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The aerated concrete market in St Petersburg and Leningrad region totalled RUB 800-900 million (€14.1- 15.9 million/US$16.15-18.17 million) in Q1 2015.

The production totalled 250,000-260,000m³, the sales in North-West shortened by 5-7% to 230,000m³ year-on-year.

The largest producers are said to be: LSR. Stenovie materialy-Severo-Zapad (Aeroc); H+H; EuroAeroBeton; STK, and 211-KZHBI.

The outlook for market size in 2015 is 1 million m³

China's cement imports from January to April 2015 fell by 60.61% to 37,300 tonnes, as compared to the same period in 2014.

Meanwhile, the nation's cement exports decreased by 4.68% to 2.8243 million tonnes, accounting for 0.44% of the nationwide cement output. Exports of clinker grew by 35.15% to 1.7686 million tonnes.

Despite Morocco's cement consumption decreasing for the third year in a row (13% since 2012), Lafarge Maroc held its head above the waterline in 2014, thanks to aggregate sales, which grew 6%, and to the launch of new ranges of cement and packaged plaster, while cement sales fell 15%.

In 2014, the company generated some MAD 5 billion (€453.95 million/US$519.80 million) turnover.

The company believes the cement market in 2015 will remain broadly stagnant compared to 2014.

James Kee, an engineering apprentice with CDE Global in Cookstown, Northern Ireland, recently made the finals of the Apprentice of the Year Awards, organised by the Department of Employment and Learning (DEL) to recognise the achievements of those currently undertaking apprenticeship training across all sectors in Northern Ireland.

After being shortlisted to the final six out of 7,000 apprentices James attended the grand final in along with Sean Kerr, engineering manager CDE Global.

He said: “I fee

Allu Stamix has appointed Ville Niutanen as new president of the company.

Niutanen, who has years of experience in stabilisation sector, officially starts working for Allu Stamix at the start of June 2015, and the current president Kauko Pylväs continues his duties as president of the whole Allu Group.

Niutanen, who previously worked for Lemminkäinen Infra and Biomaa, has also worked in several stabilisation projects and been involved in Allu stabilisation machinery development as a specialist for yea

Global cement consumption is expected to grow throughout 2015 and continue throughout the next year, but at the slower rate than in the past.

A report released by the Portland Cement Association (PCA) indicates that cement consumption among developed economies increased by roughly 9.2 million tonnes in 2014, followed by another 9 million tonne increase in 2015.

“Most of the gains in developed world cement consumption is attributed to North America,” said Edward J. Sullivan, chief economist and group

Absolut-Keramik will build a plant for the production of facing ceramic brick in Kostanay, Kazakhstan.

Investments in the project are estimated at KZT 4.20 billion (€19.73 million/US$ 22.59 million).

The capacity of the plant will be 40 million bricks/year.

Estonia's cement producer Kunda Nordic Tsement of HeidelbergCement Group, has reduced output and made 30 employees redundant, citing decline in clinker exports to Russia.

CEO Meelis Einstein said the forced need to cut expenditures has had a negative impact on suppliers of support services to Kunda Nordic Tsement.

Philippines-based San Miguel is considering to re-enter the cement sector in Malaysia's Sarawak state.

In 2007, the group had sold Sarawak Clinker. Ramon S Ang, president of San Miguel, says that securing government permissions are difficult although the company is interested to open cement factories in the state.

According to reports, the production director of Semen Padang, Agus B Nurbiantoro, says that the cement producer is looking at innovation and continuous development to produce quality products to compete in the global market.

Some 39 teams have contributed their innovations in the Semen Padang Improvement Event in the second half of 2014.

Winners from the event will compete at the annual Semen Indonesia Award on Innovation.

According to the Bruno Carre, managing director of Egypt-based Suez Cement, the cement manufacturer is spending US$ 52.40 million (€47.77million)/year for four years.
In 2015, it is likely to convert two new facilities. It targets to raise its energy intake as well as production capacity by 15%.
The company would not lodge a request to get a new cement licence.

Morocco's new law on quarry exploitation has been adopted by the Parliament with the aim of simplifying procedures, creating jobs and levelling the playing field in the sector.
The reform includes the preparation of regional mining plans, and obliges mining companies to carry out environmental impact studies. It also extends permits from five to 20 years, and up to 30 years if the company also has a transformation activity, while authorities must make a decision on whether to grant a permit within 60 days

The 50th Marmomacc, the most important international event dedicated to marble, granite, processing technologies, design and training scheduled next 30 September-3 October, 2015, is already fully booked.
The event, organised by Veronafiere, is being held in Verona, Italy, in conjunction with Abitare il Tempo, the b2b exhibition for professionals in interior design and contract sectors,
The shows were presented at an event in Milan attended by the president and CEO and director general of Veronafiere, resp

The Italian-owned construction materials producer Metecno Group is to invest €25 million in setting up two plants in Hungary.

Construction works of the first plant, which will manufacture drainpipes as well as roof and wall coverings, will be completed in the first quarter of 2016.

The second factory will launch the production of pre-fabricated composite panels in the first quarter of 2017.

JCB is tipping UK construction equipment demand to remain strong over the next few years after recording its third highest sales ever in the market in 2014.
Speaking during the global construction equipment manufacturing giant’s press conference at Plantworx 2015 in Bruntingthorpe, county Leicestershire, England, JCB’s UK & Ireland sales director, Dan Thompstone, said the firm continues to sell more equipment in the UK than any of the other 30 brands operating in the British marketplace, and had maintained

Hewden, the leading UK rental solution provider, is investing around €1.38 million (£1 million) in a range of Miller breaker attachments, which will see more than 180 new breakers added to Hewden’s attachment portfolio for use with its range of 1.5tonne-22tonne excavators and 5m-17m telehandlers from 1 July 2015.

Hewden is also introducing an innovative new hanger system, allowing customers to interchange attachments even if they operate a mixture of JCB and CAT machines.

To ensure the highest level

LiuGong is due to open its multimillion dollar research and development centre next to its Liuzhou, south China HQ in June 2015. Guy Woodford spoke to David Beatenbough, LiuGong’s vice president for R&D, about how the completion of the cutting-edge facility will enhance the major construction equipment manufacturer’s ambitious product development plans.

Seven state-of-the-art testing laboratories that allow for any advanced product testing, a fully-equipped prototype workshop, and an ultra-modern office

Poritep NN (a subsidiary of Eco-zoloprodukt, Poritep trademark) will invest RUB 1.1 billion (€19.39 million/US$22.20 million) constructing a plant producing cellular concrete blocks with a capacity of 144,000m³/year in the Nizhny Novgorod region (Volga).

The project was launched in Bogorodsk in the middle of 2014.

Eco-Zoloprodukt's plant producing aerated concrete building blocks has operated in the Ryazan region (Central FD) since August 2013, and its production capacity is 1,000m³/day.

Dutch construction company BAM will see its infrastructure subsidiary BAM Infra close a plant for prefabricated concrete elements when current contracts are ended, it is reported.

It is said that the sale of the plant to MBS Holding has failed.

MBS Holding is reported to have aborted the negotiations about the acquisition because of a lack of guarantee on the turnover on future projects. As a result of the closure, some 13 employees will be made redundant.

According to Vitaly Gorgolyuk, CEO of Eurocement Ukraine, the company will change the concrete production technology from wet to dry.

The enterprise is negotiating this project with a Belgian company, and it is reported that it may be implemented in three years.

Construction of a new processing line is planned, with investments amounting to €218.32 million (US$250 million).

In 2015, the company in the Kharkov region plans to keep its concrete production volume as of 2014 when it totalled 1.25 mill