Quarry Products

The Algerian branch of French construction materials group Lafarge and the Mohamed Boudiaf university of sciences and technology (USTO) in Oran, Algeria have renewed their four-year partnership. A professional masters’ degree specialising in material engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering and process engineering will be offered from September 2014, with a dozen students set to benefit from the course. Managing Director of Lafarge Algeria Luc Callebat said that the previous partnership had allo

Lafarge Wapco of Nigeria has received shareholders’ approval to merge with Lafarge's operations in South Africa in a move worth €989.54 million. The company will issue 1.4 billion shares and will reportedly spend €146.84 million in cash to takeover Lafarge's South African unit. The new entity will be known as Lafarge Africa and it will be 73% owned by Lafarge. Shareholders of Lafarge Wapco also approved the company to raise €450.65 million in local or overseas capital markets.

A major new report by industry marketing specialist, BDS Marketing Research claims the quarrying industry has failed to replenish aggregates production for many years with consents for new reserves and that this “is now having a serious impact on the industry.”

The report estimates the volumes of reserves and reserves life at each operating and inactive pit and quarry in Great Britain, and concludes that, of the largest regions, the south-east and County Yorkshire have the lowest sand and gravel reserves

Cemex Dove Holes Quarry in County Derbyshire, England, close to the world-famous Peak District has delivered its two millionth tonne of aggregates of the year. It is Cemex’s largest quarry and provides limestone for construction projects all over the country.

Approximately 50% of the limestone is transported by rail by DB Schenker to Cemex rail heads close to major markets in Leeds, Manchester, London, Birmingham and the Home Counties.

Some 50% is premium aggregate used for production of concrete and

A six-year price war in the Danish concrete industry has finally resulted in the players cutting capacity, reports Børsen.

A possible upturn in the construction sector is said to have been unable to offset the surplus capacity in the concrete sector. Two of the six biggest players in the

Danish concrete sector, H+H International and Ambercom, a family-owned producer of concrete panels, reported losses in 2013 and the other four: CRH Concrete, Spæncom, Boligbeton, and Confac and Romodan posted a profi

A new porous ‘self-healing’ asphalt made of simple materials is currently being tested in the Netherlands.

Erik Schlangen, a civil engineer and pioneer of experimental micromechanics, has pioneered the material which he and his team are testing on the A58 road near Vilssingen. It is hoped that the self-healing asphalt can be used in future roads elsewhere.

This special asphalt is made with tiny steel wool fibres, which, when heated with induction, extends the life of the material. With the introducti

Plans to sell its 50% stake in Lafarge Tarmac to Lafarge have been revealed by Anglo American. The stake will be sold for a minimum consideration of €1.12 billion in cash and the proceeds will be used by the miner to pay down debt. It will sell the stake on a debt and cash free basis.

Lafarge Tarmac was formed as an equal joint venture between Anglo American's Tarmac business and Lafarge UK. The divestment of the joint venture is set to be offered to the European Commission by Lafarge as part of its prop

Cement production in Kenya has risen 19% year-on-year from 1.9 million tonnes to 2.3 million tonnes in the five months to May 2014. National consumption of cement also increased by 25% from 1.6 million tonnes to 2 million tonnes over the same period, according to data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).