Features

Hydraulic excavators are now the construction or quarry workhorse, but the concept took a while to catch on. Hydraulic excavators are now the most widely used of all off-highway machines but that the hydraulic excavator has become, effectively, ubiquitous is of note. The current generation of hydraulic excavators are descended from machines developed 60 or so years ago, which is a considerably shorter time than for other pieces of equipment, such as the bulldozer or grader.

JCB has now transferred excavator production in the UK to a new purpose-built £40million (€46million) heavy products factory outside Uttoxeter. The move ends 140 years of production at the old site in the town, which was formerly the home of Bamfords agricultural manufacturing business, but was taken over by JCB in 1989.

Calls for more flexible screening solutions and easier financing are helping to drive demand for mobile units. Claire Symes reports. Accurate screening is essential to ensure quarry products meet the ever tightening aggregate specifications in Europe and command the highest price in the market. But restrictions of capital investment over the last 18 months have made it difficult for quarries to upgrade their operations.

Need for higher breakout forces and limited working space is driving demand for larger excavators in European quarries. Claire Symes reports. While wheeled loaders can provide lower operating costs for face loading duties, narrow or high benches and need for greater breakout force mean that excavators are the best solution for some quarries.

Carbon footprint is more than just the latest 'in' business phrase, reducing carbon emissions is something contractors and clients are serious about achieving. Claire Symes looks at how the quarrying industry is helping. Greenhouse gas emissions created by the global construction sector are set to double over the next 20 years at current growth rates, according to the latest report from the United Nations. The report claims that if emissions remain unchecked as construction markets in Asia, Middle East and

Investing in new tyres is an expensive business but an offer of a guaranteed cost per tonne of operation convinced Stoneycombe Quarry to part with its cash. Claire Symes reports. While the time it takes to procure new tyres in Europe may no longer be an issue now the tyre shortage of recent years has been resolved, the high cost of replacement remains.

From December this year the new Machinery Directive will come into effect in Europe but what will it mean for the quarrying industry? Claire Symes reports. Improving health and safety is a top priority for the quarrying industry and safe equipment design has an important role to play in this area. New legislation can help drive improvements and, from December this year, the updated version of the Machinery Directive will come into force. But what exactly will the latest directive mean for the design of new

Unigran is investing in new equipment to meet demand from its Ukrainian Malin granite quarry. Rapidly rising demand for aggregates in the Ukraine has helped double production at Unigran's Malin quarry over the last six years to reach 2million m3 per year. The company is expecting calls for material from the granite quarry to continue rising and is investing in both new equipment and its workforce to meet this.

Aims to increase recycling rates in Europe are being supported by the European Recycled Aggregates Platform. Claire Symes reports on this initiative. Increasing rates of recycling across Europe is a key EU ambition but reaching the target of 70% may be a challenge for some member states. Supporting regulators, quarry producers and customers in achieving this goal is the main task of the European Recycled Aggregates Platform.