Features

In 2011, Metso installed a comprehensive aggregates processing plant for major customer Famy at the company’s Lancrans quarry in east-central France. Guy Woodford reports on the wide-ranging impact of this significant project within the European quarrying sector. The LD30120 aggregate washing barrel equipped with simple flux technology installed by Metso at Famy’s Lancrans quarry is one of only 12 operating in France. It is also one of 231 washing barrels installed by Metso globally - 134 fitted with

Kenyan construction firms are struggling to survive after Chinese rivals entered the domestic market. Is this a long-term issue and does it have more wide-reaching implications for the East African construction sector as a whole? Shadrack Kavilu reports. Kenyan construction firms are raising alarm over the entry of state-funded Chinese engineering firms in to the private domestic construction sector. China’s increasing influence on infrastructure in East Africa has undoubtedly helped governments improve

Volvo Construction Equipment articulated dump trucks can be seen at many quarries and aggregates processing plants in South Korea. Guy Woodford reports on one of the OEMs latest customer orders. Two new A45G haulers from Volvo Construction Equipment are working at a major new aggregates plant in Gimhae, South Korea, where the local area’s fast-growing industrial landscape means demand for building materials is on the up. One of South Korea’s biggest aggregate producers, Kyung Boo Corporation Inc., has

Adapting technology and updating existing designs is said to be helping to deliver significant savings for customers of leading equipment provider Weir Minerals. Following the recent launch of the manufacturer’s 2nd generation Warman WGR pump, Weir Minerals’ senior product manager for pumps, Harvinder Bhabra, discusses how the company is using its field expertise, research & development and manufacturing knowledge to provide customer-centric solutions that lower the total cost of ownership. The challenges

Moreton Cullimore, managing director of The Cullimore Group, discusses strategies to ensure quarry restoration schemes meet the UK’s biodiversity and housing challenges. As those of us who have been around in this industry for a long period of time understand, quarry management is today heavily regulated, and that includes strict guidelines especially around such aspects as the restoration and sustainability process. The truth of the matter is that the extraction of minerals from a quarry is only ever a

Atlas Copco SmartROC T45 rigs are proving their worth as premium hard-rock drilling machines in the stunning western Norwegian fjords. Andreas Høy Knudsen of Nyhetstjenester AS reports, accompanied by photographer Ole Henrik Kalviknes. Booming thunder cuts through the quiet fjordscape arriving in Jelsa, a small, picturesque community clinging to the shoreline in Ryfylke, western Norway. Cargo ships ploughing the dark fjord surface look like miniature models against the backdrop of giant wooded ranges. These

Automation in quarries is on the increase, and is said to help improve production while monitoring vital functions. Patrick Smith reports. An automation system in the primary crusher at Pedreira Guaravera, that is said to have increased production by 40%, has been implemented by Metso. It is also said to have eliminated bottlenecks in the crushing line and provided greater homogeneity in production as well as better control over the process. Situated in the north of Paraná state, Brazil, Pedreira Guaravera

A large open pit quarry near Nairobi is the scene of great activity thanks to Kenya’s building boom.
Shem Oirere reports. Kenya’s real estate sector has been on a growth path for the last three years with its contribution to the country’s gross domestic product rising to 8.8% in 2016, up from 7.2% in 2015, according to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. The sector’s growth has triggered a huge demand for building stones and expansion of small and medium quarry operations to supply the construction mate

Don’t destroy your business. Find out how to avoid the six deadly sins that will stunt your company's growth opportunities and destroy its profit margins. In this, the first of a series of articles that will run throughout the whole of next year, Barry Hudson and his colleagues Julia Georgi, Jon Hill and Andy Smith have joined forces with Agg-Intel to outline a series of practical tips on how to be better. They have identified six key areas of change that will drive up the value of your company. Focus, they