New quarrying plant & the aggregates paradox

It was great to see new quarrying equipment at the 427 Hillhead 2018 exhibition at 868 Tarmac’s Hillhead quarry, near Buxton in Derbyshire, England (26-28 June).

460 Sandvik’s strong show presence included the unveiling of the QE342, the latest in the Swedish global manufacturing giant’s long line of mobile screeners. Another standout Sandvik model was the exhibition-launched QH332 DDHS cone crusher, said by the OEM to be the ‘ultimate’ in tracked units.

Meanwhile, 6502 Terex Materials Processing had much that was new to shout about, including new models from the 447 Powerscreen, 668 Terex Finlay, Terex Minerals Processing Systems (Terex MPS), EvoQuip and 8561 Terex Washing Systems brands.

Powerscreen showcased, among other plant, the Premiertrak 600 jaw crusher with its “never-been-seen-before XL feeder designed for maximum strength, particularly for large quarrying applications where rock may be present and where large tonnages are required.”

Under the heading ’60 Years of Passion and Innovation’, Terex Finlay marked its 60th anniversary at Hillhead 2018 with a large model line-up, including the new compact and aggressive J-1160 jaw crusher.

Terex MPS’ new MC1000 cone crusher has an all-roller bearing design said to increase crushing capacity, with the model also being easy and quick to assemble, thanks to its modularity.

Having seen them working first-hand at an open day in Grantham, county Lincolnshire, England, it was no surprise that there was strong interest among Hillhead attendees in two prototypes from EvoQuip – the Cobra 290R impact crusher and Colt 1000 scalping screen.

In contrast to the compact yet highly productive EvoQuip model line-up, the Hillhead 2018-launched Aggwash 300 from Terex Washing Systems is a giant up-to-300tonnes/hour screening, scrubbing, sizing and sand recovery plant for recyclable aggregates, that runs on one modular chassis. The brand also showcased Aquaclear, Terex’s first water management treatment system, said to meet the growing need for water management due to new environmental legislation being introduced globally.

You can read all about these new quarrying models in more detail in this and future editions of Aggregates Business Europe.

What strikes me about the European and wider global aggregates sector is that it can be perceived as a paradox – a kind of wheeled loader half-full or half-empty, depending on your viewpoint.

Take the British aggregates sector, for example. Talking to a wide variety of quarrying OEMs at Hillhead 2018, there was a genuine sense of optimism about the sales opportunities within the UK. Paradoxically, a recent event in Helsinki, Finland, hosted by 4601 Euroconstruct, Europe’s leading construction market forecasting network, saw the network reporting a massive Brexit-linked crash in business confidence in the UK aggregates sector compared to the rest of Europe. It will certainly be fascinating to see the impact of Britain’s exit from the European Union on Friday 29 March 2019 on the European aggregates sector. “What’s that?” I hear you say. “Brexit may still not happen?” Dear readers, you may have a point when you consider the various political manoeuvrings, both at Westminster and in Brussels, during recent months.

I just want to end this comment piece by thanking Patrick Smith for all his advice and support during my highly enjoyable four years to date as Aggregates Business Europe editor. A former editor of this title, Patrick is retiring from his Aggregates Business executive editor role but will continue to work as a freelance contributor to both Aggregates Business Europe and its sister publication, Aggregates Business International. I’m very much looking forward to continuing our working relationship, but rest assured Patrick, your next assignment will not be as warm or comfortable as your early 2018 summer trip to Greece’s largest island, Crete, with 7482 BKT, the giant Indian global off-highway tyre manufacturer. Jealous? Hell, yes!