Features

Long term partnering between Tarmac and a local wildlife trust to plan the restoration of lound gravel pits is believed to be the key to the success of the project.
Success in terms of quarry restoration goes far beyond returning the site to a safe state these days and is defined more in terms of biodiversity, stakeholder partnership and community involvement. When it came to returning Tarmac's Lound gravel pits in Nottinghamshire, UK back to nature, the focus was very much on the more modern approach.

Lack of geologiclal resources means that the aggregates market in the netherlands reLies on recycling and imports to meet national demand. Julie-anne ryan reports. What marks the Dutch aggregates market out from others in Europe is the paucity of naturally occurring geological resources, and thus the reliance on imports and recycling.

The European commission has recently published a number of documents that will affect the aggregates sector. The European Aggregates Association (UEPG) summarises the key events. European politics covers a wide range of issues but the minerals industry has been in the spotlight in several recent publications and communications

Efforts to improve energy efficiency in any quarry will be furthered by a new EU-funded project now underway. Claire Symes met with the EE-Quarry project leader Antonio Barona to find out more. When you think of energy efficiency and quarries, you might not link these thoughts with an office block in a newly built district on the northern edge of the Spanish city of Madrid.

Demand for aggregates in Hungary has dropped dramatically in recent years. Julie-Anne Ryan reports. The aggregates market in the small, land-locked central European republic of Hungary has dropped markedly in the last few years along with so many others worldwide. Figures show that it's back to where it was 20 years ago, despite being double that size as recently as 2005 - a surge in construction projects around that time clearly couldn't be sustained.

Atlas Copco became the latest company to move into the mobile crushing market last year with the acquisition of Hartl Anlagenbau. Claire Symes spoke to Bo-Göran Johansson about the new strategy and market prospects. Many quarry operators prefer to use single suppliers wherever possible for construction equipment these days as it can help ease maintenance and repair issues, as well as simplify on-site use for operators. In recent years this has seen OEMs extend their product ranges but the trend is also bein

Wakoz's newest quarry is producing top quality aggregates for major road construction work in Gdansk following investment in washing facilities. Claire Symes visited the quarry in Poland to find out more. Visitors arriving at Wakoz Beton's Glazica sand quarry in Poland for the first time may mistake the peacefulness of the site for inactivity and low productivity. However, first perceptions belie the level of activity at the site which is producing high quality

Improving and promoting sustainability is a key task for the aggregates industry, according to Cemex's new president for global energy and sustainability ignacio madridejos. Claire Symes reports. The days when the involvement of companies producing aggregates in the materials ended when the material left the quarry gates, or when the last reserves are exhausted, are over. Today's quarry operators take a much more holistic view of the sector and get involved at local level with communities and with customers