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Nigel Jackson, chief executive of the Mineral Products Association (MPA) has again highlighted the urgent need for the British government to accelerate infrastructure investment in the 20 March Budget with a particular focus on local transport and road maintenance schemes. The announcements made in the government’s Autumn Statement to fund more local transport schemes and road maintenance work need to convert into live projects this year and be sustained into 2014/15 and beyond. “There is growing frustrati

The UK aggregates industry continues to be unable to replenish its output with new reserves, with eight out of ten planning regions failed to replace reserves extracted during 2012, says industry marketing consultancy, BDS Marketing Research. This is despite markets continuing at historically low levels during the year, and BDS estimates that last year only in Scotland and the south-west England were aggregates companies able to fully replenish reserves. Nationally, BDS estimates that just 70% of sand and g

The Rustona company has built a crushing and grading complex for processing serpentine in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, North Caucasian Federal District of Russia. The facility will produce five types of broken stone and sand and it has a capacity of 750,000tonnes/year with raw materials being extracted at a quarry 16km from the complex. Production wastes will be used as a mineral fertiliser for growing potato and sugar beet. Serpentine reserves are estimated at 50 million tonnes, and the company has a li

Astec has introduced The Source hand-held diagnostic tool that simulates most of the electrical signals coming into an asphalt plant control system. The company says The Source simplifies plant set-up and troubleshooting by providing the user with the ability to simulate components without the need to waste material. Functions include settings to simulate a weighbridge signal; emulate a MBU (manual backup unit) and it also controls the speed of a variable speed drive.

In 2012, the Austrian brick manufacturer Wienerberger saw its operating profit fall from €39.40 million to a loss of €40.5 million, compared to in 2011. This is attributed to the weak economy in Europe and high restructuring costs. CEO Heimo Scheuch has pointed to the one-off costs in 2012. However, its restructuring phase is running at full speed. In 2012, Wienerberger's turnover climbed by 23% to €2.36 billion and following the takeover of the Austrian plastic pipe manufacturer Pipelife, Wienerberger expe

According to SMPro, manufacturing reinforced concrete goods and structures increased by 10% year-on-year to 25 million m³ in Russia in 2012. At the same time, production of building frames went up 15.7%, while panel and floor deck output grew by 10.8%. Moscow was ranked the first by reinforced concrete production, increasing 5% to 2.2 million m³ in the city. The Central and Volga Federal Districts accounted for over 50% of the total reinforced concrete output in Russia.

In 2012, Holcim Philippines (Holcim) recorded sales of 6.4 million tonnes of cement. This showed a 23% year-on-year jump against 5.2 million tonnes. The growth was led by strong construction activity in both private and public sectors. The cement maker's net income reached PHP 3.63 billion (€68.10 million), up by 78.93% year-on-year, and this was led by reduced costs and higher cement volume.

KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens has launched its new mobile application, which can be downloaded by Android and Apple devices. The company decided to create a mobile app after hearing several requests from its customers and dealers, said Lisa Carson, marketing manager for KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens. “Our dealers and customers are increasingly using mobile technology and want immediate access to information about our products right from their smart phones,” Carson said. “We strive to be on the cutting

The plans for the asphalt plant in Luxembourg's Um Monekeler industrial zone have been met with criticism due to the threat of pollutant emissions, noise pollution, and its claimed lack of fire protection standards, it has been reported. The expert, Klaus Koch, commissioned by the commune of Schifflingen, Luxembourg to see that the approval procedure is in line with the certifications standards of the German company TÜV-Rheinland, has pointed to the asphalt plant's proximity to a nursery, houses and to the

The Spanish cement company Cementos Portland has reached an agreement with Irish company CRH. As part of the agreement, Portland has strengthened its stake in Uniland, with further assets in the US and Tunisia, after reaching 100% of Uniland indirectly. As part of the operation, CRH has exchanged the 26.38% stake Portland does not hold in Uniland, while Portland has given CRH its 98.75% stake of Cementos Lemona. In addition, CRH has agreed to purchase 100% of Southern Cement.

IronPlanet has acquired Asset Appraisal Services (AAS), an inspection, appraisal and online auction services company serving customers across the used capital equipment markets, with a key focus on the commercial truck sector. “We are very excited to incorporate Asset Appraisal Services, a trusted name in truck remarketing, as part of the IronPlanet marketplace,” said Greg Owens, CEO of IronPlanet. “Its expertise in inspections will further enhance IronPlanet’s exclusive IronClad Assurance and inspection se

Rigid dump truck design has come a long way, writes Mike Woof. The rigid dump truck was a US development, with the Euclid Trac-Truk of 1931 being the world’s first, purpose-built off-highway dump truck. Prior to WWII, US firms such as Euclid, as well as Dart and Mack, were the undoubted pioneers of the rigid dump truck sector. The Trac-Truk was small and crude to modern eyes but was quickly followed by larger and more powerful vehicles, with these three manufacturers leading the way.

Advances in asphalt technology are leading to new mixes, such as one being trialled in Scotland. Patrick Smith reports. Developments in asphalt technology are helping to reduce emissions and make products cheaper to manufacture. New additives and the increasing use of warm mix asphalts are all playing their part in the advances. One example of this technology can be found in the UK. A 3.8km section of the M90 motorway, north of the Forth Road Bridge, near Edinburgh, Scotland, has become the first stretch of

Special high-strength steels can be light, and have built-in energy efficiency. It is estimated that transportation uses 20-25% of the world’s energy and generates 26% of the world’s CO2 emissions. Add to this the relentless increase in fuel costs, and it is clear that hauliers face both significant environmental and commercial challenges. Continuous improvements in the fuel efficiency of engines have gone some way to addressing these issues. But a more fundamental review of all the materials used in the co

Innovative equipment and good-as-new products are reducing maintenance costs as Patrick Smith reports. Maintenance at quarry sites, and their associated equipment, is not only essential for health and safety but productivity as well. Such maintenance includes regular inspection and (where necessary) repair of such fixtures as haul roads, embankments, and vehicles on site. To most quarry operators such procedures are part of regular preventive maintenance, an activity that is usually planned and scheduled. O

Loading is a vital part of a quarry operation and essential for good productivity. Patrick Smith reports. In a quarry, crusher capacity dictates the choice of all other machines in the process. The loader must be matched to the truck, with the right bucket size to optimise loading cycles, says Caterpillar. “In a chain process such as quarry ripping, loading and hauling, you can’t afford even one weak link,” says the company, pointing out that the number of trucks used will depend on the volume needed to kee

The correct personal protective equipment in quarries saves lives. Ensuring the protection of employees’ health and safety is now the first priority at quarry sites. Indeed it has become the guiding principle for employees starting from the highest levels of responsibility, and the aim is to achieve a zero accident rate and certainly a zero fatality rate. All the major companies in the sector, and probably most of the smaller companies, have rigid, well documented policies that have to be adhered to. Indeed

A Turkish marble producer tests a used dump truck before buying it for his quarry. Ermas Mermer, a Turkish marble producer, operates five quarries from its headquarters near Yatagan in western Mugla province. Two are in the Yatagan area and three are further south, near the city of Antalya. Three associated factories handle the output from the quarries. In business since 1985, total annual production of marble runs to 150,000tonnes/year, which, thanks to its high quality, is in growing demand worldwide. Of

An old-established Belgian quarry has invested in new equipment to improve efficiency. The family business Bertrand has been an established name in the Belgian Ardennes region for generations. The quarry in Bra sur Lienne is known for its blue and brown slate, which is used in the construction of walls, roofs, terraces, floors and dry walls (without mortar). The slate is also used for monuments. For over 50 years, mining at the quarry was usually done manually as the quarry operates in a niche market where

After a prolonged period of extended use for its fleet of plant and equipment, Huntsmans Quarry has started to reinvest in its machinery fleet as new markets and opportunities evolve for its Cotswold limestone products. Geoff Ashcroft reports. If money – and indeed customers - were in plentiful supply, David Glenn would choose to renew most of his plant at Huntsmans Quarries on a rolling five-year cycle. But the slump in demand for aggregates has seen Huntsmans’ output reduced from its peak of over 300,000t