Features

Automatic dispatch systems have the potential to replace paper-based systems to improve efficiency. ABE reports on a new system recently installed for the Arabian Cement Company. Demand for construction materials in Saudi Arabia has led to the Arabian Cement Company investing in a sixth production line at its Rabigh plant in Jeddah. But the new system will deliver more than just extra capacity, the systems being installed by contractor FLS Automation will improve productivity at all stages, including disp

The economic crisis may have helped end the tyre shortage but what impact has the shortage had on tyre use in Europe. Claire Symes reports. "It Is Important to have the premIum new tyres back In the market as It gIve us premIum casIngs for retreadIng"

Coastal defence work is a race against the changing tides, requiring heavyweight engineering answers and on-site technical support, as well as high quality materials Rising sea levels mean that coastal defence schemes are becoming increasingly important to many seaside towns and villages. While the technology to track the rate of change in sea levels is advancing, so are the materials to provide the engineering solutions.

In the UK, a £7.7million (€8.9million) project is underway to protect up to 10,5

Ensuring contractor competence has always been key to reducing accidents but is not always easy to do. ABE takes a look at the passport scheme used in the UK. Reducing accidents is a target for the whole European quarrying industry and many companies have implemented initiatives and employee training to minimise risks. But significant numbers of aggregates operations rely on contractors for a whole variety of quarry tasks and ensuring this group has sufficient training and knowledge is a difficult challenge

Delivery of a three stage mobile crushing and screening plant is a logistical challenge, but one powerscreen Dealer semc hardware recently completed this in South America. Getting new equipment to the quarry site can always be a logistical challenge and often involves final assembly of equipment on site. But one recent delivery of a new crushing and screening plant to a quarry in the South American jungle brought an even larger range of challenges

One of Poland's leading quarry operators was one of the smallest when it became the country's first Privately owned aggregates business. Claire Symes visited the site to find out about this rapid growth. Like all Polish quarries Kopalnie Dolomitu was once state owned but the company made history when it became the first privately operated quarry business in 1996. Since then, managing director Longin Bokwa has steered the company through rapid growth and investment.

Aggregate washing is helping quarries in Europe to improve the quality of end products and add value. Claire Symes looks at the technological developments. Stricter aggregates specifications and the need to make the best use of all extracted material is driving greater use of washing equipment. But the latest technology means that this growth does not have to significantly impact on energy or water consumption.

When the time came to change its old static crushing plant, one scottish quarry decided to go mobile and bought an entirely neW system. Patrick Smith reports

Conveyors have always played a key role in quarry operations but new developments are improving their potential to boost productivity. High fuel costs were driving more quarries to consider conveyors as an alternative hauling option in many quarries in Europe. But conveyors can also offer benefits when it comes to stockpiling and the latest developments have extended the advantages to mobile machines.

Ireland-based Telestack has introduced a new range of high capacity mobile stockpiling conveyors to th

With a history already spanning 10 decades, one UK sand quarry is on the verge of securing its future for another 20 years. Claire Symes reports. Drive through the outskirts of the Kent town of Sevenoaks in the UK and your eye is caught by the distant North Downs, but the town is also home to one of the south east's largest sand quarries. Nestled out of sight is Tarmac's Sevenoaks Quarry which quietly produces 300,000tonnes of high quality sand for the London construction market each year.

The quarry has