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A decree allowing Provence Granulats to build a quarry above a former bauxite mine in Mazaugues, France, is valid once more after having been suspended in 2012.

Opponents of the project have found that the aquifer space below the proposed quarry area is much larger than expected and are calling for funds in order to continue studies.

In addition, opponents have sent a letter to the French Prime Minister demanding an explanation regarding the government's support for the project and the Mayor, who is

Unye Cimento Sanayi ve Ticaret, the Turkish cement and clinker manufacturer, plans to open a trade and distribution unit in Magalia, a town in the south-east of Romania. The new unit will take over the operations of the group's subsidiary in Romania, Unye Cem SRL.

An analysis of cement rail shipments in the North-Western federal district of Russia reveals that St Petersburg was the district's leader in cement consumption in 2013.

Eurocement Group accounts for 70% of cement supplies in the city, while foreign producers supplied 22% (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus). In the Leningrad region, a third of cement was supplied by foreign producers, while Eurocement Group supplied 59%

Eurocement Group also captured almost 100% of the cement market in the Republic o

Astec’s United Arab Emirates dealer, House of Equipment, has been awarded a 2013 Gaia Award during the Dubai Big 5 International Building and Construction Show for the Astec Double Barrel Green System which produces warm mix asphalt. The award honours companies in the construction sector whose products and services demonstrate a reduction of construction's impact on the environment.

The Gaia Awards aim to promote a company’s responsibility to the environment by recognising achievements and providing a pl

The Finnish Concrete Industry has awarded its annual Concrete Structure of the Year award in 2013 to the new Library Bridge in Turku in Finland. The award was granted because of the demanding and skilled architectural and structural design and the high-quality building.

Sandvik Construction has appointed Komek Machinery, one of the largest specialised equipment suppliers in Russia, as the official Russian distributor for Rammer premium hydraulic breakers.

Through collaboration with Komek, Sandvik aims to strengthen its position in the Urals and Western Siberia, while providing customers throughout Russia with better access to the Rammer breakers, supported by the highest levels of aftermarket care.

Since its foundation in 2001, Komek Machinery has swiftly developed

UK-based Euromix Concrete of County Essex, southern England, is being sold to the Lafarge Tarmac, saving some 75 jobs at the company, which went into administration on 20 December 2013.

It had an annual turnover of over €36.45 million but is said to have faced cash flow problems and slow trading over the Christmas period.

Terex Washing Systems (TWS) picked up two prestigious awards at the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s Ireland Marketing Excellence Awards where it was recognised for its excellence in marketing by being selected for two awards from the four categories it was originally short-listed in.

TWS garnered the “Best Sales Campaign in International Market” Award for the launch of TWS as a new business line and the launch of the Aggresand plant. The second award was for “Best Brand Development Campaign,” again f

French construction materials company Garandeau has invested €1 million in the creation of a quality laboratory for concrete and aggregates at its Châteauneuf-sur-Charente (Charente) site.

Expected to be operational in a few months’ time, the unit will comprise one laboratory for aggregates, another for concrete and a reserved space for road surface formulations.

Sources suggest that the site may soon be equipped with a 2,000m² logistics platform for trade activity.

What is said to be the “first truly authoritative book on critical metals” has been published by the British Geological Survey (BGS) in collaboration with Wiley and the American Geophysical Union.

The Critical Metals Handbook, which includes contributions from world-leading experts, is destined to become the “go-to’ reference source and will provide an excellent introduction to the world’s most critical metallic elements.”

With the acquisition of the business of Chinese manufacturer Taizhou Fuju Rubber Belt Manufacture, ContiTech of Hanover, Germany, is continuing the expansion of its drive belt business in China.

To date, the Chinese company, founded in 1993, has predominantly manufactured drive belts for the automotive replacement business and for industry in general. In the future, ContiTech will make use of a 33,000m² production complex which has just been completed.

The plant is located in Sanmen in Zhejiang provin

Volvo Construction Equipment’s site in Braås, Sweden becomes the company’s first carbon neutral premises and it says it is the first construction equipment production facility in the world to be powered entirely by renewable energy.

The 45,000m2 site in southern Sweden, which specialises in the design and manufacture of articulated haulers, is now powered entirely by renewable energy sources, including wind, biomass and hydropower, that neither produce harmful emissions nor contribute to the greenhouse e

CBR, part of HeidelbergCement, plans to close the Harmignies white cement plant in Belgium, a move which is expected to affect 97 jobs.

“This announcement can be explained by the structural difficulties faced by the plant as well as the deterioration of the white cement market. If it is confirmed, this could generate for the collective dismissal of 97 workers at the site,” said the works’ management.

Structural issues such as too high production and logistics costs, the plant’s poor location, low pro

Thanks to public works and possible restocking, the construction material market was stronger than expected in 2013, according to Unicem, the French union for quarry and construction materials industries.

Overall, sales of materials in volume fell 0.2% from 493.5 million tonnes in 2012. Aggregates grew 1.8% from 360 million tonnes in 2012 while ready-to-pour concrete fell 1.8% from 39.4 million m³. Cement dropped 3.1% from 20 million tonnes; bricks dropped 7.8% from 2.2 million tonnes and tiles fell 2.9%

Armaton, part of First Construction Fund, is to start equipment deliveries to the reinforced concrete plant to be built in Novosibirsk in February 2014.

The first phase of the plant to produce 70,000m² of housing is to be launched in September 2014.

The plant is to reach its full production capacity of 300,000m² in 2018.

The first exports of 4,500tonnes of white clinker by cement company Cemex from the Spanish port of Sagunto will be shipped to Greece.

According to the company, white clinker exports account for 40% of the firm's total sales in Spain and it plans to export some 100,000tonnes of such product from Sagunto in the future.

Cemex's operations director in the region of Valencia, Carlos Moreno, pointed out the white clinker has become popular in certain parts of the world, especially in Africa, and the company

According to its new business plan, Italian cement and construction materials group Cementir expects its revenues to grow 5% a year on average in 2014-2016 to up to €1.15 billion, while its EBITDA should grow about 16% a year to up to approximately €240 million.

The company also expects to keep investing about €70 million-€75 million/year, as well as increasing its profitability and consolidating its activities, an operation that should enable the company to save €35 million.

Cementir is planning new

French construction materials group Lafarge has chosen Quintiq software to optimise its sales and operations planning as well as supply chain organisation in the global cement, aggregates and concrete industries.

The flexible solution can be adapted to meet the specific needs of each country. Real-time collaboration between planners will significantly improve the transparency and quality of the planning process.

The solution will enable Lafarge to cut production and transport costs while improving cus

In Poland CTL Logistics has signed an agreement under which its cooperation with Mota Engil Central Europe will be expanded by developing a plan to revitalise a railway siding at the Gorka mine in Gorka Sobocka, which eventually will be managed by CTL.

The siding is currently out of use, and this is said to force the company to transport the goods via road on an 8km section.

CTL Logistics has been cooperating with Mota Engil Central Europe since May 2013, and it is estimated that the cooperation will

Cemex Granulats Sud-Ouest (Cemex) has been granted authorisation to exploit an open air sand and gravel quarry in Saint-Cricq-du-Gave and Lahontan, France.

Cemex's extraction permit was initially annulled by the Appeals Court in Bordeaux in December 2010, but the case was taken to the Cassation Court before being approved by inter-prefectoral order, despite opposition from the Lahontan Council and L'Association de Défense et de Valorisation du Pays d'Abet.

Authorisation concerns 140hectares of existin