, Siniat鈥檚 high-impact alternative to standard gypsum fibreboard which is also made in France.
鈥淟aDura is a very specialised product and it represents only about 2% of UK sales. It really doesn鈥檛 make sense to manufacture it here,鈥� explains Sinfield.
As might be expected, sustainability and carbon reduction has been a major factor in the design, specification and construction of the new plant.
鈥淛ust the fact that we don鈥檛 have to import so much product from Europe means that our carbon footprint is smaller,鈥� says Sinfield.
鈥淏ut we鈥檙e also harvesting rainwater which will be used in the production process and we have heat exchangers to take waste heat form the production line to feed the driers,鈥� he adds.
Other 鈥榞reen鈥� improvements include installation points for solar PV, electric car charging points and (eventually) a fully electric forklift fleet.
Etex also hints at 鈥渘ew technologies鈥� built into the production line to improve performance and sustainability - though Sinfield is coy about sharing any details due to 鈥渃ommercial sensitivities鈥�.
One factor that Etex is proud to share is its use of recycled gypsum in its product range.
Gypsum is one of those materials that can be described as 鈥榠nfinitely recyclable鈥�: pound it to a dust and mix it with water and it sets hard. Grind it to a powder again and you鈥檙e back to square one: just add water.
鈥淲e are a world leader in the use of recycled content in the board we produce,鈥� says Sinfield. 鈥淲e鈥檙e also immensely proud of our Universal board in the UK and its 30% SCS [Supply Chain Sustainability School] certified pre- and post-consumer recycled content.
鈥淭his number will only continue to grow and our new factory will play a key role in that,鈥� he says.
The Supply Chain Sustainability School is an organisation that brings together clients, contractors and product manufacturers to seek improvements in the sustainable use of construction materials. Etex claims to be the first UK manufacturer to have its recycled content certified in new products by SCS.
The company has been using recycled gypsum in its production for several years. But the cost of intercepting the waste stream, separating the gypsum from the paper sheathing and processing the raw material to an acceptable quality standard has meant the until relatively recently very little plasterboard has been recycled.
Most post-consumer plasterboard has been dumped in landfill, although this is in itself problematic. When it breaks down, gypsum reacts with organic matter to produce hydrogen sulphide gas and so has to be disposed of separately to prevent contamination.
Etex was one of a number of manufacturers, recycling firms, demolition contractors and universities involved in Gypsum2Gypsum, a three-year EU-funded research project launched in 2013. This exercise demonstrated that it is feasible in practice to re-incorporate up to 30% of recycled gypsum in plasterboard manufacturing.
In 2017 Etex took over a failed gypsum recycling plant in Worcestershire and set up a new business, Crucible Gypsum Recycling, to optimise the flow of recycled material back into the manufacturing process.
Today, Etex no longer runs Crucible. 鈥淲e currently operate alternative material reclaim and reuse practices,鈥� says Sinfield.
He explains: 鈥淎fter we acquired Crucible we came to realise that it required a degree of specialisation and investment that didn鈥檛 justify that level of vertical integration.鈥�
Etex concluded that the most practical strategy was for Siniat to concentrate on the development and manufacture of plasterboard and associated products and leave the recycling to the specialists. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 make sense for us to introduce completely new activities that might distract from our core activity,鈥� says Sinfield.
Etex does operate its own gypsum quarries in mainland Europe 鈥� quarried gypsum is of course still the primary feedstock for its products 鈥� but does not feel the need to carry out its own recycling.
鈥淥ther plasterboard manufacturers are more vertically integrated but we decided it was too much of a distraction,鈥� says Sinfield.
That said, Etex has established supply partnerships with three recycling specialists, two located in the Bristol area and the third in Doncaster to supply the Ferrybridge plant.
The new Bristol plant is currently still in the commissioning phase but should be in full production by the end of the year. By then Sinfield hopes to see the first fruits of the government鈥檚 policy to get Britain building.
鈥淒espite some economic rockiness, we are seeing a clear focus on helping construction in the UK market recover,鈥� he says, citing chancellor Rachel Reeves鈥� promise to plough 拢600m into construction skills training as evidence of the government鈥檚 commitment.
鈥淧ledges such as these provide much-needed stability. Movement is in the right direction and we have faith that we will see growth this year 鈥� lower and slower than perhaps we initially predicted 鈥� but growth nonetheless.
鈥淲e are looking to, and investing in, the long term.鈥�
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
