News

Northern Ireland-based materials washing and classification equipment manufacturer CDE Global has revealed plans to invest in building a new, multi-million pound state-of-the-art office complex at its headquarters in Cookstown.

The new office development which will house 400 people has received planning permission and is expected to begin construction in February 2017, with a view to being completed within 18 months.

In April 2016, the company committed to creating 110 new jobs over the next six yea

Celebrating a century since its foundation, the UK’s Institute of Quarrying (IQ) is marking its hundredth year with a series of high profile member and public events designed to share the essential role the sector fulfils in our everyday lives.

Against the backdrop of World War I, four quarry workers in Wales laid the foundations for a professional body to represent and support individuals working in the mineral extractives sector. One hundred years on, IQ is now a global network with over 5,000 membe

Tommi Lehtonen has been appointed Finland-headquartered Robit's new vice president Down-the-Hole business unit.

Lehtonen will take on his duties at the end of April 2017 having made a long career by acting in several business and sales management positions in Metso, both in Finland and abroad in countries including USA and France.

Robit manufactures high quality top hammer products for rock drilling and casing systems for ground drilling.

The decision of the Welsh Government to close the Aggregates Levy Fund (ALF) has been greeted with regret by MPA (Mineral Products Association) Wales. The move also marks the end of community and environmental benefits associated with the Levy across the whole of the UK.

When the Levy was introduced in 2002 it was intended that around 10% a year of Levy revenue would be spent on a variety of community and environmental projects as a means to deliver environmental improvement across the sector, and refl

Hanson is implementing a £25 million (€29.06 million) 7-year project at Ribblesdale cement works in Clitheroe, Lancashire, North West England to improve production efficiency and emissions. In the first six months £11 million is being spent on improvements and maintenance to enable the plant to meet new dust emission regulations. This is the biggest investment programme since the 1990s and includes a £2 million replacement of the filters on two cement grinding plants.

The UK-based Institute of Quarrying (IQ) Academy’s latest addition to its growing portfolio of sector specific professional development is a new health and safety qualification.

The IQ Academy Level 3 Certificate in Safety, Health and Environmental Awareness for the Extractives and Mineral Processing Industries is targeted at upcoming managers and supervisors looking to develop their knowledge before progressing to a leadership role.

Julian Smallshaw, head of educational development, IQ, said: “Th

LafargeHolcim’s cement teams in Jordan have signed an agreement with Adenium Energy Capital to build the first solar power plant of its kind in the region. The plant will produce up to 25% of the needed electrical power to supply the Rashadiya cement plant.

The agreement represents a significant step forward in Jordan’s bid to fully embrace alternative energy. It’s also in line with the national Jordan strategy for renewable energy launched by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in 2015.

“Th

Tarmac’s Panshanger Park site in Hertfordshire, Southeast England recently hosted a group of arboriculture and forestry apprentices from Capel Manor College, to help the students gain practical experience and develop their skills as part of their course. Tarmac has formed a partnership with the college which illustrates the company’s commitment to stewardship credentials and training apprentices.

Having developed a strong relationship with the College in recent years, Tarmac offer a prize for best level

Atlas Copco’s latest high performance and fuel-efficient drill rigs for the quarrying and mining sectors will be showcased at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017 in Las Vegas, USA (7-11 March).

The SmartROC T40 is said by the Swedish manufacturer to offer up to a 50% reduction in fuel consumption compared to conventional rigs. The PowerROC T45, a robust drill rig for aggregate quarrying, will also be displayed at the construction and building materials’ production equipment sector showpiece. The PowerROC T45 features a

Tarmac is creating a new, simplified structure for its Aggregates and Asphalt (A&A) and Readymix (RMX) business units, which, the UK building materials sector giant says, will enhance customer experience. Three regions will be formed, each led by a managing director and a number of area directors, who will manage separate RMX and A&A activities within their territories. The changes ensure that the business continues to offer excellent service to all customers, through a more flexible, coordinated local appr

Mike Kerins is the new Mixing Division sales manager at the American subsidiary BHS-Sonthofen, based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

BHS-Sonthofen has appointed him to further strengthen the sales team, which has quadrupled the number of mixers installed in North America since 2011.

The company is now offering its customers the option to carry out material and field tests at their own facilities by providing laboratory mixers on a rental basis from the Charlotte location.

Kerins has over ten years of

JCB Design Engineer Holly Broadhurst is celebrating after being crowned the UK’s top Higher and Degree Apprentice. The 22-year-old from Leek, Staffordshire, beat off competition from hundreds of other contenders to land the accolade at the National Apprenticeships Awards in London.

Holly joined JCB as a Higher Apprentice aged 16 after studying at the JCB Academy in Rocester, Staffordshire. She went on to take a two year foundation degree before stuyding for two more years for a BEng degree in Mechanical