The client’s need
A greenfield investor set out to manufacture gypsum board locally instead of relying on imported board. The project needed one complete line covering every stage — from raw gypsum calcination through to finished, packed boards.
Scope of supply
Process chain: fluidised-bed calcination → slurry mixing and forming → setting → 3–4 deck roller dryer (30–40 m) → edge trimming → stacking and packing.
| Line design basis | Value |
| Board thickness | 6–25 mm (12 mm basis) |
| Forming line speed | 12–15 m/min (1.2 m board width) |
| Operating basis | 300 days/year, two 8-hour shifts, approx. 4,800 h/year |
| Gypsum powder | 7.0 kg/m², approx. 21,000 t/year |
| Facing paper | 0.45 kg/m², approx. 1,350 t/year |
| Installed power | 600–800 kW; 1.4–1.8 million kWh/year |
| Natural gas | 1.5–2.0 million m³/year |
| Staffing | 30–50 people |
We sourced the full process line; the client fabricated basic welded steelwork locally to reduce cost.
Process sections, consumption per m², energy, building size and timeline for lines like this one are set out on our gypsum board production line page.
Our role
- Plant layout planning
- Civil works drawings issued within one week of contract
- Combined bulk-vessel and container shipment
- Installation over 6 weeks, with 3–4 of our engineers on site
- Commissioning (1 week) and operator training (1 week)
- Formulation and process consulting
Challenges and how we solved them
| Challenge | How we solved it |
| A tight schedule, with several process parameter choices still open | We visited established gypsum board plants in China, documented their process set-ups, and used these references to help the client finalise the configuration. |
| Engineer visas delayed | We guided the client remotely to complete the foundations and other civil works and to prepare all materials in advance, so installation started as soon as our engineers arrived. |
Results
- Design capacity reached about three and a half months after start-up
- Current product quality pass rate of around 95%
- The client later referred another customer to us for a refractory production line