Saint-Gobain launches drywall plant in Nizhny Novgorod Region
GOMZOVO. July 10 (Interfax) - The international group of industrial companies Saint-Gobain opened its first plant in Russia for the production of gypsum wallboard in the Pavlov district of Nizhny Novgorod Region, an Interfax correspondent reported from the opening ceremonies.
The chairman of the Saint-Gobain board of directors and its chief, Pierre-Andre de Chalendar, told the press that investment in the production complex, which boasts a drywall plant and a gypsum quarry, will be more than three billion rubles. He said that around 90% of that has already been invested.
The launch of the plant, with production capacity of 30 million square meters of gypsum wallboard, will take place gradually, de Chalendar said, expressing the hope that it will happen before year-end. Then the plan is to launch the quarry.
Saint-Gobain's general director in Russia, Ukraine, and the Commonwealth of Independent States, Gonzar de Pire, told the press that gypsum produced by Russian outfits is being used now to produce drywall. He said the gypsum from the quarry will be processed for this enterprise's needs. Cardboard for production is now being bought in Germany.
The plant's product will be sold solely in Russia, particularly in Moscow, Volga Region, and northwestern regions, de Pire said. There are no plans to expand production, he said. "But if we see that our investments are justified, we will be ready to grow them and create another production [facility] in Russia, in a different region," he said.
Saint-Gobain is implementing the project at its Gomzovo gypsum deposit. Gypsum production will be 300,000 tonnes a year. The construction of the plant began in October of 2011.
The company group is one of the biggest makers of construction materials in Europe. It operates in five main sectors: construction products, high-tech materials, plate glass, glass packaging, and commercial construction materials. It now has two plants in Russia - in Yegoryevsk and Arzamas. Its investment program for the coming five years involves building another few production facilities, including in Yekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk.