| CHICAGO -- United States Gypsum Company, the company that invented drywall and transformed how the nation's homes and commercial buildings were built during the 20th century, celebrated its 100th anniversary on May 24, 2002.
"This is truly a special day for United States Gypsum Company," said William C. Foote, chairman, president and chief executive officer of USG Corporation. "Not too many businesses are successful enough to last for 100 years . . . and those that do invariably excel in product innovation, quality and customer service. U.S. Gypsum Company is certainly a leader in all those areas."
Added Foote, "Our success is a tribute to the tens of thousands of people who have been a part of U.S. Gypsum over the past 100 years. They had the vision, strength and determination not only to create a great enterprise, but to positively impact how virtually every home and building in the country is designed and constructed. Other American businesses have celebrated centennials, but very few have consistently led their industries from day one as U.S. Gypsum has."
The company, which introduced SHEETROCK(R) Brand Gypsum Panels and dozens of other innovative construction products and systems throughout the 20th century, was founded in 1902 in Chicago when a consortium of independent gypsum producers consolidated operations to improve manufacturing efficiencies and enhance product development capabilities.
One hundred years later, U.S. Gypsum operates 21 wallboard manufacturing plants, 13 joint treatment manufacturing facilities, seven paper mills, and nine gypsum mines and quarries in the United States.
The company patented the world's first drywall panel - the SHEETROCK Brand panel - in 1917. Following years of refinement, these gypsum panels revolutionized home building techniques during the 1940s and 1950s by providing an economical alternative to conventional plaster wall construction. Their development enabled builders to meet an unprecedented demand for new, affordable homes during the post-World War II housing boom.
In the ensuing years, United States Gypsum Company extended the use of drywall to commercial construction. It created the first fire-rated gypsum panel, SHEETROCK Brand Gypsum Panels, FIRECODE(R) Core, and developed the first steel-framed drywall system to meet commercial construction building standards.
Today, United States Gypsum Company is the nation's leading producer of gypsum board panels. In 2001, the company's 21 U.S. wallboard manufacturing facilities produced nearly 10 billion square feet of SHEETROCK Brand Gypsum Panels, or enough drywall to build 1.2 million average-sized homes (2,266 square feet each).
Since 1917, the company has produced enough wallboard to build more than 36 million average-sized homes. Laid end to end, this drywall would stretch to the moon and back 29 times; would wrap around the earth's equator 551 times; would fill the Sears Tower 224 times; and would cover the surface of Lake Erie.
But gypsum board and related construction products are just one facet of the U.S. Gypsum story. Throughout its history, the company has also been an industry leader in safety, innovation, efficiency and customer service.
The Mining Safety and Health Administration has named U.S. Gypsum the winner of its "Sentinel of Safety" award 15 times - more than any other manufacturer. Overall, the company's safety record is twice as good as the gypsum industry average.
U.S. Gypsum's reputation as a construction industry innovator is also unrivaled. The systems and technologies developed by the company have resulted in safer, stronger, more attractive and more economical construction methods.
Among other highlights, U.S. Gypsum created the first gypsum-based cavity shaft wall system, which facilitated the construction of many of the world's tallest buildings, including the Sears Tower in Chicago. It also pioneered the development of fire-tested wall and ceiling assembly designs, and revolutionized wet-area tile construction through the introduction of DUROCK(R) Brand Cement Board and related system components.
Most recently, the company developed a family of gypsum fiber panels that is redefining performance parameters for exterior sheathings, floor underlayments and abuse-resistant walls.
The company's state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities are highly efficient and environmentally friendly. Overall, nearly one-third of U.S. Gypsum's wallboard is made from recycled materials, and approximately 95 percent of the raw materials entering the company's drywall manufacturing facilities leave as finished product.
"The core values underlying U.S. Gypsum's success - concern for our employees, dedication to our customers, manufacturing excellence and an unrelenting focus on product innovation and quality - have served us exceptionally well," said Foote. "And those values will help make our next century of business just as innovative, exciting and productive as the first one."
U.S. Gypsum and other USG Corporation subsidiary operations USG Interiors, Inc. and L&W Supply Corporation together comprise the leading walls, ceilings and substrates business in the nation. USG Corporation is a Fortune 500 company with subsidiaries that are market leaders in their key product groups: gypsum wallboard, joint compound and related gypsum products; cement board; gypsum fiber panels; ceiling panels and grid; and building products distribution. For more information about USG, visit the USG Web site at http://www.usg.com.
This eUpdate posting by: Steve Joyce
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