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Following the proposed merger of French construction materials group Lafarge and Swiss cement specialist Holcim, the new entity has put in place an international network based around its R&D centre in Lyon, France.

In total, the new group will invest more than €120 million (US$155.27 million)/year in research, product development and the improvement of industrial processes.

With turnover of €15.80 billion (US$20.44 billion), the Lafarge-Holcim group will employ 65,000 people.

A definitive agreement has been signed by US-based mining and exploration company, Vanguard Mining to buy 80% equity interest in Indonesian company Yupolo Resources in return for a combination of stock and cash.

It is reported that a 3,500hectare limestone and gypsum concession will also be co-developed by Vanguard Mining in Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia.

Closure of the transaction is expected within 45 days after the agreement signing, subject to review of additional satisfactory due diligence. Deve

Cement sales in Vietnam reached 5.29 million tonnes in August 2014, a climb of 3% from a year ago and 2% month-on-month.

August 2014 is the first straight month that sales of cement hit 5-6 million tonnes.

During January to August 2014, 42.53 million tonnes of cement were sold by companies in the country, a rise of 8% from the corresponding period of 2014.

Of the 42.53 million tonnes, 9.68 million were exported, while 32.85 million tonnes of cement were offloaded in the local market.

In the cite

A trial that breathalyses visitors at Volvo Construction Equipment’s Customer Centrer in Eskilstuna, Sweden before they can operate machines has proven so popular, even among those tested, that the safety measure is set to be rolled out globally.

Volvo CE says there are certain safety rules that can never be broken when operating heavy machinery: always wear a seat belt, drive carefully, pay attention to your surroundings and, importantly, drive sober. Safety is a core value at Volvo Construction Equipme

FLSmidth has opened its newest service center located in Zacatecas, Mexico.

This first phase of completed construction on the center site includes a 1,000m2 warehouse along with 250m2 offices and training facilities. The center is located on a 12,400m2 parcel of land, with room for planned phases of future development.

The official opening was attended by Miguel Alonso Reyes (Zacatecas State Governor); Patricia Salinas (Secretary of Economy and Social Development); Ingeniero Horacio Franco (Mayor), re

Lafarge has announced the winners of its 2014 Global Suppliers Awards that recognise suppliers in the categories of Health & Safety, Performance, Sustainability, Logistics, Product Development, Emerging Market, and Strict Working Capital or Financing Solutions.

Health & Safety
Chryso won the Health & Safety category with its range of patented environment and user-friendly concrete removers. These products facilitate Lafarge Concrete trucks and mixers cleaning operations while reducing the exposure of La

Although aggregates volumes fell in 2012, volumes recovered by 6% last year with growth continuing to increase in 2014.

Production has been increasing in both sand and gravel and crushed rock. However, companies in the Midlands and South appear to be enjoying a better recovery than suppliers in northern England and Scotland.

These are some of the conclusions of the annual BDS report on the aggregates industry, Estimated Outputs of Pits, Quarries and Marine Wharves in Great Britain.

This independ

The British Marine Aggregate Producers Association (BMAPA) and The Crown Estate have published a new Fifteen-Year Review which provides an overview of the changes in the area of seabed licensed and dredged between 1998 and 2012, enabling greater understanding of the nation’s marine mineral dredging activity and more sustainable management over the long term.

The report makes available data on the total extent of dredging that has taken place, known as the cumulative dredge footprint, and shows that the a

CRH, the Irish cement maker is said to be exploring a bid for all the assets rivals Lafarge and Holcim must sell to steer their mega-merger past competition watchdogs, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Four consortia of private equity companies are also reported to be eyeing the whole portfolio, with bids valuing the assets at €5 billion to €7 billion (US$6.5 billion-US$9 billion) expected soon, the sources said.

Blackstone, Cinven and Canadian pension fund CPP are set to bid jointly

In Romania, production of construction materials increased by 9.3% in the first half of 2014, compared with the same period of 2013, according to data from the National Statistics Office.

On the other hand, the volume of construction works fell by 9.4% in the first six months of the year.

According to the Personal Analytical Unit (PAU) information and analytic agency, sales volume of ten major types of building materials in Ukraine grew in H1 2014 by 0.3% compared to the same period in 2013.

This includes sales in June of such materials as cement, mixed concrete, reinforced concrete structures, shaped paving units, ceramic and sand lime bricks, and autoclaved aerated concrete blocks. Their production level totalled 2.8 million tonnes in June.

The production decreased by 2% and sales fe

The main producers of special mortars in Spain have seen their revenues fall just 3% in 2013, despite the complicated economic situation in the country.

Although the declining trend continues, the decrease could be reaching its maximum. Some companies, such as Ibermapei, Portland, Gecol and Cementos Capa, managed to achieve growth in their turnover during the year, with many looking to exports to bolster their business.

Cemex, Teais, Molins and Eurocem Morteros all entered new markets abroad during 2

The Norm Sement cement factory of the Norm company has received a CE certificate, which confirms that the produce meets DIN EN 197-1:2011 standard for the Europan Union.

German research institute VDZ has audited the production process at the plant.

The capacity of a cement plant to be built by Chinese company Hengyuan Group in the Orel region (Central Federal District) of Russia will total 2-2.5 million tonnes/year.

The project, which will take three years to implement, will see investments exceeding US$400 million (€309.15 million).

The regional government may participate in the project, although the main share will belong to the Chinese company.

Lafarge Granulats France has appointed Olivier Guise as managing director for the provincial sector.

He will be in charge of strengthening activity in the PACA (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur) region, with the aim of ensuring territorial coverage in a bid to be closer to clients, and of developing the local circular economy.

France's national ready mixed concrete union (SNBPE) has appointed Carole Jaillot as the head of its environmental commission. The position was previously held by Arnaud Colson, who is taking on the role of president for the French National Union of Aggregate Producers (UNPG).

The future quarry of Swiss cement group Holcim, which will open in Bayel (Aube) at the end of 2014 or start of 2015, will extract 1 million tonnes of limestone/year.

The limestone will be supplied, via rail, to concrete plants and construction projects in Ile-de-France (notably in the Greater Paris region).

In January of this year, the UK Competition and Markets Authority announced a shake-up in the cement industry requring Lafarge to sell off another cement plant to a new entrant to the UK industry.
The news was met with shock by the industry, which had already adjusted to meet earlier demands by the Competition Commission, as was, with the creation of Hope Construction Materials in 2013 and the sale of Lafarge’s Hope cement plant.
Since the original announcement, a bigger shockwave has hit the internation

Demelza Mulligan has assumed the role of managing director of Haver Southern Africa, succeeding Joachim Hoppe who directed Haver Southern Africa for three years and who during this period laid the foundation for positive future business development for southern Africa.

He is returning to his successful work at the Oelde-Germany headquarters where he will be founding the new business unit of Bergbau/Mining.

After received her Bachelor’s Degree from Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Cape Town,

Lafarge has sold its cement operations in the Urals region (Russia) to Buzzi Unicem for an enterprise value of €104 million.

Lafarge UralCement operates one cement plant located in Korkino, 40km in the south of Chelyabinsk.

This divestment will contribute to Lafarge's objective to reduce net debt.

The transaction is subject to the authorisation of relevant authorities and customary closing conditions.

After this divestment, Lafarge will remain present in Russia in the dynamic Central region (Mo