Quarry Products

Hanson is restructuring its concrete, asphalt and contracting business to improve efficiency and customer service and prepare for the challenges which lie ahead in 2012 and beyond.

The Quarry Products division will be split into three product-focused business lines (Hanson Aggregates incorporating Hanson Marine; Hanson Concrete, and Hanson Asphalt and Contracting. All will be managed nationally.

According to a recent study conducted by the consulting company Intesco Research Group in 2011 the Russian market for sand, crushed stone, pebbles and gravel may grow by 9%.

In 2010, the market for natural sand rose by 12.2%. Imported materials accounted for less than 0.5%.

According to the Ministry of Economic Development, crushed stone production in the Republic of Karelia (North-West) will be 12,000tonnes in 2012; 13,000tonnes in 2013, 15,000tonnes in 2014 and 17,000tonnes in 2015.

In 2011, the figure should rise to 11,000tonnes (10,280tonnes in 2010).

Mexican cement firm, Cemex, suffered a 40% sales drop in Spain in the last three months of 2011, compared to the same period of the previous year. The company said demand had been particularly hit in the Levante and Catalonia regions of Spain. It believed the overall sales drop was due to weak levels of investment in civil engineering, the “almost complete disappearance” of residential construction, and the poorer macroeconomic indicators for the country.

Higher waterproofing levels and greater durability are promised by Holcim’s new Supercem range of concrete and cement products.

French company Fabemi has launched Vertitherm, an insulating concrete block for use in the supporting walls of individual houses or small apartment buildings. According to the company, Vertitherm includes cell insulation to achieve RT 2012 energy performances for low-energy use buildings and “is easy to install.”

Mexican cement firm, Cemex, suffered a 40% sales drop in Spain in the last three months of 2011, compared to the same period of the previous year. The company said demand had been particularly hit in the Levante and Catalonia regions of Spain. It believed the overall sales drop was due to weak levels of investment in civil engineering, the “almost complete disappearance” of residential construction, and the poorer macroeconomic indicators for the country.

A Finnish concrete element company has developed a new concrete slab for intermediate floors. Parma says its product incorporates heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems as well as the required floor tilt. The firm says the new intermediate floor solution also uses thinner hollow core slabs outside wet rooms. A room’s height increases by 10cm with the new thinner slab.