Etex prepares for growth with plasterboard expansion

Etex has expanded its plasterboard production facility in Bristol as it commits to UK manufacturing. Specify & Build attended the facility’s official opening to find out more.  

Visiting Etex’s plasterboard facility in Bristol is a true lesson in scaling up. The company has invested £170 million in expanding its existing production site, creating Etex’s most efficient plasterboard line in Europe in terms of size, speed and complexity. In fact, the line is so long that the team who designed and built it even had to allow for the curvature of the Earth in their calculations! 

This is Etex’s largest production investment ever, and a strong commitment by the company to UK manufacturing. The expanded facility, which produces plasterboard for the Siniat brand, allows the business to produce more than 98% of its portfolio of boards in the UK. By increasing local production, Etex says it now has greater flexibility and can ensure significant carbon savings by decreasing the need to transport boards from other countries. 

John Sinfield, UK & Ireland Country Manager, said: “This investment will give our UK customers additional confidence that we are ready for market recovery and able respond to any increases in demand, in line with wider Governmental drives.” 

A sustainable future 

Etex has gone the extra mile during the expansion, ensuring that sustainability is an integral part of the new facility. The new site is a zero-waste-to-landfill plant and part of Etex’ strategic sustainability roadmap which, in the UK, includes rainwater harvesting and increasing the recycled content of its products year-on-year. Etex is the first UK manufacturer to have recycled content certified in new products (through SCS certification), with recycled content in UK products ranging from 23% up to 45% in new plasterboards.  

Preparing for growth 

Speaking at the official opening, Etex CEO Bernard Delvaux said that despite the current challenges facing the industry, he expects positive growth in the future. “Building and construction is expected to be flat across the EU in 2025, before returning to growth in 2026,” he said. “We believe there is a fundamental need for new housing and that means it’s time to invest in our capacity and to prepare for growth.” 

John agreed, acknowledging the challenges that the industry is currently facing: “The UK government is talking about construction being the engine of growth and we have a responsibility to be ready. We have a housing crisis in the UK – the next generation is finding it almost impossible to buy and we need more homes.  

“We also have a massive skills shortage, an ageing workforce and a need for greater emphasis on trades and skills, otherwise there’ll be no-one to build the homes and fit our products. What specifiers want is certainty of installed performance. They want test data and evidence, which is why we’re investing seven figures every year in testing to support market demand.” 

Etex operates more than 160 sites across 45 countries and employs 13,500 people worldwide. Key brands include Siniat, Promat, Reimagin, Superglass, URSA, Eternit, Equitone and Cedral. 

www.etexgroup.com/en-gb