Features

Aggregate prices seem to be stable in Europe despite the financial crisis of the last year. Claire Symes talks to Metso Minerals' Luis Santos about the impact. Previous recessions and lower volume demand has triggered close competition on aggregates prices but the most recent economic slowdown does not appear to have followed this pattern.

Not all water protection schemes involve protecting the environment from quarrying activity - at Cemex's Attenborough Lakes it was the other way around. Much of the focus on water protection in quarries is rightly on minimising water use and preventing sediment-rich water flowing untreated into watercourses. But for some sites restoration efforts mean that water within quarry operations needs to be sheltered from the outside environment.

Cemex UK understands this concept well and has been working to prot

Pressure on water supply and lack of space on site means filter presses are becoming ever more common in European quarries. Water is a difficult issue for many quarries - either they are too remote to tap into the mains supply or, if they can, it is just too expensive. Add into this the need to treat before using it on site or returning it to the open environment, and quarry operations are facing a significant challenge.

It is for this reason that ever increasing numbers of quarries - both new and old

Europe is starting to look closer to home for essential raw materials as globalisation creates fierce competition for non-energy commodities. Robert Camp looks at the issues and opportunities. By the end of this year the European Commission is expected to have finalised a new strategy to ensure that European industries get better access to raw materials. The strategy was developed to address global resource scarcity as the world's population increases and emerging economies soak up ever increasing amounts o

The newly formed Bulgarian Association of Producers of Inert Materials looks set to become the latest member of the European Aggregates Association. Bulgaria is one of the most recent countries to join the European Union with accession in 2007 and has benefitted from closer relations with other countries within the region. Now its aggregates association is also planning to give its members a more pan-European outlook through its application to join the European Aggregates Association (UEPG).

Volvo is reorganising its business to focus on customer segments rather than product lines. Claire Symes spoke to David Nus, the man charged with leading the quarrying business. Quarrying has always been a key industry for Volvo Construction Equipment but now the company has restructured to provide customers with a better service. Previously the company centred around factories and product lines but now it has teams to look at the applications those machines are used in.

Heading up the global customer so

Reaching the end of reserves in a family-owned quarry operation is normally a time to wind down, but swiss-based Carriers De Lessus has found new opportunities for Its final years. Consolidation in Europe's quarrying business means that many familyowned operations are now in the hands of multi-national corporations. But there are still some thriving locallycontrolled businesses, which continue to enjoy success despite the difficulty to expand and access new reserves.

Aggregates are more a way of life than just a career for Nigel Jackson. Claire Symes met him to talk about his role as chairman of the UK's CBI Minerals Group. The UK consumes around 350million tonnes of non-energy minerals each year and the task of representing this sector falls to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Minerals Group. This self-funding organisation is led by chairman Nigel Jackson, who is determined to take the message about the need for minerals to a wider audience.
"The CBI Mine

The wheeled loader has become a key tool for the quarry sector, whether for loading haul trucks or in-pit crushers and for stocking duties. Mike Woof looks at the development. Highly versatile and mobile, the wheeled loader has become an important machine in the quarrying industry.

The first wheeled loaders were developed in the 1920s and were based on agricultural tractors, with these machines being used mainly on construction sites or for stocking and handling materials. Many of these crudely converted

Growth in marine conservation areas across Europe means it is more important than ever that the marine aggregates sector makes its voice heard, according to Robert Camp. Marine conservation is quickly becoming the new battleground when it comes to striking a balance between the environment and the aggregates industry.

To understand what's driving this debate, we have to go back to 1992 when EU governments adopted legislation designed to protect the most seriously threatened habitats and species across

Steinbeis Papier Glückstadt is investing in a state-of-the-art industrial power plant in Germany and using some hi-tech ready mixed concrete to meet the demands of the project. More than 6500m3 of ready mixed concrete is being used to build the new power generation plant in Glückstadt

Energy supply is a challenging issue for modern industry and one paper manufacturer is building its own energy generation plant with combined heat and power (CHP) in a bid to become independent. But taking this step at t