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Morocco is in the top ten economies in Africa and its growth plans means it needs construction materials. As with many other countries on the continent it is at present unable to fully meet an insatiable demand for cement and aggregates.

Major port and highway projects are being undertaken, and some of these are being supplied with high quality materials from a comparatively small quarry at Oued Cherrat.

Following a serious accident, concerns have been raised over the lack of regulatory framework to govern quarry operations in East Africa. Shem Oirere reports

The collapse of a quarry mine in Tanzania early in April in which at least 14 people were killed has forced Tanzania mining authorities back to the drawing board.

It has also raised concerns over the lack of regulatory framework to govern quarry operations in East Africa, particularly in Kenya.

In Tanzania, government mining experts have b

Welcome to the second issue of Aggregates Business International, which I hope you enjoy reading as much as you tell us you did the first issue.

It is published at a time when many companies in the industry worldwide are expressing more optimism than they have done for some time.

Reading the recent financial results from such companies, it is obvious that in many instances things are improving. While this will certainly not be to the same degree as it was prior to the financial crisis, strategies are

SDLG’s new LG953N wheeled loader is now available in the Russian market following its launch in Moscow.

The company says the loader delivers “serious savings” compared with its predecessor, but without compromising on power output. It has a 162kW engine. The second generation wheeled loader includes all the features from its predecessor,

but updates include a low-speed powertrain to offer lower fuel consumption and better overall energy efficiency.

Indian tyre manufacturer BKT launched a major communications campaign at bauma 2013 to highlight the introduction of its new products as it aimed at “reconfirming its positioning among the major players in the off-highway tyre market”.

BKT product lines are now extended by new sizes, and among products it highlights, is the Earthmax, a tyre with an all-steel structure designed for dumpers and wheeled loaders to ensure optimum load distribution on the terrain. BKT says it aims at achieving a 10% market sh

3D Laser Mapping has supplied AngloGold Ashanti with a state-of-the-art laser monitoring system, SiteMonitor, at the Geita Gold Mine, Nyankanga, Tanzania. It gives the user the ability to exploit the potential of laser scanning for measuring change and improving mine safety, and is currently being deployed to monitor slope stability and pit wall movements in order to provide early warning detection to potentially protect lives, capital and equipment.

Nigeria-based cement producer Dangote Cement registered a 52.8% increase in its profits before tax from NGN 70.80 billion (US$440.71 million) to NGN 107.7 billion in the first six months to June 2013. Sales volume was up 29.4% to 6.76 million tonnes, while the market share is estimated to stay at around 62%.

Cemex in the Philippines is providing cement for the Millennium Road Project. Part of a US$214 million infrastructure package that will connect 15 municipalities in Samar (a province in the Eastern Visayas region), phase one is scheduled for completion by November 2013.

Cemex’s APO cement plant in the Visayas will supply the required materials via its jetty port, considered the most modern facility of its type in the country to date. The Millennium Road Project’s first package comprises the rehabilitatio

Indonesia-based construction company Wijaya Karya and Myanmar-based construction equipment company United Mercury Group (UMG) have sealed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the formation of a joint venture company. They will team up to develop a concrete plant on five hectares of land in 2013 as being involved in construction services, according to Ganda Kusuma, director of finance for Wijaya Karya. Under the first phase of the plant development, a US$150 million fresh fund will be allocated, with an a

Meridian Drilling has acquired Euro Repair (UK) and its Senegal-based brand EDS Drilling. This adds five rotary air blast (RAB) rigs to the company’s fleet and an operating base in Senegal, with a yard and workshop near Kedougou in the Birimian goldfields which provides support for the drilling operations.

EDS will be absorbed into the Meridian Drilling branding and will enhance the UK and Dubai-based company’s capabilities in the expanding west African market.

Cemex is supplying nearly 60,000m³ of ready-mix concrete for the first stage construction of what is expected to be the largest urban complex in the Chinese city of Qingdao, eastern Shandong province. The centre is expected to offer a mix of commercial, office, housing and hotel space, among other facilities.

RMD Kwikform Oman supplied Larsen & Toubro Oman with a shoring solution for construction of the new Salalah International Airport, Oman, which once complete, will cater services for up to 1 million passengers per year.

A 450tonne capacity Manitowoc 2250 crawler crane is building one of the world’s largest mineral sand mines.

The crane, the largest crane in Senegal, is performing demanding lifts and carries in the sand dunes at the US$570 million Grande Côte Mineral Sands Project, north of Dakar.

The 2250, which is fitted with the MAX-ER capacity enhancing attachment, was bought by Grande Côte Operations, the main contractor and mine operator.

Construction expenditures in China are expected to rise 8.5%/year in real terms through to 2017. Ongoing urbanisation and industrialisation; rising income levels; further population and household growth, and the government’s continuing efforts to expand and upgrade physical infrastructure in the country will support healthy growth in construction spending.

However, growth will moderate notably from the 16% annual gains during the 2007-2012 period when gross fixed capital formation was boosted by the gove

Lafarge Malaysia has launched its new corporate brand in Malaysia. The company has also used a new slogan: Building Better Cities. The change is made in conjunction with its 60th anniversary in the country.

Aircraft parking spaces at Singapore’s Changi Airport are being replaced with recycled concrete mix as part of an ongoing drive to go green. Over the coming decade, 31 of the 80m x 80m spaces, officially called stands, will be repaved.

In 2019, the four-phase project is scheduled to be completed with ten parking stands being repaved under the second phase, which is ongoing.

Hyundai Heavy Industries’ HL757-9A new wheeled loader has a 15tonne operating weight and standard shovel volume of 2.7m³.

The machine will be offered in three versions: the HL757-9A standard with 2.84m dumping height and a reach of 1.61m; HL757XTD-9A high reach version with 3.23m dumping height and reach of 1.97m (additional counterweight 840kg); and the HL757TM-9A (ToolMaster) with parallel mast. It has a tipping height 2.84m and a reach of 1.815m. The mast can be combined with various hydraulic quick-c

The new DH350 is the first machine developed at Sandvik’s Jiading R&D centre in China.

Following its recent global launch, the first machine has been bought by Chinese company, Fujian Saibang Leasing, which says it is “delighted” with its new compact drill rig, “an ideal machine for a variety of construction drilling projects.”

LiuGong and ZF have celebrated completion of the first prototype axle (AP3000), which was produced by their new joint venture company, ZF Liuzhou Axle. The companies have worked together before and in 1995 they set up Liuzhou ZF

Machinery to produce construction transmissions and spare parts.
“It has been successfully serving joint venture partner LiuGong and third parties with high quality construction machinery transmissions for years,” says the jv.

Sandvik Construction India’s new 24x7 service programme includes a customised service offering for customers.
Sandvik Construction’s advanced and productive equipment is backed up by a range of value-added services that aim to boost the productivity of customers’ daily operations.
“In order to build on and develop its global reputation, Sandvik Construction India has recently designed a customised service solution programme as part of its continued aftermarket development,” says the company.
The 24x7 ser