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A multi-million euro project to turn quarries into wildlife havens has been hailed by conservationists as a vital lifeline for nature. Restore, a project financed by the EU's Interreg IVB North-West Europe fund, will see €3.3 million spent on creating priority habitats, turning spent mineral extraction sites into reed beds, meadows, woodlands, and heathland. The extra funding comes as a host of sites across the UK have recently recorded species bouncing back as a result of restoration work. A variety of ins

FLSmidth has received an order from Indian cement manufacturer Orient Cement for the supply of main equipment for a greenfield plant in the state of Karnataka in southern India. The plant will have a capacity of 6,000tonnes/day, and the order is reportedly worth over DKK 200 million (€26.8 million). Under the agreement, the order covers engineering and supply of main equipment from limestone crusher to packing plant.

Global economic growth in the first half of 2013 was weaker than foreseen, says Holcim in its first-half results for 2013. Construction activity was hurt by the severe winter as well as the bad weather encountered in many regions, and demand fell short of expectations particularly in India, Canada, Mexico and Morocco. By contrast, the economic climate was significantly better in the Philippines and Ecuador, among other markets. Holcim succeeded in increasing group net income and cash flow from operating act

The first Hitachi ZW-5 wheeled loader in Europe has been delivered to Norwegian company. Farbu & Gausen, which specialises in road and railway construction projects, and electricity contracts on a national basis. The new ZW220-5 has already been dispatched to a limestone quarry that its owner rents from Hall Farm, close to its base at Kjerknesvågen, located along the Trondheimsfjord on the Inderøy peninsula.

Rocamat, the French limestone, marble and tile specialist, posted an 8.5% increase in turnover in H1 2013 to €41.2 million, compared to the same period of 2012. Billing for two large projects boosted sales by 44.5%. French sales rose 3% despite the unfavourable environment. Its North American subsidiary Polycor saw sales grow 22%, while its non Polycor activities posted growth of 1.6%, largely due to lower exports to China and the UK. North American growth is expected to continue into the second half of the

Towards a competitive industrial production for Europe is the title of the conference of the construction equipment and agricultural machinery industry in Brussels, Belgium, on 16 October, 2013. Every two years the CECE-CEMA Summit provides a platform for business leaders of the sector to meet and discuss industry matters with representatives of the European institutions. This year’s event will take place in the political heart of the EU, directly within the European Parliament. Ms Amalia Sartori , Member

SreeJayajothi Cements of India has been acquired by CRH of Ireland for INR 14 billion (€172.44 million) through joint venture with My Home Industries. The Indian cement company is a subsidiary of Shriram Group. SreeJayajothi Cements would use money generated from the deal to retire close to INR 9 billion debt and the remaining would be shared by the Jayavilas Group and Shriram Group. The acquisition of SreeJayajothi Cements allows Shriram Group and Jayavilas Group to completely exit the former. Jayavilas Gr

The precast concrete element production plant of Max Bögl in Sengenthal, Germany, has been awarded a contract worth around €80 million from the ATCOST21 working group for the production of 53,620 tunnel lining elements for the planned Fildertunnel railway tunnel that will be part of the Stuttgart-Wendlingen railway line. The contract is the biggest individual contract in the plant's history. The Max Bögl plant will produce the precast concrete elements for the Fildertunnel railway tunnel from spring 2014 un

A new range of ready-mixed concretes has been launched by British independent concrete supplier, Hope Construction Materials. HOPEFlow is a suite of high-performance, self-compacting concretes and flowing screeds that can be placed in a fraction of the time of conventional concrete, says the company. The product also provides a high-quality surface finish that requires little or no further remedial work. The range, which is available nationwide, is said to be ideal for any situation where conventional concr

According to Peterburgskaya Nedvizhimost, cellular concrete houses account for 22% of all houses in the Leningrad region's country settlements. Panel structures account for 10%; brick houses for 7%, and houses built under cast-in-place technology for 3%. Some 45% of settlements use several types of materials. Houses made from expanded concrete cost RUB 20,000 (€455.21) per m²; houses made from foam concrete cost about RUB 50,000 per m² and brick houses cost RUB 100,000 per m².

Researchers at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) in Spain and the University of São Paulo in Brazil have developed a new construction material which incorporates green coconut fibres, ash from the rice husk and cellulose pulp into conventional Portland cement. The material has been developed with usage in low cost housing construction in mind, although it could be used for any type of construction. It is said to be an alternative to traditional cement but is more sustainable and is cheaper. It al