Search

Breedon Aggregates, the UK’s largest independent aggregates business, is still on the look-out for acquisitions. Its results for the six months to 30 June, 2012 show group revenue for the half-year was broadly in line with the previous year at £83 million (30 June 2011: £84.7 million).

A new Sennebogen 860M is unloading incoming ships at the port in Tiel, Holland. Located on the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal, Tielse Loswal Combinat, a subsidiary of Gebrüder Hartemann Holding and K3 Industriezand, carries out bulk goods handling at the site.

Anaconda Equipment International, the Northern Ireland based manufacturer of compact screening and conveying equipment, launched the DF512 tracked screener, the ‘big brother’ of the DF410 mode. It is said to be a significant move away from the compact range of screens on offer from Anaconda up until now.

The first 70tonne Doosan DX700LC crawler excavator in the UK and Ireland has been sold to Loughran Rock Industries in Armagh, Northern Ireland. Loughran Rock Industries supplies a range of rock products including concrete aggregates, high PSV materials, rail ballast, drainage materials, sub-bases, rock armour and surface dressing chippings.

Contractor Carlomagno Gaetano from Lagonegro in northern Italy has been contracted by main contractor SIS to build the new Renazza Tunnel on the A3 Salerno-Reggio Calabria highway. The previous tunnel, which collapsed in the past, is constructed through fragile ground conditions of mainly sand and clay, calling for delicate operations.

Bauma 2013, the international trade fair for construction and mining equipment and machinery, covering a record 570,000m², is fully booked and has a waiting list for all sections. However, a further 15,000m² of space has been made available for the event which runs from 15-21 April in Munich, Germany.

ContiTech, one of Continental AG’s five divisions, generated sales of €3.6 billion in the past fiscal year, an increase of 16%. Among the Hanover, Germany-based technology company’s products are conveyor belts used in the quarrying and mining industries.

Major European aggregates and cement companies are reporting first quarter increases as efficiency packages start to take effect. Once again they are quoting many emerging countries as the growth areas, but the US is also proving a success. Bruno Lafont, chairman and chief executive officer of Lafarge, said: “The group is focused on debt reduction, strict cost discipline, the maximisation of its cash flows, and the achievement of at least €1 billion of strategic divestments this year. The management reorgan

Cemex UK has introduced a more versatile Carbon Footprint Calculataor mapping out the embodied carbon step-by-step through the supply chain from the manufacture of the raw materials to the delivery of the end product on site, with bespoke reports quickly generated for customers.

Not all bulldozers feature mechanical drivelines as Mike Woof reports As an earthstripping tool the bulldozer can an extremely efficient machine in the right application. The first bulldozers were animal-driven and were used for roadworks at the end of the 19th century. When the crawler tractor was developed by Holt in the early 20th century, it was only a few years before blades were fitted to become the first bulldozers. Although the very first crawler tractors from Holt (as well as Hornsby in the UK) wer

Marangoni has introduced new products to its range of large-sized tyres. The new products from the Italian company, available in sizes 27.00x49, 31/80x49 and 31/90x49, have been developed with the MRLS Recaflex and MDT Recaflex profiles, and have a deeper tread pattern than the previous models, increased from 70 to 75 mm. This feature, combined with a larger footprint and a low hysteresis compound, is said to guarantee longer tread life, with maximum hourly performance and without negatively affecting casin

The Mineral Products Association’s (MPA) latest Safer by... initiative calls on members and their contractors to work more closely together to reduce contractor injuries and the incidence of ill health; and ultimately achieve the target of Zero Harm. Nigel Jackson, chief executive MPA: said: “MPA members need to be able to demonstrate contractors’ and sub-contractors’ competence with the same degree of rigour as if the contractors were directly employed. It is in recognition of the key role that contractors

Little can be constructed without using concrete, probably the world’s most versatile material, as Patrick Smith reports As if needed, the construction of a canoe made entirely out of concrete is yet another way of proving the material’s versatility. While making such craft using concrete is not new, one of the most recent examples has come from Utah State University (USU) in the USA where an engineering club paddled a lighter-than-water concrete canoe.

Conveyor equipment in a quarry takes a beating: anything that can make it last longer pays dividends as Patrick Smith discovers Conveyors, like other means of moving material, have now become an integral part of many quarries. Indeed, a quarry operation’s harsh environments offer little respite when it comes to the performance of the conveying equipment: reliability and robust design are the top priorities in a quarry manager’s mind. Tight production deadlines and maintenance budgets mean downtime can be co

Eppleton Quarry products in North-East England is producing limestone and sand from a former colliery. A colliery reclamation area is now a quarry producing limestone materials and a high quality yellow building sand.
For the last 11 years Eppleton Quarry Products, a Hall Construction Services company based in Sunderland, north-east England has been processing this material, which is then sold to block makers and also used for pathways and speedway tracks. Recently Finlay Plant Northern supplied a Terex Fi

A biodiversity offsetting scheme is underway as part of a quarry extension which includes the removal of 20 million m³ of overburden. Patrick Smith reports Rock and mineral extraction sites are often of great biodiversity and/or geodiversity interest. The particular interests and importance are dependent on a number of factors such as the local solid geology and drift geology, altitude, water table level and the type of restoration following excavation.
“Some old quarries resemble inland rock habitats wit

Raising the Bar, an initiative at the John Wainwright quarry, aims to create a sustained and vibrant safety culture as Patrick Smith reports Anew safety initiative called Raising the Bar has been introduced by an award-winning company at its quarry. Late last year at the Mineral Products Association’s (MPA) prestigious Health and Safety Conference and Awards, John Wainwright was awarded the John Crabbe Memorial Trophy for outstanding excellence in health and safety.

Metso’s new Megaliner Poly-Met shell liner is said to keep downtime in large mills to a minimum, utilising an innovative design that offers speedy replacement. “It also improves worker safety during maintenance, as the liners are bolted into position from the outside of the mill, so workers do not need to stand in the ‘drop-zone’ of the liners,” says Metso. Megaliner uses larger-than-average liners, and these can still be placed with the same 6- to 8-axis liner handlers used with many large autogenous mill

Equipped with an advanced powertrain system, the new Caterpillar 966K XE wheeled loader is said to deliver up to a 25% fuel efficiency improvement with optimum performance.
“The 966K XE has been engineered to deliver superior efficiency by utilising an integrated Cat continuously variable transmission system,” says the company.
The 966K XE, which is being tested at various sites throughout Europe, will be initially available in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlandsand the UK in the fourth quarter

Seven models in JCB’s Hammermaster hydraulic breaker ranges are to get CESAR marking as standard to combat construction equipment theft. JCB says it was the first major manufacturer to make CESAR (Construction Equipment Security And Registration) standard on its construction range in 2007. Paul Hartshorn, director and general manager of JCB Attachments, said: “This move is in direct response to our customers, who have asked us to come up with an effective anti-theft deterrent for their breakers. Theft of at