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French industrial minerals specialist Imerys has successfully divested its Imerys Structure activity to cooperative brick manufacturer Bouyer Leroux in France.

The activity concerns chimney blocks, wall and partition blocks. Retroactive as of 1 May, 2013, the value of the transaction stood at €75 million.

To celebrate having zero accidents over last 12 months at its Noyon site, the French branch of building materials group Cemex held a reception. The site also received ISO 14001 certification for environmental safety efforts at its concrete production centres.

The Noyon site produces almost 30,000m3 of concrete each year.

In Russia, Volskcement has invested €350 million in reconstruction of a cement production facility in Volsk (the Saratov region, Volga). The project will be implemented during 2013-2016. The Saratov region's Governor Valeri Radayev says after the updating, the plant will become one of the largest cement production facilities.

Swedish construction company NCC is introducing a new Nordic organisation for its business area NCC Roads. Instead of the current country-based organisation, NCC Roads will divide its operations into three divisions: Asphalt, Stone Materials and Road Services.

The new organisation is part of the company's strategy to optimise its customer offering, says Göran Landgren, business area manager for NCC Roads.

Michael Malm has been named head of the Asphalt Division. Per Höglund has been named head of the

Spanish railway infrastructure administrator, Adif, has awarded contracts for the supply and transport of ballast destined for the maintenance of high speed (AVE) railway lines between 2013 and 2014, for €5 million.

The contract was split into various lots, with the total supply coming to 238,000tonnes.

Six Lafarge quarries in the French region of Aquitaine (Bourdelles, Brax, Cabanac-et-Villagrains, Fontet, Les Billaux and Saucats) have received recognition for reaching the highest level of environmental standards set out by Unicem, the French quarries and construction materials union.

Powerscreen exhibited its Trakpactor 320 impact crusher; Warrior 2400 screen and Warrior 800 screen at the inaugural bauma Africa in conjunction with South African Distributor ELB Equipment in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The company used the show to launch its newly-painted machines, a “rugged new look that maintains the traditional Powerscreen green colour while adopting a dark grey colour on the chassis and conveyors.”

According to Powerscreen, the new paint scheme provides an updated, modern look

Sandvik Construction says that the recent inaugural bauma Africa was an excellent showcase opportunity for the company with stand visitor numbers reaching unprecedented levels, while the products displayed, and successful launch events, served to “illustrate Sandvik’s focus on African customer needs.”

Sandvik introduced the latest developments from its product ranges, with a very African focus, and launched a number of new products into the market including the DH 350 a diesel-powered, crawler-mounted, s

Enterprise Minister, Arlene Foster, has announced that Terex Finlay is strengthening its position in southern Africa.

The Minister said the company has located two key sales and technical support staff in Johannesburg, to support a newly-appointed distributor for the region.

The County Tyrone, Northern Ireland-based company, she said, has also just sold its first I-100 impact crusher into South Africa. The recycling machine was developed with the support of Invest NI (Invest Northern Ireland), placin

Leading asphalt plant manufacturers have been busy increasing their market share in key emerging markets of Africa and Asia. Guy Woodford reports

Ammann is celebrating its first ever asphalt mixing plants sales to Bangladesh. The Ammann JustBlack 160 and JustBlack 150 asphalt mixing plants sold to Abdul Monem Ltd (AML), one of Bangladesh’s largest construction firms, began asphalt production earlier this year.

The plants, which have an almost identical mixing tower, with the drum and filter slightly

Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world and after water is the most widely used material of any kind. Western economies have used it for years and developing countries now have an insatiable demand for it as they build infrastructure. Patrick Smith reports

Produced ready-mixed and fresh, for sale to contractors; for the production of precast elements in factories or on site; concrete has many assets.

For example, it has a life span often over a century; it can be recycled

While engine technology continues to develop apace, equipment manufacturers are looking at every aspect of the machine, to increase efficiency and boost productivity, writes Dan Gilkes.

Often that will involve fine tuning transmissions, hydraulic pumps and motors to work at their most efficient in combination with the engine, but it is also leading to innovative driveline solutions.

In the wheeled loader market, the latest transmission to catch the imagination of engineers and designers is the combine

This year has seen the introduction of a host of new and improved wheeled loaders and crawler excavators from many manufacturers as Dan Gilkes reports.

The majority of these updates have been driven by emissions legislation changes within Europe and North America.

For less regulated markets such as the Middle East, Russia, Africa, India and China, where machines are currently running at Tier 2, Tier 3 emissions, or in some cases in effect untiered levels, it might appear that there is little of inte

The Roman scholar Pliny the Elder is quoted as having said: “The only certainty is that nothing is certain.” He obviously didn’t work in the quarry business, but when it comes to machine breakdowns, perhaps he did. In any hard working quarry operation, whatever the material, wherever in the world you are operating, an absolute certainty is that machinery and equipment will wear out, writes Dan Gilkes.

How you deal with that fact, through preventative maintenance and scheduled overhaul, can play a major

When blasting is not a viable option in a quarry a large-sized excavator equipped with a heavy, powerful breaker can be the answer. Patrick Smith reports

Law regulations or the proximity of houses or other buildings may mean drill and blast is not possible in some quarries.

Breaker manufacturer Promove says breakers offer the opportunity to obtain high productivity without the risk of excessive vibrations, noise or flying splinters.

Cobblestone construction grows in Ethiopia despite concerns over quarry safety

Imagine a megapolis rising, Atlantis-like, from the sea. An urban development similar in size to New York’s Manhattan that boasts thriving business and residential districts to help transform not just a city but an entire country. It sounds like the stuff of science fiction.

But the Eko Atlantic project in Lagos, Nigeria, is real and has become one of the most dazzling and most discussed construction developments in the entire world.

Africa’s reserves of oil and minerals are estimated at over US$55 trillion. And half of the top ten largest, and 20 fastest growing economies in the world are in sub-Saharan Africa, according to Aaron Fosset, CEO of US-based company AFCOM. Patrick Smith reports

Africa is by far the world’s poorest inhabited continent, although parts have made significant gains over the last few years. However, the continent hosts about 30% of the world’s total mineral reserves and an even higher share of deposits of diam

Terex Finlay is exhibiting with new Southern Africa distributor, Bell Equipment.

“We look forward to the first bauma Africa show. It will allow us to reconnect with existing customers, and to meet new customers, together with Bell Equipment,” says Nigel Irvine, sales and marketing director, Terex Finlay.

Montabert offers a range of hydraulic breakers and hydraulic drifters for drilling applications.

Its Silver Clip range of hydraulic breakers is for carriers ranging from 700kg-7tonnes, with the SC36 (for carriers 4-10tonnes) offering a frequency of 1,550 blows/min and an oil flow of 55-100litres/min.

The HC 109 drifter model weighs 142kg and has an overall length of 1,095mm.