News

During National Apprenticeship Week (5-9 March), MPQC apprentices are working with Mates in Mind, the UK mental health charity, as part of a bid to change mental health attitudes within the British extractives industry.

More than half of the workforce in the extractives sector is over 45, and male workers represent 90% of all employees. According to Mates in Mind, suicide is the leading cause of death for men under 50, and those working in construction as a whole are at three times greater risk than the

CDE has purchased Caterpillar NI’s manufacturing facility in Monkstown, Northern Ireland, as Caterpillar NI continues the relocation of operations from Monkstown to their Larne facility. Headquartered in Cookstown, Northern Ireland, CDE, a leading supplier of washing plants for the world’s quarrying and mining industries, will take possession of the Monkstown building this September. The company plan to install the latest fabrication and painting equipment required to build the components necessary for

Koidu-based Meya Mining is employing and training local operators, helping to improve international perceptions of Sierra Leone’s diamond trade.

To say that Sierra Leone is rich in resources would be an understatement. Rutile, bauxite, gold and iron ore all number among the country’s abundant minerals. However, it’s diamonds the country is most famous for. Since diamonds first became a girl’s best friend in the early 1930s, it is estimated that Sierra Leone has produced over 500 million carats (100 tonne

At the start of the UK’s National Apprenticeship Week, Tarmac is set to offer 100 new apprenticeships as part of its 2018 programme. The pledge is part of a major corporate commitment to helping British construction develop a talented, diverse and highly-skilled workforce. The company, a leading UK supplier of construction products and solutions, will recruit apprentices from across Britain. It is offering roles ranging from HR commercial and general management through to mechanical and electrical

The next edition of SAMoTer, the triennial international trade fair dedicated to the world of construction equipment, in 2020 will be held a month later than usual, following discussions between exhibitors and event organisers. The exhibition will next be staged at the Verona Exhibition Centre in Verona, Italy, 22-25 March 2020 (rather than 22-25 February), from a Sunday to a Wednesday. This will follow an invitation-only preview on Saturday 21 March exclusively for the trade media and the top clients of

LafargeHolcim, one of the world’s biggest building materials groups, today launched a new five-year strategy targeting annual sales growth of 3 to 5%. Jan Jenisch, the French-Swiss giant’s new chief executive, said the strategy would revitalise the world’s biggest cement group by allowing it to grow faster than the overall market, whilst chopping costs. Other key targets in the strategy are Group recurring EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) growth of at least 5%/year,

ALLU, the Finnish global market crushing and screening bucket attachment specialist, has appointed Jeroen Hinnen as its new vice president of sales. The new role is seen as a key development in helping continue ALLU continue its impressive global growth. The last two years have seen rising sales of ALLU’s Transformer and Processor attachments, creating a healthy customer portfolio for Netherlands-born Hinnen to build on. He brings a wealth of sales and business development experience to his new role

UK construction and earthmoving equipment sales were up in the fourth quarter of 2017 and for the full calendar year, reports the CEA (Construction Equipment Association). In Q4 2017, the market grew by 7.4% compared with the same period in 2016. This took total growth for the year to 7.6% compared with 2016, reaching approximately 30,000 units for the year, according to the UK equipment statistics exchange*. Equipment sales in the UK market continued to show a distinctive seasonal pattern in 2017

CRH chief executive, Albert Manifold, believes 2018 will be a year of continued growth for the Irish global heavyweight building materials Group, following rising profits and sales in 2017.

Sales of €27.6 billion for CRH in 2017 represented a 2% rise on 2016. Group EBITDA was also up 6% to €3.3 billion, while the EBITDA margin of 12%, was up from 11.5% in 2016. CRH recorded a 2017 cash inflow of €2.2 billion from operating activities.

“2017 was a year of continued profit growth for CRH,” says Manifold

The Mineral Products Association (MPA) has set out proposals for a new Aggregates Levy Community Fund (ALCF) to be introduced in England in April 2020.

Proposals for the ALCF will build on the legacy of the previous Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF), but at a lower cost. The MPA proposal would see 8p per tonne - or 4% - of Aggregates Levy revenue being allocated to the new ALCF to fund local community projects and biodiversity and nature conservation projects. It would mean that an aggregates qu

Tarmac, a leading UK sustainable building materials and construction solutions business, has so far taken on 45 former Carillion employees, including two apprentices. All of the new employees were previously working on Carillion/Tarmac joint venture highways projects including the Finningley and Rossington Regeneration Route Scheme, A50 Growth Corridor and the Eastern Highways Alliance. These schemes are ongoing and are being delivered by Tarmac and its supply chain partners. Tarmac’s efforts to support

Metso continues to strengthen its North American aggregates distributor network with the recent addition of Kelly Tractor Co. based in Miami, Florida. Kelly Tractor Co. is now the exclusive distributor of Metso's mobile and stationary crushing and screening products in South Florida, with locations in Miami, Davie, West Palm Beach, Clewiston and Ft. Myers. Kelly Tractor Co. will rent and sell Metso equipment, and provide spares, wears and services to existing Metso customers. Since 1933, Kelly Tractor Co