Veidekke invests in concrete

It has been reported that Skanska Asfalt’s Mats Rönnbo has written to Norway’s public road organisation Statens Vegvesen claiming that NCC and Veidekke are operating a price fixing cartel for asphalt. Rönnbo is understood to have looked into the offers of NCC and Veidekke concluded that they make higher offers where there is no competition and give offers below the cost price on stretches where there is competition from other players. Veidekke and NCC are about to win 75% of the offers for this year's contr

Kolo Veidekke's former regional director for Central Norway has admitted to a Norwegian newspaper to collaborating on pricing of asphalt with competitor NCC between 1996 and 2009. The ex-employee has said that the two companies discussed pricing and divided the market between them to give Veidekke a two thirds share and NCC one third.He has claimed that the cartel was aimed at keeping others out of the market and maintaining an unnaturally high price and that this process was backed by Veidekke's management

Caterpillar is to spend at least £25million (€29.3million) on its Desford factory in County Leicestershire, England, over the next four years.

France-based VM Matériaux has announced that it is to merge its Préfa des Pays de Loire (PPL) and Vendée Béton businesses into the operation of the main group in order to improve operation of its concrete business and take advantage of synergies to reduce costs. The group currently holds stakes of 25% and 34%, respectively in PPL and Vendée Béton, with the balance owned by certain of the Group’s family shareholders. The two companies produced a combined turnover of €34.5million in 2009.