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The Italian Italcementi Group developed TX Active, a photocatalytic principle for cement products said to reduce organic and inorganic pollutants that are present in the air, is being trialled at a test site in Turku, Finland.
Betonielementti CEO Rami Lahti said that titan oxide, a component of TX Active which reacts to sunlight, can convert diesel vehicles' nitrogen emissions into harmless nitrates. Lahti said the TX Active content concrete would be perfect for surfacing parking sites, market places and

Indonesia is expected to be emerge as the largest cement producer in Asia in 2017, according to the Indonesian Cement Association (ASI). The ASI says the country will have eight new cement factories with a capacity of 24 million tonnes that will be operational by that year. Also, the ASI predicts that cement sales will rise by 2% to 61.08 million tonnes in 2015 from 59.9 million tonnes in 2014.

Saudi Arabian cement stockpiles are said to have grown to 22.5 million tonnes worth SAR 5.28 billion (US$ 1.41bn), with producers having to cut output by 5-10%. National cement committee chairman Jihad al-Rasheed said that production has risen 5% to 60 million tonnes while demand is 57 million tonnes. An industry source is reported by Saudi media saying that demand has fallen in recent months, particularly in Ramadan. According to al-Rasheed, the government is still considering lifting the cement export ban

Shandong Shanshui Cement Group Limited (Sunnsy) has won a deal to supply cement for the Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport project in China. The deal, worth nearly CNY 270 million (US$42.36 million, involves the supply of around 1 million tonnes of cement.

KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens has launched a new, user-friendly website that is completely optimised for any device or screen size, allowing dealers and producers to easily access information, whether in the office or out in the field.

The new site was launched during the 2015 National Dealer Conference, located this year at KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens’ manufacturing facility in Yankton, South Dakota. The site was designed to match the company’s new look, which aligns with Rocky, the company’s ic

Cemex says after reaching close to seven million beneficiaries through its social programmes, it has set the goal of benefiting more than 10 million people by the year 2020. The Mexican building materials giant’s CEO Fernando A. Gonzalez made the announcement during the United Nations Private Sector Forum 2015 meetings held in New York, USA.

Among its efforts to support infrastructure and housing development in the communities where it operates, Cemex is establishing community centres for construction t

Hyundai Heavy Industries Europe (HHIE) is investing in its European operations with work starting on a new headquarters. The facility will be located in Tessenderlo, Belgium and HHIE is spending some €30 million on the project. The new headquarters facility comprises a new, three-story, 5,400m2 office building, a 13,000m2 warehouse, a European training facility, an event hall and a showroom. The construction work is scheduled for completion by the end of 2016. Infrabo, a well-known Belgian architecture and

The 50th edition of Marmomacc, the landmark international show for the natural stone industry, was getting underway today at Veronafiere in Verona, Italy with more than 1,500 companies taking part.

The Italian natural stone sector posted growth again in the first half of 2015, according to new figures analysed by the Marmomacc-Confindustria Marmomacchine Observatory. Between January and June, Italian exports of marble, granite and natural stone posted an increase of 5.2% compared to the same period in 20

Philippines-based Northern Cement Corp (NCC) has started the US$200 million expansion of its Pangasinan plant, as part of an aggressive plan by San Miguel Corp (SMC) to increase its cement capacity.

SMC is working on a cement expansion drive worth $1 billion to expand its capacity by 10 million tonnes to 16 million tonnes, according to Ramon S Ang, president of NCC. NCC’s Pangasinan plant expansion will increase its cement capacity to over 2 million tonnes/year. The company has bought the newest manufact

JCB is set to axe up to 400 of its UK jobs due to the increasingly tough global construction equipment market.

The company, one of the world’s biggest construction OEMs, says it has briefed employees about the staff positions at risk in the UK, although it will attempt to minimise the impact by considering voluntary redundancies.

JCB CEO Graeme Macdonald said: “Market conditions in the construction equipment sector have been difficult for some time, but they have worsened quite rapidly in recent week

All things mineral will be celebrated this weekend of (25 – 27 September), as the biannual European Minerals Day comes around once again.

Mineral operating companies and industry representative bodies will be opening up quarries and running events to show people the behind-the-scenes operation of this major industry whose activities are often essential for supplying many of the day-to-day products we take for granted.

But there is also a unique side to the sector, which is becoming increasingly reco

LiuGong has staged a ceremony at its HQ in Liuzhou, Guangxi province, China to mark the acceptance of an Eritrean government procurement programme contract to supply a wide variety of its earthmoving machines for municipal construction projects in the African country.

Representatives of the purchasing agent for the Eritrean government’s procurement programmes; Yu Chuanfen, president of LiuGong; and Luo Guobing, vice president and GM of LiuGong’s overseas sales & marketing division attended the ceremony o

LafargeHolcim is implementing a new three-year strategy in Poland.

In line with it, the company will not only sell cement, concrete and aggregate but will also offer its clients a range of services including logistics, design and consulting services, among others.

If the strategy proves to be successful it will be implemented in other countries where LafargeHolcim is present.

Because the company will be focused on the new strategy, it is said it is not planning any major acquisitions in Poland apar

Construction of the Hodna Cement Company, a cement factory currently being built in Dehahna (M'sila) in Algeria, is expected to be finished in October 2016.

The factory will produce 2.2 million tonnes of cement/year and requires an investment of DZD 28 billion (€233.85 million/US$265.15 million) which will be financed by banks and the project's two partners, including a private Algerian operator and a South African group.

The factory should create 400 direct jobs and 3,600 indirect jobs.

Almost QAR 800 million (€193.73 million/US$219.66 million) will be invested by Alkhalij Cement Company on a new production line in Qatar.

The new line will increase clinker output by two-fold to 4 million tonnes and boost cement production by 50% to 4.5 million tonnes.

By the first quarter of 2016 it will begin operations.

Alkhalij Cement Company is part of the Qatari Investors Group.

Tarmac has opened a £6.6 million (€9 million) asphalt plant in County Hertfordshire, England.

The facility in Radlett replaces an ageing 1960s operation.

Tarmac said the plant is more efficient, has greater capacity and can produce a wider range of products.

The plant employs 35 staff, and the investment is part of the company's strategy to expand its reach into the south of England.

At the beginning of 2016, several Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for wind power will come into force for Swiss building supplies group Holcim (LafargeHolcim).

The aim is to control the energy bill of the group's activities as part of a production cost optimisation strategy.

The group aims to cover 20%-25% of its energy requirements through green sources over the next three years, compared to 15% at present.

Indian and Swiss researchers at the Construction Material Laboratory at Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have developed a cost-effective, low-carbon cement called LC3.

The LC3 (Limestone Calcinated Clay Cement) is made up of limestone and low-grade clays and is said to reduce CO2 emissions by about 30%.

EPFL hopes to cater to the country with the new material in an effort to bank in on the government's US$1 trillion (€881.95 billion) infrastructure development plan.

Italian cement manufacturer Italcementi has sold its 5.24% stake in West China Cement, which is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange, through its Chinese subsidiary, CimFra.

The operation is worth HKD 341 million (€38.80 million/US$44 million), subject to adjustments relating to a derivative contract that was underwritten with Credit Agricole CIB at the same time.

Pakistan-based Dera Ghazi Khan Cement (DG Khan Cement) has recorded an 11% rise in its net profit in the April to June quarter of 2015 from PKR 2.02 billion (€17.06 million/US$19.35 million) in the same quarter in 2014, to PKR 2.25 billion.

The cement maker has registered an increase in its earnings per share in the quarter under review from PKR 4.61 previously, to PKR 5.14.