News

The British Aggregates Association (BAA) has won its latest legal battle against the Aggregates Levy and been awarded costs but an increase is still on the cards. The European Union General Court in Luxembourg decreed that the state aid-approval granted to the levy by the EU Commission in 2002 was illegal and annulled it. BAA lawyers Herbert Smith are studying the judgment and its implications in fine detail. Quarry operators who are concerned about how the judgment might affect them are advised to contact

Plans put forward by Hanson Aggregates to extract 1.5million tonnes of sand and gravel from a new quarry in Oxfordshire, UK are coming under scrutiny of a public inquiry that opened this week. Hanson’s proposals for the new quarry at Stonehenge Farm, near Northmoor were initially rejected by the county council but the plans are now subject to an inquiry following an appeal by the company. Local residents claimed the new development would cause traffic problems and increase flooding risk but the county counc

Despite a downturn in the market, Russia’s Eurocement has posted a net profit for 2009 after recording a small loss in 2008. The company has reported net profits of RUB781million (€19.8million) despite a fall in revenue to rUB36billion, compared to RUB62billion in 2008. The company produced 15.43million tonnes of cement in 2009 and currently has capacity to produce 38million tonnes per year.

Although cement demand in Poland fell by 17% in the first quarter of this year compared to 2009, market analysts are still confident of market growth in 2010. Sales in March were said to be up 11.1% year on year to 1.1million tonnes, which is claimed to indicate the recovery. Gorazdze Cement and Cementownia Ozarow are also reported to be investing in capacity expansion. The Polish cement association has predicted sales will grow by 5 to 8% for the whole year to reach 15.8million tonnes with a large boom exp

Ireland-based Healy Brothers concrete and quarry business has been bought out by Lagan but financial details of the deal have not been released. Lagan said that acquisition of the Cork-based Healy Brothers forms part of the company’s strategic development plan.

The Polish Government has revealed that there are 11 companies bidding to acquire Zlotoyja-based quarry business Kopalnie Surowcow Skalnych Zlotoryja. The companies, which include KGHM Ecoren, Basalt Minerals of Germany, Gorazdze Kruszywa, Cemex and Eurovia Polska, have been cleared to carry out due diligence for the takeover.

Cemex France is aiming to help speed up construction work on site with the launch of its new fast drying concrete product that is the result of a new generation of Cemex Admixtures. The company has said that the new Promptis material allows formwork to be stripped in just four hours, compared to 18 hours with conventional products.

It has been reported that Marwyn Materials – headed by former Aggregate Industries boss Peter Thom – has made an offer to Anglo American for Tarmac. The bid is for the company’s UK operations and is believed to be for around €4.5billion. Anglo has not commented on the offer.

Fines of €10million and €4.5million handed down to Lafarge Ciments and Vicat for cartel activity have been confirmed by the Paris Court of Appeal. The companies were fined for operating a price fixing system in Corsica, France.

Italcementi’s subsidiary Ciments Francais has reported that it has sold one of its Turkish operations to Limak Holding for €290million. The sale involves the transfer of Set Group Holding and does not include Ciment Francais’s other Turkey-based business Afyon Cimento.

Lemminkäinen has expanded its road construction business with the acquisition of a stake in fellow Finnish company Asfalt Remix. Lemminkäinen has bought a 75% share of the business with an option to acquire the remaining shareholding at a later date. Asfalt Remix specialises in the cold milling of asphalt pavements and Lemminkäinen has said that the acquisition fits with its strategy to expand its Nordic infrastructure construction business. No financial details of the deal have been released.

JCB used court orders in Germany to take action against three Asian manufacturers that were displaying copied equipment at the Bauma exhibition in Munich, Germany. As a result of the legal action, the machines were either removed from the show or concealed from view.