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June 26, 2012

Insight into quarry operation

As you read through the magazine you will see the Quarry Profile report on the Mountsorrel granite quarrying operation near the city of Leicester, UK. I mention this because not only is it possibly the largest granite quarry in Europe, but it is an impressive set-up in many other ways. Just recently more than 4,000 people from the area surrounding the quarry were able to experience for themselves, at five open days, how a modern quarry works. The first in eight years, the days offered an insight into the hi

Pat Smith Editor of Aggregates Business
June 26, 2012

H+H appoints new director

Denmark-based aircrete producer H+H International has announced that it has appointed Michael Troensgaard Andersen as its new managing director. Andersen, who joins the company from Trelleborg, will take over the role from Hans Gormsen on 4 April this year.

June 26, 2012

TSC secures Russian gravel agreement

Russia-based Tomsk Shipping Company has announced that it has secured a licence to extract around 4000,00m3 of sand and gravel on Alaesky Island in the Tomsk region of the country. The company is understood to have spent €10,000 in acquiring the land rights.

June 26, 2012

The Quarry Products Association (Scotland) is to be rename itself as Mineral Products Association (Scotland)

The UK-based Mineral Products Association (MPA) has announced that its Scottish division is rebranding from the Quarry Products Association (Scotland) to come under the MPA banner. MPA (Scotland) chairman Alan Mackenzie said, "The members have agreed to this move in order to provide a greater consistency across the UK in promoting our industry."Mackenzie added that members will gain benefits from having a "professional, working relationship with not only their main stakeholders throughout Scotland but also

June 26, 2012

Cemex's UK aggregates business has secured a new quality management standard

Cemex UK has announced that its aggregates division has achieved the new BS EN ISO 9001 quality management standard, which recognises the company's commitment to continuous improvement in production procedures.According to Cemex vice president for aggregates and asphalt Lex Russell, this measure will enhance customers' confidence in the high quality of the company's products. "This certification is very important to us and I'm sure, to our customers," he said. "They now have tangible evidence that all of ou

June 26, 2012

Norway's welfare organisation has said that it is to tighten rules on paying benefits to temporarily dismissed asphalt workers

The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service (NAV) has said that it is to review rules that enable temporarily dismissed asphalt workers to claim benefits. It is currently accepted that asphalt workers who are laid off during the colder winter months can claim welfare benefits but NAV has said that the majority of these workers do 200 to 300 hours of overtime during their work periods which equates to full-time pay.

June 26, 2012

A former employee of Kolo Veidekke admits to cartel activity in Norway

Kolo Veidekke's former regional director for Central Norway has admitted to a Norwegian newspaper to collaborating on pricing of asphalt with competitor NCC between 1996 and 2009. The ex-employee has said that the two companies discussed pricing and divided the market between them to give Veidekke a two thirds share and NCC one third.He has claimed that the cartel was aimed at keeping others out of the market and maintaining an unnaturally high price and that this process was backed by Veidekke's management

June 26, 2012

Ireland's Cement Roadstone is to acquire Ukraine-based Lviv Concrete

Ireland-based Cement Roadstone Holdings has announced plans to acquire Ukrainian concrete business Lviv Concrete, whch also trades under the name of Lvobsky Beton. Competition authorities in the Ukraine have already granted permission for the transfer of ownership of the operation.

June 26, 2012

Lafarge has announced it is to relocate its German head office to Karsdorf in 2012

Lafarge has announced that it is to co-locate its head office in Germany with its major cement production base at Karsdorf with effect from January next year. The company has cited the expiry of the lease on its Oberursel offices as the reason behind the move but around 60% of Lafarge's cement production in Germany is produced at Karsdorf, which suggests the move may also reduce costs.

June 26, 2012

Lafarge has completed repairs to a historic railway bridge at its Mountsorrel quarry in the UK

Lafarge has carried out repairs to the structure which now carries a conveyor beltWorks to repair an historic 150 year old bridge at a Lafarge's Mountsorrel quarry in the UK have been successfully completed and restored the structure to its former glory. The railway bridge - known as 1860 Bridge due to the year of its construction - provides and important link for transporting aggregates from the granite quarry.The 30m long brick built single span bridge used to carry a railway line over the River Soar and

June 25, 2012

No Cosmos cement at Toral de los Vados until September 2012

Cosmos has suspended cement production at its factory in the Spanish municipality of Toral de los Vados until September 2012. Following the move, said to be due to decreased demand for cement products, the Spanish firm will focus on cleaning and repair services as well as other activities, such as cement grinding and collecting forest biomass to use as fuel in its ovens. Cosmos, which has been using forest biomass since 5 June, 2012, expects to collect 2,000-3,000tonnes of biomass. The company said it had n

June 25, 2012

Spanish cement demand at 1970s comparable low, says Oficemen

The Spanish association of cement producers, Oficemen, said national cement consumption decreased by 37.2% in May 2012, compared to the same month of 2011, to 1.26million tonnes..Present cement consumption levels are, stressed Oficemen, mirroring consumption lows of the 1970's. Demand for cement during the first five months of 2012 decreased by 34.6% to 5.98million tonnes, at a daily consumption average of 57,594tonnes.

June 25, 2012

Management changes at Saint-Gobain

French construction materials group Saint-Gobain has appointed François Michel as corporate planning and strategy director. Michel replaces David Molho, who is expected to join Saint-Gobain PAM in Brazil.

June 25, 2012

Unicem appoint new chairman

Didier Riou (Lafarge) has taken over from Denis Maître for a two-year mandate at the helm of Unicem, the French quarries and construction materials industrial union has announced.

June 22, 2012

German construction material demand up after energy policy shift

The German construction material industry has benefited from a change of energy policy, according to industry association Bundesverband Baustoffe, Steine und Erden (BBS). The association said additional construction material demand has been worth up to €1.98billion. BBS said the majority of increased demand was due to energy-focused building refurbishment.

June 22, 2012

Finsight from Finning to “deliver huge savings”

Finsight is said to be the UK’s first total customer solutions service, developed by Finning, which is set to deliver huge savings for the industry. Operated out of its Cannock, England, headquarters, Finsight has been developed by Finning to tackle the complex issues surrounding technology, data analysis, servicing, training and plant optimisation. It combines information from numerous services, such as GPS data from the Caterpillar Product Link system, fluid analysis and service data, into one system.

A Finning engineer
June 22, 2012

CEMEX and Conservation International present Oceans conservation book

Building materials company, Cemex UK and Conservation International Europe have presented their book, Oceans: Heart of Our Blue Planet, at a Royal Society reception in London. The book, which has also been developed in association with the International League of Conservation photographers and other conservation bodies, outlines life’s dependency on a healthy ocean. Through analysis from renowned marine scientists and with over 150 images by leading photographers, the book aims to offer innovative and cre

Cemex Oceans
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