Knauf

{{Short description|Building materials company}}

{{Infobox company

| name = Knauf Gips KG

| logo = KNAUF Logo 2024.svg

| logo_caption =

| logo_alt =

| type =

| industry = Building materials

| predecessor =

| founded = {{start date and age|1932}}

| founder =

| defunct =

| fate =

| successor =

| hq_location_city = Iphofen

| hq_location_country = Germany

| area_served =

| key_people =

| products =

| owner =

| locations = 150

| num_locations_year = 2012

| num_employees =

| num_employees_year =

| parent =

| subsid = {{ubl

| Knauf Insulation

| USG Corporation

}}

| website = {{URL|knauf.com}}

}}

Knauf Group is a multinational, family-owned company based in Iphofen, Germany, well known for drywall gypsum boards, founded in 1932. The company is a producer of building materials and construction systems comprising construction materials for drywall construction, plasterboard, cement boards, mineral fibre acoustic boards, dry mortars with gypsum for internal plaster and cement-based external plaster and insulating materials; glass wool, stone wool and other insulation materials under the company Knauf Insulation.

It has more than 150 production sites worldwide.{{cite web|url=http://www.knauf.com/?diac=a4038bc6f1a58b88d4390436906dbfed&lang=EN# |title=Knauf site |publisher=Knauf.com |date= |accessdate=2012-02-23}} It is one of the six producers which hold approximately 81% of

the worldwide wallboard market (Georgia Pacific, Knauf,

Siniat, National Gypsum Company, Saint-Gobain, and Yoshino Gypsum Co., Ltd).{{Cite web |url=http://www.lafarge-alternative-search.com/mode%3Dcache%26query%3Dwww.lafarge.com/04022008-Activities-Details_gypsum_business-en.pdf |title=Lafarge Annual Report 2007 |access-date=2020-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713181105/http://www.lafarge-alternative-search.com/mode%3Dcache%26query%3Dwww.lafarge.com/04022008-Activities-Details_gypsum_business-en.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-13 |url-status=dead }}

In June 2018, USG entered into an agreement to be purchased by Knauf. It operates as an independent subsidiary of Knauf and continues to remain headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.{{cite press release|author= |title= Knauf and USG Agree to Transaction at $44 Per Share in Cash|url= http://investor.usg.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=115117&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2354003|location= Iphofen, Germany and Chicago|publisher= Knauf/USG|agency= Business Wire|date= June 11, 2018}}{{Dead link|date=September 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The deal closed in April 2019.{{cite press release|author= |title= Knauf Completes Acquisition of USG Corporation|url= http://investor.usg.com/news-releases/news-release-details/knauf-completes-acquisition-usg-corporation|location= Iphofen, Germany and Chicago|publisher= Knauf/USG|agency= Business Wire|date= April 24, 2019|access-date= June 15, 2019|archive-date= June 1, 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190601011114/http://investor.usg.com/news-releases/news-release-details/knauf-completes-acquisition-usg-corporation|url-status= dead}}

In 2022, after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, Yale University published a list of companies that chose to remain active in Russia. According to this report, over 600 companies have withdrawn from Russia — but some remain. Knauf is still operating across 14 sites in Russia but has claimed to have suspended new investments.{{Cite web |title=Over 600 Companies Have Withdrawn from Russia—But Some Remain {{!}} Yale School of Management |url=https://som.yale.edu/story/2022/over-600-companies-have-withdrawn-russia-some-remain |access-date=2022-04-10 |website=som.yale.edu |language=en}}

In November 2023 Ukraine listed Knauf as an International Sponsor of War for promoting mobilisation in Russia by sending its employees to the war against Ukraine.{{cite web |title=Ukraine adds German Knauf to list of war sponsors |url=https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-economy/3790732-ukraine-adds-german-knauf-to-list-of-war-sponsors.html |date=24 November 2023}}

According to German public-service broadcaster ARD, Knauf has been active in collaborating with the Russian military in its construction efforts in the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.{{cite web |title=Putins Helfer |url=https://www.tagesschau.de/investigativ/monitor/ukraine-mariupol-wiederaufbau-russland-100.html |date=3 April 2024}}{{cite web |title=German firms help 'rebuild' Russian-occupied Mariupol: report |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240404-german-firms-help-rebuild-russian-occupied-mariupol-report |date=4 April 2024}}