News

Cement consumption in the US is forecast to rise 8% year-on-year to 93 million tonnes in 2015 as growing job markets, greater consumer confidence, and higher construction spending take effect, says the Portland Cement Association (PCA).

The PCA believes low oil prices will provide an added financial stimulus to consumers and contractors, but warns that immediate cutbacks in the oil field are expected to offset any long-term gains in construction activity.

The Association expects housing starts to rise

New seasonally adjusted Mineral Products Association (MPA) figures have revealed an increase in UK aggregate sales in 2014 in the wake of greater construction activity. The MPA reports a 13.5% increase in crushed rock sales, while asphalt sales rose by 8.6%. Sand and gravel and ready-mixed concrete sales rose by 7.2% and 1.7% respectively, although sales of ready-mixed concrete are 30% below pre-recession levels.

Unacea says an encouraging rise in Italian construction equipment sales in 2014 does not negate the need to adopt its suggested measures to encourage healthy long-term demand.

Italian construction equipment market sales increased year-on-year by 11% in 2014, according to new data from the National Institute of Statistics (Istat), processed by Unacea, the leading trade association for Italian construction equipment manufacturers.

Within the overall Istat figures were 6,670 sales of earthmoving machin

The UK aggregates industry continues to be unable to replenish its production with new reserves.

In 2014, less than half of the aggregates extracted were replaced with consents for new reserves, according to BDS Marketing.

This is one of the conclusions from its analysis of planning applications and consents in the aggregates industry.

“Only five months’ of production were replenished last year. The situation was slightly better in sand and gravel. However, in crushed rock, just three months’ produ

A total of 68.5 million tonnes of cement were produced in Russia in 2014, up 3% on 2013, according to Rosstat. The output of mortar cement also grew by 14.5% to 4.2 million tonnes.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Ukraine cement and concrete output in 2014, excluding plants in Crimea and Sevastopol, totalled 8.63 million tonnes and 11.06 million tonnes respectively. The Gosstat figures represented a decline by 11.5% and 18.1%, compared with 2013.

Hydrema, the Danish owned, earthmoving equipment manufacturer, is celebrating 30 years of business in the UK from its base in Ripon, North Yorkshire, England.

Established in 1985, Hydrema (UK) Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hydrema A/S Denmark and has been supplying high quality earth moving equipment to plant hirers and contractors nationwide for the past three decades.

With a product range that includes a selection of wheeled excavators, articulated backhoe loaders and specialist vehicles for

Swedish concrete firm the Thomas Concrete Group (TCG) says 2015, its 60th Jubilee year, will be a key 12 months for implementing its growth strategy and enhancing profitability.

Founded in Karlstad, central Sweden, by Martin Thomas in 1955, and still owned by the Thomas family, TCG has grown substantially over the last 60 years and claims to be the largest independent supplier of ready-mixed concrete in Sweden, Poland and Germany, as well as in the US states of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina

O.G Kwon, the new chief executive of Hyundai Heavy Industries (Hyundai HI) South Korea, has talked about his aspirations for the globally renowned construction equipment manufacturer in 2015.

Speaking ahead of the INTERMAT 2015 exhibition being held in Paris, France, this April, Kwon said Hyundai HI faced a tough year in 2014 and he is anticipating an equally challenging 2015. This, he said, is largely down to the persisting global economic stagnation, plummeting oil prices and intensifying competition w

A new cohort of trainees has started at Cemex UK, bringing young people and new talent into the construction and building materials industry.

Six trainee quarry managers, three external candidates with engineering degrees, and three internal with relevant qualifications from within Cemex, have completed their business familiarisation programme and are about to start a six-week rotation programme visiting a key aggregate site each week.

Following the rotation the trainees will be based within a busine

CDE Global has added some experienced personnel to its team responsible for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region which the company says will allow for a greater regional focus within the area.

“There is huge potential for our equipment throughout the Middle East and Africa and our successes in the region to date are evidence of this. Our new team structure will allow us to meet the diverse demands throughout the region by providing in market representation from a highly qualified technical sales team,

Holcim and Lafarge have announced plans to sell €6.5 billion worth of assets to CRH as they continue to prepare for their merger.

The assets set to be snapped up by CRH include operations mainly in Europe, Canada, Brazil and the Philippines

Taken together, the assets being disposed under the terms of today’s announcement generated estimated 2014 sales of €5.2 billion, with an estimated 2014 operating EBITDA of €744 million.

"The projected transaction is a key step towards the creation of LafargeHo

Comer Industries closed 2014 with a consolidated turnover of €361 million - a growth of 6% on 2013. This result, the highest ever recorded by the Italian power transmission product manufacturer, was achieved despite the uncertainties of the markets and the first signs of crisis in the agricultural sector.

In the year just ended, Comer Industries completed the rebuilding of the Reggiolo industrial site affected by the earthquake in 2012. The new €12 million industrial complex covers more than 20,000m² of

CNH Industrial has posted a Q4 2014 revenue of €7.43 billion (US$8.4 billion) and full 2014 year revenue of €28.85 billion ($32.6 billion) – down on the €8.23 billion ($9.3 billion) and €29.91 billion ($33.8 billion) posted respectively for the same periods of 2013.

Further performance figures released by the globally renowned company, whose Construction Equipment division contains the highly successful Case Construction Equipment and New Holland Construction brands, show net sales of Industrial Activi

Komatsu posted gains in profit and sales during its fiscal third quarter (October 1 – December 31 2014) helped by a weakening yen against the US dollar and increased equipment sales in the Americas and Europe.

For the quarter, net sales achieved by the Japanese construction equipment manufacturing giant, second only to Caterpillar for global sales, increased 6.4% to US$4.2 billion. Profit in the quarter also rose 5.5% to $327.5 million.

Construction equipment sales in north and south America and Europ

Caterpillar has cut its 2015 profit outlook and warned the plunge in oil prices would hurt its energy equipment business, sending shares tumbling as much as 8%, Reuters news agency reports.

The US construction equipment manufacturing giant also posted a lower-than-expected quarterly profit. During Q4 2014, Caterpillar's energy business helped offset falling construction equipment sales and weakness in mining equipment orders due to lower copper, coal and iron ore prices.

Caterpillar said it expects on