Opening its new £170m expanded and sustainable Siniat plasterboard manufacturing facility in Bristol, global construction products firm Etex says that the construction industry presents a “challenging context” in 2025 but that signs of growth were emerging following its major investment.
Speaking at the facility’s recent official opening, CEO of Etex Bernard Delvaux outline how the company’s biggest investment yet came in a “challenging context” in the construction industry, with demand having dropped by 30%-40% in some markets in 2024. However, he added that Etex had “proved resilient, and performed in line with our plans and previsions for the year.” This was the result of “a very proactive and detailed approach across several areas, particularly cost management to compensate inflation, energy cost reductions and an efficient purchasing strategy.”
The expanded manufacturing facility is zero waste to landfill and includes rainwater harvesting, and is thought to be Etex’s most efficient plasterboard production line in Europe in terms of “size, speed and complexity.” The capacity provided allows Siniat to produce over 98% of its portfolio of boards in the UK, meaning “significant carbon savings” on transport, while giving the company “greater flexibility” of supply.
John Sinfield, UK country manager for Etex, said that the new plant will mean that as the UK market improves, Siniat will be able to serve growing demand going forward, in its second largest global market: “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.”
Delvaux said that he believed the UK market had hit the “bottom” of its decline in construction volume in 2024, and was “now seeing slow growth.” He added that the firm’s Reimagin offsite panel division was seeing greater promotion as part of the company’s building products division, enabling Etex “combine products into solutions more and more.” He said they “wanted to do more modular, as it is the right way to integrate; customers ask us to provide ‘all the products,’ so we are giving them a ‘project,’ and doing more co-engineering with customers.”
However, John Sinfield added that he “still wasn’t convinced that volume housebuilding was the market for offsite construction,” due to there typically being “too much variation” currently in housebuilding.
The company is increasing its recycled gypsum content in Siniat boards, including 30% recycled boards at the Bristol plant; John Sinfield confirmed that “we will continue to work with our partners to push recycled content, but for us it’s business as usual.” The Ferrybridge plant is now producing boards which are 45% recycled.