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Demand for cement in Spain has been tipped to drop by 33% by the end of 2012 to some 13 million tonnes – which will be the fifth successive double-digit annual drop. Spanish cement producers' association Oficemen also forecast that demand in 2013 will fall a further 20%, to levels akin to those in Ecuador and Morocco. The latest forecast for 2012 is worst that all previous ones given by Oficemen, who originally expected a 12% drop in demand by the end of the year. Some firms are said to be considering dism

Sales at General Beton (GB) in Romania are expected to fall in 2012. The concrete producer, controlled by the Italian group Tonon, expects a turnover worth around €19.58 million (RON 87.50mn) in 2012, down by 8% compared with 2011.

Granite exports from the Galicia region of Spain to Saudi Arabia increased 127% in 2011 to 450tonnes, according to the granite cluster in the region. The impressive figure has already been beaten in the first nine months of 2012, with exports of 514tonnes. The figures were revealed during a visit by a delegation of construction companies from Saudi Arabia and Egypt, including Saudi Binladin Group and Al Latifia. Construction expenditure in Saudi Arabia is growing at a rate of 7.3% up to 2016, providing an o

Swiss cement company Holcim says it plans to scale back its European activities due to a slowdown in the continent’s construction sector. The firm has not revealed how many jobs will be affected by the move, but the company hopes to make savings of at least €99.31mn (CHF 120mn) a year. In the fourth quarter of 2012 restructuring costs reached €82.75 million (CHF 100m), and amortisation on infrastructure totalling €339.27 million (CHF 410mn) will be included in the fourth quarter results. In the first nine m

Gorny is to build a cement plant near the east Russia port city of Novorossiysk in 2013. The company, 99% owned by Trastinvest-V, says the plant will aim to produce around 3.5million tonnes of cement per annum once fully operational. Raw materials will be supplied from Chebukovskaya Ploshchad deposit, located 20km from Novorossiysk. Costing an estimated €491.82million (RUB 20bn), the new plant’s first production line with the capacity for 1.7million tonnes of cement per annum will be launched in Q4 2016, fo

As part of the Holcim Leadership Journey, the group has introduced a leaner management structure for Europe to better adapt to the lower level of construction activity. Group region Europe continues to adjust production capacity in all segments. Measures evaluated and already initiated will lead to annual cost savings of at least CHF 120 million (€99.3million) , a better utilisation rate of the capacity and a more efficient allocation of the capital expenditure. The additional cash costs for restructuring

Holcim Belgium, the Belgian division of Swiss cement manufacturer Holcim, is planning to close its brick grinding centre in Haccourt. The predicted closure is said to be due to a needed reorganisation in order to manage overcapacity in Belgium and to withstand the deteriorated market conditions. If the 43 employee centre closes, Holcim Belgium says it will start negotiations with staff representatives as soon as possible to reduce the effects of collective redundancies.

French ecology minister Delphine Batho says the biodiversity commitments of the national union of aggregates producers (UNPG) conforms to the national strategy for biodiversity (SNB). The profession, which is reported to have welcomed its "reconnu SNB" status, asked to be part of the SNB recognition measure back in May 2011. The UNPG has launched actions to take biodiversity into account and is engaged in an environmental progress approach by defining good practices for site development and management. In J

A fleet of Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) G-Series wheeled loaders are shifting 76,000tonnes of iron ore a day in the world’s largest underground mine. Situated within the Arctic Circle where temperatures fall to -30°C, the work at Kiruna Mine in Lapland, northern Sweden, is said to be putting Volvo CE’s innovative new V-ACT Tier4i/Stage IIIB engine to the test. The wheeled loaders are deployed pretty much round the clock to transport their huge daily haul of iron ore up two kilometres from below g

Analysts at Citi have changed the recommendation on Lafarge from neutral to buy. Furthermore, Citi has increased the target share price for the French construction materials group to €53. Though there remain issues in the Middle East, Citi says the US market and emerging market are showing signs of positive change for 2013. The international financial conglomerate also expects Lafarge to sell more assets as part of its plan to reach debt of under €10 billion in 2013. Lafarge has reported that its costs are

The cement company Sociedad de Cementos y Materiales de Construccion (SCMC) based in Andalucía is to make 35 redundancies across its two plants in Cordoba and Niebra (Huelva). The move is said to be due to an estimated sales drop of 37% due to the global economic crisis hitting hard in Spain. The SCMC group employs 142 workers and the redundancies affect 25 workers based in Cordoba and 10 people who work in Niebla.

Finnish Elematic is to supply the world's biggest precast concrete plant to Iraq. The near €40 million order has been placed by South Korea's Hanwha Engineering & Construction. The first deliveries will leave for Iraq in three months' time, and the plant is set to be completed in 15 months. Elematic chief executive officer Mats Jungar says the company is expecting further orders.

Three workers unions in Spain have signed a collective agreement for the cement sector in Alava, which will include a wage rise of 1.4% in 2013 and 2014. The agreement itself, signed by the SEA Uneca, CCOO and UGT workers unions, is valid until 31 December 2016. The annual working year will be 1,716 hours while the agreement is in place. The signing of the agreement is said to guarantee labour relations between workers and companies, while also giving both parties security.

Lafarge has invested €6.2 million (£5mn) in a bid to reduce emissions at its Cookstown Works cement plant in Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The bulk of the money has gone on the refurbishment of its kiln electrostatic precipitator, while future plans include a refurbishment of the plant's control room. Lafarge has also invested in its apprenticeship scheme, taking on two trainees in 2012, with two more planned in 2013.

Dust emissions can be an issue at aggregate quarries but equipment can control the problem as Patrick Smith reports By far the most important aspect of air quality in relation to quarries is the generation of dust. The SustainableAggregates information gateway says there may be small amounts of fumes or smoke generated from diesel equipment or processing plant which can cause a visual impact, but recent air quality controls have reduced these considerably. “There may also be some gases such as NO2 and CO pr

Granit is to build a mining and processing plant at its Sitnitskoye deposit in Belarus. The site, which will have three road metal production lines with capacity of up to 3 million tonnes each, is due to be launched by 2017.

A mobile crushing solution from a European company at an Argentinian quarry is said to increase production by 100% Caminos del Mercosur found success in the mid-1990s supplying crushed rock for the construction of new roads. Recently the company has enhanced its reputation as an innovator in aggregates production and supply through the adoption of tracked crushing technology. Based in Posadas, Misiones, Argentina, it says it has modernised its production capabilities through investing in a modern, mobile cr

Finnish concrete company Lujabetoni's new fast-drying concrete is said by the firm to be able to reduce problems with damp and indoor air quality created when a concrete floor is covered too quickly with vinyl flooring. The new fast-drying concrete was used in summer 2012 during the improvement of two McDonald's outlets in the Helsinki. The concrete was said to be dry enough to be covered in 14 days from casting. Normally, says Lujabetoni, it would take a month for the concrete to dry in this type of buildi

Finnish concrete company Lujabetoni's new fast-drying concrete is said by the firm to be able to reduce problems with damp and indoor air quality created when a concrete floor is covered too quickly with vinyl flooring. The new fast-drying concrete was used in summer 2012 during the improvement of two McDonald's outlets in the Helsinki. The concrete was said to be dry enough to be covered in 14 days from casting. Normally, says Lujabetoni, it would take a month for the concrete to dry in this type of buildi

Russian construction and building materials company LSR plans to upgrade its construction materials plants in the Urals. The company plans to invest €200.33 million (RUB 8bn), down 20% from the previously anticipated amount. Modernisation of LSR enterprises in St.Petersburg and Moscow is said to have been concluded.