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Ethiopia is planning a series of road projects as part of its Growth & Transformation Plan. These road projects are worth close to US$128 million in total, with the plans being managed by the Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA). Four construction companies have been awarded the contracts by the ERA. The Chinese contractor CGC Overseas Construction Group will rebuild the 60km Shambu-Backo link in a deal worth $45.7 million, providing the existing gravel road with a new asphalt surface. Local contractor Yemene Gi

Cemex has closed the sale of its operations in Bangladesh and Thailand to Siam City Cement for around US$53 million.

The proceeds obtained from this transaction will be used mainly for debt reduction and for general corporate purposes, the Mexican building materials giant has stated.

German building materials giant HeidelbergCement has received clearance from the European Commission for the acquisition of Italcementi. The proposed divestment of operations in Belgium, primarily consisting of Italcementi’s Belgian subsidiary Compagnie des Ciments Belges (CCB), which addresses the competition concerns in Europe, was accepted by the European Commission. The decision of the US regulator FTC is still pending.

Institute of Quarrying (IQ) CEO Phil James is leaving for a new role after four years in charge of the UK-based organisation.

He had joined the IQ in late 2012 as joint CEO with MPQC and drew on his rare combination of quarry management experience and professional body expertise in executing his senior role.

James will become the new CEO of the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) in September 2016. In his new post he plans to continue his link with the minerals industry and to combine the cha

Oficemen, the Spanish organisation that represents a sector that is leader in the production of clinker and cement, is reported as saying cement consumption in the country dropped in April.

The 3.3% drop to 946,329tonnes follows the 1.2% drop to 3.5 million tonnes for the combined January-April period in 2016.

The association says that with a decrease of some 30% in the tendering of civil works in Q1, 2016 compared to 2015, and an 18% drop in exports in April, the outlook is not optimistic.

In the Philippines, cement sales of over 6.4 million tonnes between January and March, 2016, are said to show a 12.8% increase compared to the same period in 2015 (5.6 million tonnes). With private construction increasing by 5% in 2015, and public construction showing a 21% rise, Ernesto Ordonez, president of the Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines, believes that the demand for cement products will stay positive. During 2015, the sales of cement totalled over 24 million tonnes compared to 21

It is being reported that the Korea Development Bank (a state-run operation) and other creditors are seeking to sell their 95% stake in Hyundai Cement. An investment bank is expected to be chosen by July to continue with the sale of the cement company, which it is understood have been previously bailed out by local banks t. Accounting for an estimated 10% of the cement sale, it is believed that interest in the sale would be mostly from local companies.

Exports of the famous Italian Carrara marble are said to have increased by 8.8% year-on-year in 2015.

Reports say the exports were worth over €700 million, while processed marble exports from the Carrara region also showed an increase of 11.4% over 2014 with sales standing at €536 million,

Terex Corporation has said that it has agreed with Finnish company Konecranes to mutually terminate the Business Combination Agreement (BCA) the companies entered into on 10 August, 10, 2015, without payment of a fee by either party.

In connection with the termination of the BCA, Terex has signed a definitive agreement to sell its Material Handling and Port Solutions business (MHPS) to Konecranes for total consideration of approximately US$1.3 billion. The consideration being paid is comprised of $820 mi

LafargeHolcim has appointed Caroline Luscombe as the group’s new Head of Organisation and Human Resources and member of the executive committee from 1 July, 2016, based in Zurich, Switzerland.

In this role she will take over responsibility for organisation and human resources from Jean-Jacques Gauthier, Chief Integration Officer – Organization and Human Resources.

Caroline Luscombe joins LafargeHolcim from Syngenta where she has been Head of Human Resources since January 2010 and a member of the execu

LafargeHolcim says it is strengthening its cement production network in Latin America with the opening of a new state-of-the-art line at its cement plant in Barroso, Brazil.

The construction of the new line at the existing Barroso site is part of the group’s strategy to reduce cost per tonne of cement produced, while improving quality and efficiency, in order to operate profitably in a low investment environment.

The new line in Barroso is said to be the most modern in Brazil, and equipment includes

Indian group BKT (Balkrishna Industries), a major player in the global off-highway tyre market, says it aims at a turnover US$2 billion by 2020.

The company says it is a challenging target but is based on “a positive trend of growth of 30% over the last five years corresponding to 6% market share in the specialist segments for agriculture, earthmoving, mining, and industrial vehicles and machinery as well as port, ATV and gardening applications.”

The company employs more than 7,000 people and sells o

Dutch company Magna Tyres is celebrating its tenth anniversary.

Ten years ago CEO Michael de Ruijter sold the first OTR tyres, and since then the company says it has grown into a worldwide organisation.

Since the launch in 2006, the company has experienced “an impressive year-over-year annual growth rate and continues to expand all over the world.”

While the product range started with OTR tyres, the range has been expanded with port handling, industrial, truck, and this year’s introduction agricult

The first stage of the new promotion initiative launched by Veronafiere-Marmomacc, We Speak Stone, and held in New York, has been completed.

It was attended by ten of the most important companies in the Veronese Stone District (Antolini, Bauce Bruno, Cereser Marmi, Formigari, Girasole Pietre Naturali, Montegrappa, La Ponte Marmi M&G, Marmi Scala, Domos and Testi Group).

This was the debut for a broader project that will see the organisation of other international stages accompanying companies to cons

CASE Construction Equipment has received a Bronze Level World Class Manufacturing (WCM) certification for its European excavator hub in San Mauro, Italy.

This follows an independent audit, and the achievement comes on the back of the brand’s investment in transforming the facility into a flagship production site for excavators in the EMEA region.

WCM is one of the global manufacturing industry’s highest standards for the integrated management of manufacturing plants and processes. It is a pillar-stru

Three models on the Hillhead 2016 stand of Bristol, south-west England-based

Keestrack partner Molson Group, will represent the comprehensive product range of the mobile recycling applications and aggregate production company.

The complete programme includes 15 different scalpers and screens; eight tracked crushers, and three stackers.

At Hillhead, the Keestrack C8 track-mounted large-scale screening unit makes its UK debut.

The company says the flexible unit feature a highly efficient double-

The contracting division of Aggregate Industries UK has been awarded the gold Investors in People (IiP) standard, the highest accolade awarded to participating employers.

The company says that as one of the first construction companies to gain IiP gold status, the team was praised by assessors for its embedded culture of training, coaching and “inspirational” leadership.

“This is a fantastic achievement and we are proud to be recognised externally as an outstanding place to work,” says Paddy Murphy, m

Topcon Positioning Group and Volvo Construction Equipment are working together to establish a Topcon 3D machine control (3D-MC) solution.

The technology is designed to seamlessly integrate with Volvo Dig Assist (machine control 2D) on Volvo excavators and with Topcon workflow solutions for design and as-built data.

The Topcon 3D-MC solution integration on the Volvo excavator is designed to complement the Volvo Dig Assist capability by including the use of 3D design files and connectivity with Topcon w

Volvo Penta will begin production of 5 and 8litre industrial engines in India, aimed at the Indian market, next year.

The company has already been supplying engines for industrial and marine applications, to customers in the country for more than two decades.

Kubota UK will celebrate its 50,000th excavator sale at Hillhead by exhibiting a special edition 50K Gold Digger, a gold painted KX-71 mini excavator, next to an original Kubota KH10, the first mini excavator sold in the UK and Irish market, which was launched by the company back in 1979.

New machines making their UK debut include high-spec versions of two of its mini excavators, the KX101-3 and the U27-4.

Hillhead 2016 will also see the launch of Kubota’s new partnership with Trakm8, which will prov