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Morocco’s largest quarry, CCGT Granulats, lies in a rural location between the cities of Serat and Rabat. Operations there are on the rise as demand for aggregates in the country booms to meet the needs of the government’s highway expansion plan. In recent months, output at the Granulats facility has risen to 5,000m³ of aggregates/day.

CCGT owns the landmark quarry, together with several others in the country, and has been expanding its equipment fleet to help with the growing workload. Among the machin

Quarrying remains a dangerous industry in which to work and since 2000 nearly 3,500 workers have reported an injury to the UK’s HSE (Health and Safety Executive), 29 of which were fatal.

However, each year globally many more people are involved in accidents in quarries, and the recent Hillhead show in England, which attracted over 17,500 visitors, including international visitors, highlighted the need for highly visible personal protective equipment (PPE).

In the UK, which has one of the best safety r

As one of the biggest mergers in aggregates’ industry history is expected to be confirmed in the first half of 2015, we present a view from Aggregate Research Ltd, providers of strategic and operational advisory services across aggregates and related industries, whose consultancy team offers 80 years of collective commercial experience.

Industry interest was captured earlier this year by the announcement of the proposed Holcim/Lafarge merger. Many analysts are still poring over the details of the ambitio

Long-term growth in asphalt demand will be primarily driven by the continuously expanding highways across the world, needed to accommodate the massively growing automobile population.

A new report, Asphalt: A Global Strategic Business Report, produced by Global Industry Analysts (GIA), points out that key innovations that are poised to benefit the market through to 2020 include noise-reducing hot-mix asphalt for lowering traffic noise, and the introduction of green technologies for eco-friendly productio

Driven by the price of virgin aggregates and strong environmental concerns, the recycling of reclaimed asphalt is already, and will increasingly be, a hot topic within the asphalt plants’ and associated equipment manufacturing sector, says Kathrin Richter, marketing manager for Ammann’s Asphalt Division.

Until a few years ago, the question was: How much reclaimed asphalt can one add to the recipe mix? Today, the question is more likely to be: How much fresh material should I add to the reclaimed asphalt

The Cement Company of Northern Nigeria (CCNN) is reported to have unveiled an expansion project that will raise the capacity of its existing cement plant in Nigeria by 200% to 1.5 million tonnes.

CCNN’s ambitious project is estimated to cost around US$296 million (NGN 48 billion), with BUA International providing the start-up fund. BUA International through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Damnaz Cement Company, owns a 50.72% interest in CCNN.

A Vietnam cement firm will conduct a three-month feasibility study for its plan to build a US$27 million cement production plant in Huaphan Province, Laos. Output from the factory, to be operated by the company under a 30-year extendable concession agreement, will be sold to the local market and exported to Vietnam.

Iran’s cement output rose 18% year-on-year to 29.5 million tonnes in the five months to 23 August 2014. Target production for the full 2014/2015 year is 75 million tonnes against the previous year’s 70 million tonnes, with exports to reach 12 million tonnes.

China Recycling Development Corporation will inject assets worth US$293.17 million (CNY 1.8 billion) into Shaanxi Qinling Cement Co, becoming the latter's controlling shareholder.

Qinling Cement's current controlling shareholder, Tangshan Jidong Cement Co, plans to transfer 100 million shares in Qinling Cement to China Recycling at a price of CNY 2.75 each.

Meanwhile, Qinling Cement is said to be intending to sell all assets to Jidong Cement and issue additional shares to 11 investors including Chin

Pakistani manufacturers sent 2.78 million tonnes of cement locally and abroad in August 2014, up 23.2% year-on-year and partly reversing a decline in July this year. Local sales jumped by a similar level - 23.6% - to 1.57 million tonnes, with growth in both the northern and southern regions.

Despite this, the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) stated that the industry continues to chafe under tax burdens and a 1% coal import duty (cement accounts for 95% of the 4.5 million tonne annua

India-based Bhavya Cements' proposal to build a US$60.02 million (INR 3.65 billion) cement grinding unit has been green lighted by the State Level Single Window Clearance Authority. The Dhenkanal district administration is looking for a suitable site for the facility following an approach by Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development (Idco). The planned three million tonne/year mill is likely to be set up on a 60-acre plot.

A 1.4% interest in Nigerian cement giant Dangote Cement has been acquired for US$300 million by UAE-based sovereign fund Investment Corp of Dubai (ICD), according to a spokesman for the African company. ICD is said to have purchased 243 million Dangote Cement shares that were priced at US$ 1.23 (NGN 200) per share. By market capitalisation, Dangote Cement is Nigeria’s largest firm.

US cement consumption is forecast to increase by 7.9% in 2014 with additional gains in 2015 and 2016, according to a new Portland Cement Association economic forecast.

The tipped 7.9% rise this year, compared to 2013 levels, indicates considerable evidence that the US economy's growth path has strengthened from an improved labour market, low consumer debt, and increased consumer wealth.

“Through July, year-to-date cement consumption is up 8.4%," says PCA chief economist and group vice president Edward

The design of modern machines is such that those carrying out regular maintenance and servicing today find the job much easier.

Manufacturers have made sure maintenance and service points on new machines are easily accessible, and that logistics are in place to be able to deliver the necessary wear and spare parts.

Even with regular maintenance, including such basics as oil and filter changes, there comes a time when any machine will require replacement of wear parts or indeed will need more major wor

For some years now the recycling of materials worldwide has been near the top of the environmental agenda but it can mean different things to different people. Depending on the country, what constitutes recycling will differ greatly. For example, in some instances simply crushing the material and taking it to landfill can be regarded as recycling, writes Patrick Smith.

But for one German company, involved in a project backed by the European Eco Innovation Fund, it means moving waste material up the value

Conveyors have always played a key role in quarry operations but new developments are improving their potential to boost productivity, writes Patrick Smith.

With the high cost of fuel, conveyors are seen as an alternative hauling option in many European quarries, often offering benefits in stockpiling.

A leading asphalt plant manufacturer is claiming a RAP production first. Guy Woodford reports

With its rich history of innovation, US firm Astec Industries is now claiming to be the only asphalt plant manufacturer offering asphalt mix producers a 100% RAP [Recycled Asphalt Pavement] plant.

Having introduced the Conexpo 2014-launched RAP KING plant to its product line, Astec says it can now offer a complete array of plants covering the spectrum from 0%-100% RAP usage.

Astec president Malcolm Swanson

Major crushing and screening equipment manufacturers unveiled many new machines at the Hillhead 2014 event, making use of the quarry setting near Buxton, County Derbyshire, England, for demonstrations and static displays of the latest technology. Patrick Smith reports.

Kleemann staged at Hillhead 2014 the global première of its mobile cone crusher in the Contractor class, the MOBICONE MCO 9 EVO, which the Wirtgen Group brand says closes one of the final gaps in its product range. It has a crushing capaci

Equipment theft is a huge problem across Europe, with organised criminals preying on the ill-prepared and the unwary. Insurance industry estimates put the total cost of equipment theft at over €7 billon/year.

But CESAR (Construction and Agricultural Equipment Security and Registration) security and registration system, said to be the most successful scheme of its type anywhere in the world, is widely regarded as having had a marked effect in reducing equipment theft in the UK since its launch in January

Worldwide sales of aggregates for construction markets are forecast to increase to 53.2 billion tonnes by the end of 2017. Annual global growth of 5.8% is expected, of which at least half will be driven from China, according to the US industry market research company Freedonia Group. China’s astonishing growth of the past decade is expected to ease over the next few years, but it will still account for more than 50% of all additional construction aggregates demand, writes Jon Masters.

Indeed, Komatsu and