Quarry Products

Detailed technical documents for the delivery of the Mikhailovsky Limestone Plant in Russia are reported to be nearing completion.

The ProLime company project will take five years to deliver, with the first phase involving the construction of a plant worth €54.19 million (RUB 4.1 billion). On its completion, limestone extraction will total 1.472 million tonnes/year, lime production will amount to 360,000 tonnes/year, and aggregate production estimated at 270,000 tonnes/year.

ERMCO, the European Ready-Mixed Concrete Organisation, will hold its 17th Congress and Symposium on 4-5 June 2015 in Istanbul, Turkey.

More than 80 Technical papers have been submitted from all over the world on the themes of sustainability; contribution of concrete to society; advances in concrete production and use; and marketing and management, topics which should be of general interest to professionals in all sectors of the concrete industry.

The Turkish Ready-Mixed Concrete Organisation, THB

Mexican building materials giant Cemex achieved a 6% year-on-year rise net sales growth in 2014 to US$15.7 billion, and a 5% year-on-year rise in Q4 2014 sales to $3.8 billion.

EBITDA also increased year-on-year by an impressive 16% during the fourth quarter of 2014 to $701 million, and increased 6% for the full year to $2.7 billion, compared to full year 2013.

Commenting on the results, Cemex said that the increases in consolidated net sales were due to higher prices of its products, in local currenc

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.

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.

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

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

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