National Gypsum Announces Major Paper Expansion

Charlotte, NC - National Gypsum Company, a manufacturer of gypsum wallboard, announced recently it plans to more than triple paper manufacturing capacity at its Oxford, AL plant. The expansion will include installing a state-of-the-art paper machine with a tentative startup in late-2009. The company said that it will invest approximately $115M in the project, bringing employment at the plant to 93.

The company also announced wallboard capacity expansions with new high-speed plants near Charlotte, NC, and Phoenix, AZ. The additional paper capacity will be needed to support these expansions. While the building is erected and the machine installed, National Gypsum will continue to produce paper on its existing equipment in Alabama.

The new three-ply paper fourdrinier machine will use state-of-the-art technology to produce a strong, yet light-weight sheet of paper. With the technology, less fiber is used to produce the sheet and, because of the reduced weight, the company can ship more paper per truck to its wallboard plants. The machine allows for efficient production of 54-inch paper as well as 48-inch paper. This project builds on the company's previous fourdrinier paper-making experience at its Pryor, OK plant.

National Gypsum operates four paper mills, recycling 100 percent waste paper to produce the facing paper for its gypsum wallboard. The company is believed to be one of the largest waste paper recyclers in the nation.

SOURCE: National Gypsum Company