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Carlos Espina has been appointed as director of research and revelopment of the Lafarge Group, with effect from October 1, 2012. Espina was formerly chief executive officer, ArcelorMittal Méditerranée, a position he had held since July 2009. He began his career in the United Kingdom as a researcher at AEA Technology. In 1995 he joined the R&D Centre of Aceralia Corporación Siderúrgica as manager of the Product Applications Engineering Department, before becoming vice president of intellectual property, kno

Caterpillar introduces the new MD5150 track drill, a customer-inspired design for drilling of holes up to 152mm in diameter and for applications in construction, quarrying and mining. “Benefiting from more than 50 years of track drill design, the MD5150 incorporates a proven rock drill, patented carousel rod changer, new cab and many other features that boost productivity and reduce operating costs,” says Caterpillar.
The MD5150, introduced at the recent MINExpo in Las Vegas, USA, is said to dramatically r

Intuitive software solutions provider to the mining and exploration industry, MICROMINE, has boosted its global presence by launching a new office in Gävle, Sweden. The company’s expansion into the region follows a continued programme of growth in recent years, through successive office openings across Russia and South America.

IROCK, a US-based manufacturer of crushing and screening equipment, has acquired Indy Equipment, a move that it says marks a significant step in furthering IROCK’s long-term business strategy of investing in growth, technology and quality assurance to better meet the needs of its expanding customer base in the aggregates and recycling industries. The acquisition encompasses Indy Equipment’s fabrication and manufacturing division. IROCK was established in 1992, with Indy Equipment as a strategic partner prov

Lafarge Aggregates & Concrete UK played host to over 100 delegates from across the quarrying industry when the Minerals Product Association (MPA) held its Annual Northern Safety Day recently at the Marfield Quarry in Masham, northern England. Quarry operatives and managers joined together at the Leyburn Road quarry in order to share best practice in key subjects such as road safety, working at height, water issues, stock pile safety and occupational health, through a series of interactive sessions designed

As part of the ongoing investment in the Unit Rig products acquired through the acquisition of Bucyrus International, Caterpillar has unveiled the new MT5300D AC 290-tonne-capacity mining truck, which integrates a Cat C175-16 engine and Cat 360T AC electric drive system. The MT5300D AC takes its place in Caterpillar’s large mining truck product line between the 227tonne-capacity 793F and the 327tonne-capacity 795F AC.

Building materials supplier, Lafarge, has joined an elite set of ‘green’ companies to achieve recertification of the Carbon Trust Standard. Only a third of companies have succeeded in regaining the Standard, the world’s first carbon reduction award for organisations taking action on climate change, says Lafarge. Lafarge Aggregates & Concrete UK, based in Syston, Leicestershire, obtained recertification thanks to ever evolving energy saving initiatives which have slashed carbon emissions by 16%over the last

Recycling and resource management company SITA UK has signed a three year contract to supply 180,000tonnes of SRF (solid recovered fuel) to Cemex in Latvia. The fuel will be produced by processing residual commercial waste in a new, purpose-built facility at Ridham Docks in Kent. Once processed, the SRF material will be used as a fossil-fuel replacement at Cemex’s cement production facility in Broceni, southern Latvia.

Astec, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Astec Industries, is to assume total responsibility for all asphalt plant production within the Astec Industries’ family of companies. CEI Enterprises’ (also a wholly-owned subsidiary of Astec Industries) line-up of the Nomad and Rap King series of hot mix asphalt plants will transfer production to the Dillman, (a division of Astec), facility in Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, USA.
“With the decision to consolidate all manufacturing of the corporation’s hot mix asphalt plan

Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI)has signed an agreement with Cummins to establish an engine factory for earthmovers in Daeggu, South Korea. They have each invested US$33 million (€25.5 million) for the joint venture, named Hyundai Cummin s Engine Company. The factory will start production from 2014 with an annual production capacity of 50,000 engines. The signing ceremony, held at HHI’s headquarters in Ulsann, South Korea, was attended by Rich Freeland, president of Cummins, Mr. Choe Byeongg-ku, COO of HHI’s

Cemex in Israel is supplying 20,000m³ of ready-mix concrete for a new, 800+ megawatt, electric power station, south of the city of Ashkelon. Israel’s largest private power generating facility, the plant will house 12 gas turbines and two steam turbines, designed using combined cycle technology, to produce approximately 8% of Israel’s total electric power production capacity at prices competitive with Israel Electric Corporation, the country’s state-owned power system. Cemex has especially modified the concr

HeidelbergCement is constructing a new US$ 250 million clinker plant with an annual capacity of 1.5 million tonnes in the Tongan town of Tabligbo, some 80km north-east of the capital, Lomé. The company is also building a new cement grinding facility with a capacity of 200,000tonnes in Dapaong. “The construction of the new clinker plant and the cement grinding facility is part of our strategy of focusing on expanding our clinker and cement capacities in growth markets. In addition to Asia and Eastern Europe,

Lafarge has sold cement, concrete and aggregates assets in the US states of Missouri and Oklahoma to Eagle Materials for US$446 million (€345 million). The assets sold include cement plants in Kansas City (Missouri), and Tulsa (Oklahoma) having a total cement capacity of 1.6 million tons (1.45 million tonnes), along with associated cement terminals. Lafarge is also selling its ready-mix concrete and aggregates operations in Kansas City.

Eurocement has announced that it will build a US$480 million (€371 million) cement plant in the Stavropol region of Russia with a production capacity of 1.3 million tonnes/year. Construction will take place in the Spasskoe village of Blagodarnenskiy District. The new plant, which will employ 400 people with the potential to create 1,000 additional jobs, will cover an area of 40 hectares and will produce 3,500tonnes/day of clinker. The project will be implemented under a public-private partnership (PPP) and

Building materials specialists Cemex and Cemex USA have announced the US launch of Fortium ICF.
Fortium ICF is said to be a new construction material specifically engineered to reduce the time and material needed to build vertical concrete wall systems, such as Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) building envelopes, while providing substantial savings in long term maintenance and energy costs.

Oslo City Council has ordered road construction company Oslo Vei to close down its quarry and asphalt plant at Huken before the end of 2014. The company's board has been urged to present a plan for the phase-out before the end of 2012. The quarry and asphalt plant, located in Grorud, forest area of Lillomarka, is used for production of gravel, sand, asphalt and concrete.

H+H Céska, the Czech subsidiary of Danish group H+H International, has been acquired by H+H's main competitor, German company Xella. Turnover of H+H Céska totalled €8.41 million in 2011. Equity capital was €12.13 million by the end of June 2012. Xella produces and sells walll-building materials (Ytong and Hebel limestone), mineral insulation boards (Ytong Multipor), gypsum fibre and cement-bonded drywall panels (Fermacell), and lime (limestone rock).

Xylem has announced expansions of it dewatering business in several locations this year in order to serve customers in the growing mining sector. The company, which was spun-off from ITT Corporation in 2011, discussed the developments and presented its latest mine dewatering solutions from its Flygt and Godwin pumps brands at MINExpo 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

In Togo, HeidelbergCement is constructing a new US$250 million clinker plant with an annual capacity of 1.5 million tonnes in the town of Tabligbo, some 80km north-east of the capital of Lomé. In addition, the company is building a new cement grinding facility with a capacity of 200,000 tonnes in Dapaong, 600km to the north.
“The construction of the new clinker plant and the cement grinding facility is part of our strategy of focusing on expanding our clinker and cement capacities in growth markets. In add

The speed with which construction costs have risen in Finland in recent years is due to slow down, according to the RAKSU working group that monitors trends in the country’s construction sector.