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HeidelbergCement Ukraine recorded a US$8.91million (€6.82million) net loss in the first quarter of 2012. The company includes cement plants of HeidelbergCement Group across Ukraine.

Three brokers have upgraded their recommendations on Lafarge after the French building group recorded better than expected Q1 2012 results. While maintaining its share price target of €37, Citi upgraded its recommendation to 'buy'. Equita included Lafarge in its portfolio of preferred European stocks, while upgrading its recommendation to 'buy'. Finally, Helvea upgraded its recommendation from 'moderate sell' to 'hold', with a share price target up from €26 to €30.

Eurocement Ukraine, part of the Russian Eurocement Group, recorded a US$478,677 (€363,883) net profit in 2011.
The company more than doubled its long-term liabilities in 2011, but cut short-term liabilities by a third. It has also closed two trade representative offices, in Shirokoye village of Simferopol district in the Crimea and in Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region.

Falling sales in France, Belgium, Spain, Greece and Egypt led to Ciments Français recording a 7.9% drop in consolidated revenues to US$1.17billion (€892.3million) in the first quarter of 2012. By business segment, cement and clinker revenue fell 4.6% to $844.4million (€641.90million), and aggregates and ready mix concrete revenue fell 7.2% to $316.63million (€240.70million). A company cost reduction programme could not offset the volume effect, with sales down 3.9% for cement and clinker; down 16.3% for agg

Volvo CE has reported record first quarter year sales. Sales between January 1 and March 31, 2012 were up 17% on the same three months of 2011. Despite a 26% decline in the overall construction machine sales market in China during the first quarter of this year, Volvo CE says it maintained sales in the country and reinforced what the company claims is its number one position in the Chinese wheel loader and excavator market together with its joint-venture partner, SDLG. Volvo CE says it achieved a 111% incre

Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe)/(HCME) has appointed Moriaki Kadoya as its new president and CEO.
He is also the new regional CEO of Hitachi Construction Machinery for Europe, Russia, CIS, Middle East, and North and Central Africa. He is no stranger to The Netherlands, where HCME has its headquarters, having previously worked as HCME’s sales and marketing general manager from 1992-1998. “Europe is a tough, competitive market and there is a wide range of requirements, even between the different appl

Cemex has revealed significant progress in key indicators related to sustainable construction. “We are proud to have reached an alternative fuels substitution rate of close to 25% in our cement operations in 2011, on track to achieve a rate of 35% by 2015,” said Lorenzo Zambrano, chief executive of Cemex. In 2011, Cemex’s rate of alternative-fuel use rose to 24.7% of total fuel mix, a sizable improvement from its rate of 20.3% in 2010. In addition, the company achieved a 22.7% reduction on CO2 net emissions

Lafarge’s first quarter figure show that the group’s sales were up 5% to €3.353 billion and that net income group share improved to €18 million. EBITDA was up 8% to €516million while the current operating income was up 28% to €267 million. The company says that first quarter results reflect seasonality, traditionally leading to lower net results relative to other quarters in the year.
The increase in EBITDA and current operating was, driven by higher activity in Middle East and Africa, Asia, Latin America

Linatex has launched its new G4 pump, claiming that the product delivers up to 43% power draw savings over conventional alternatives. The company also claims that following in-field testing, sand and gravel operations can achieve major savings in total life cycle costs with the new G4 rubber [lined] and hard metal pumps, which offer "superior abrasion resistance."

Following 21 months of rebuild investment the Yeoman Bontrup has been relaunched from Glensanda Quarry, Morven, western Scotland. The 100,000tonne self-discharging vessel was taken out of service following a major fire while in berth at the quarry in July 2010. Following a £35 million (€43 million) rebuild, the Yeoman Bontrup resumes its dedicated shuttle transportation of high quality crushed granite aggregates from Glensanda super quarry to markets across northern Europe.

HeidelbergCement’s group revenue improved by 8% to €2.8 billion in the first quarter of 2012, and the outlook for 2012 is positive. The company says it expects sustained growth in Asia-Pacific and Africa-Mediterranean Basin; continuing recovery in North America and parts of Europe, and an increase in revenue and operating income.
During the quarter operating income before depreciation (OIBD) decreased by 16% to €214 million against a background of increased costs of energy, freight, and maintenance (timin

Chinese construction equipment manufacturer LiuGong Machinery Corporation completed its first overseas acquisition by buying Polish company HSW (Huta Stalowa Wola) and its distribution subsidiary Dressta. HSW produces bulldozers and other crawler machines, while Liugong is ranked as the world’s largest wheel loader manufacturer.

Fuel efficiency is driving modern engine development but it was demand for more power that drove early innovation. Claire Symes takes a look at the advances at Deutz with a visit to the company's museum. The names Daimler, Maybach and Bugatti may all be synonymous with luxury, high powered cars today but the men behind these names all got started in the engine industry through a common link - Deutz. All three, along with Rudolph Diesel, worked with the founders of Deutz - Eugen Langen and Nicolaus August Ot

With construction levels at a 20 year low following the global recession, the Danish aggregates business looks set to return to growth. Construction is one of the largest industries in Denmark, with one in four workers in the private sector being employed in it at some level. But in common with countries around the world, business and employment took a sharp tumble from its peak in 2007/2008 and is now at its lowest since the early 1990s..

Tamrock is a name that is synonymous with rock drilling today but without the work of Matti Kilpinen it might have been a different story. ABE reports. Today the brand name Tamrock is closely associated with rock drills but it hasn't always been the case in terms of name, even if the company's focus on innovation has remained unchanged.

The global market for construction aggregates is expected to increase 5.2% per year through to 2015 to 48.3 billion tonnes. The represents a slower rate of growth than during 2005-2010 and reflects a moderation in aggregates-intensive non-building construction activity. Nevertheless, demand for construction aggregates will still post solid gains from 2010-2015. The Asia/Pacific region will register the largest increases in product sales, as construction activity will rise rapidly, particularly in China and

As part of its strategy to sell non-strategic assets worth € 500 million in 2010, Lafarge has sold assets worth €120 million in France, Switzerland and Portugal, the French building materials group announced.

The UK's Competition Commission (CC) will require Anglo American and Lafarge to sell a significant portfolio of operations, paving the way for entry by a new competitor into the UK cement market, before their proposed construction materials joint venture can go ahead. In February, the CC provisionally ruled that the joint venture between Anglo American and Lafarge could damage competition in certain markets for construction materials.

French company Dassault Systèmes, a 3D Experience company, intends to acquire geological modelling and simulation company Gemcom Software International (Gemcom) for approximately US$360 million. Privately-held Gemcom is among the world leaders in mining industry software solutions, headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. “With the acquisition of Gemcom, coupled with our 3D Experience platform capabilities, our objective is to model and simulate our planet, improving predictability, efficiency, safety and sustai

Limestone from Lafarge quarries is playing a part in the rebirth of the steel industry on Teesside, north-east England, says the company. Thousands of tonnes of material from Dowlow in County Derbyshire and Thrislington in County Durham, England, are being supplied to the reinvigorated Teesside steel works. It is the first time Lafarge Aggregates & Concrete UK has directly sold into the steelmaking market from Dowlow and the deal could see around 500,000tonnes a year supplied from the quarry. Steve Lea, Laf