Xella Opens A New Plant for Gypsum Fibreboards in Spain

Santander/Duisburg, 26 June 2013 – Today in the presence of the Regional Government President of Cantabria, Ignacio Diego, the Duisburg-based building materials group Xella will officially open the new production plant in Orejo, located near the Cantabrian capital of Santander, Northern Spain. The production plant will manufacture high quality gypsum fibreboards and will lay the foundations for further profitable growth of Fermacell GmbH, a subsidiary of Xella .

At the start of 2012, Xella submitted a bid in a public auction for the newly built but unfinished plant in Orejo, previously owned by GFB Cantabria S.A. In April, Xella won the bid for the purchase price of € 14.5 million. Another € 8 million have been invested for creating a state-of-the-art factory and the plant is now ready to work to its full production capacity. As a part of the official opening it was announced that further €8 million will be invested for expansion in the near future. The total investment will amount to around € 30 million. Fermacell intends to produce up to 12 million sqm of gypsum fibreboards every year and 60 new jobs will be created.

Xella CEO Jan Buck-Emden says: “The reasons for expanding the production of gypsum fiberboards has been the increased market demand, which has been rising for years, and the considerable additional sales potential in all product segments which are faced with extensive utilization of existing factories. With the quantities we produce in Spain we are going to supply the large construction markets in France, Great Britain and Scandinavia.” Moreover, our presence on the Spanish market will contribute to strengthening of our market positions in Europe.

Gypsum fiberboards are produced and marketed by Fermacell and used worldwide by construction professionals and DIYers for structural, moisture-resistant and fire-protection applications, the boards are ideal for floors, walls and ceilings.

The Xella Group produces and distributes wall building materials (Ytong and Hebel autoclaved aerated concrete, Silka calcium silicate blocks, Multipor mineral insulation panels), gypsum fibreboard panels and cement-bonded drywall panels (Fermacell and Fermacell Aestuver) and lime (Fels).With its 7,300 employees, the company posted a sales volume of around € 1.3 billion in 2012. Owners are the private equity firm PAI Partners and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners.Contact person for questions:
Ernst Arelmann
Tel.: +49 (0)203/60880-5500
ernst.arelmann@xella.com

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