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According to Anefhop (the Association of Spanish Concrete Manufacturers) activity in the Spanish concrete sector decreased 20% during 2011 and is set to fall by a further 20% in 2012. This will mean a 60% fall in production since 2007.

Breedon Aggregates, the UK’s largest independent aggregates business, has acquired Nottingham Readymix, saying this fills an important gap in Breedon Aggregates’ coverage of the East Midlands [region of England].

Cemex is launching Hidratium, its second global ready-mix concrete brand, which has self-curing properties. Already sold in France, Ireland, Mexico, Poland and Guatemala, it is ready to be produced in the Czech Republic, Germany, UAE, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, Spain and China.

KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens have released Facts & Figures, their latest pocket-size reference guide for the aggregates industry. It contains 216 pages of general technical information for aggregate and recycle producers, operators, engineers and maintenance personnel of KPI-JCI or equivalent crushing, screening, washing, and material handling equipment.

Covanta Energy, one of the world's leading energy-from-waste (EfW) providers, has been awarded planning permission from Cheshire West and Chester Council to build an incinerator bottom ash aggregate (IBAA) facility at Ince Park, in County Cheshire north-west England.

Overall, Sandvik’s business was stable in the fourth quarter with good performance especially in Sandvik Tooling but also in Sandvik Mining and Construction.
This is the view of Sandvik’s president and CEO Olof Faxander who was talking about the group’s interim report on the fourth quarter and full-year 2011.
“In Sandvik Materials Technology, the scenario was more fragmented, with high demand in the oil and gas industry offset by weakness in several other segments. The North American market was stable dur

HeidelbergCement has secured an extension of its €3billion syndicated credit facility, which was due to mature at the end of 2013, until 31 December, 2015.
All 17 original lenders have confirmed their participation and two additional lenders joined the syndicate. The multi-currency credit facility is intended as liquidity back-up and can be used for cash drawings and guarantees.
Under the amendment, the margins increased by 25bps across the existing margin grid, with an additional 50bps pricing premium f

Vicat achieved a 12.5% rise in consolidated sales in 2011 to €2.27billion. Cement was up 10.1% to €1.14billion and concrete and aggregates brought in €818million, up 14.2% year-on-year. Vicat says it achieved robust business growth in France, Turkey and Western Africa, and strong growth in Kazakhstan and India thanks to acquisitions and investments under the Performance 2010 plan.

Chinese construction equipment manufacturer, LiuGong Machinery Corporation, will launch a four-month service tour for European key accounts and customers starting on 28 February.

UK quarries are providing a safe haven for rare bitterns to nest and breed, helping them to make a resounding comeback in the country. For the first time since 1911, over 100 birds have been found to be nesting in 26 sites throughout England, 15 of them at working or former quarries.

Lafarge Cementos plans to set up a Sustainability Commission in 2012 in its HQ town of Sagunto in Spain.

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.

A turnaround in domestic sales, a surging growth in the international marketplace, and a strong five-year sales projection has resulted in the development of a new position designed to elevate service training programmes at Johnson Crushers International (KPI-JCI).

Lafarge’s energy consumption from waste rose to 15% last year, compared to 11.7% in 2010. The French group has spent several years trying to reuse low-cost waste including old tyres, plastic products, oil and biomass, as an energy resource, with a dedicated subsidiary in charge of collection and processing.

The Mineral Products Association (MPA) welcomes The Times' [newspaper] Cities fit for Cycling campaign, which broadly aligns with the MPA's Cycle Safe Campaign and 6 Point Plan launched nationally at Wellington Arch, Hyde Park Corner, London, on 15 June, 2011.

Cement demand in Germany will not grow in 2012, according to national cement industry association Verein Deutscher Zementwerke (VDZ). In 2011, demand for cement grew more than 13%, and turnover of cement producers grew 7.4% in the first eleven months of 2011.

HeidelbergCement said fourth-quarter profit and sales rose as the company cut costs mild weather helped extend the construction season in some of its main markets.

Holcim is to completely replace conventional fuels with waste when making cement at its production plant in Sehnde-Höver near Hanover, in Germany. Holcim mainly burns plastic waste at the plant, which produces about 1million tonnes of cement per year.

Italian cement group Italcementi recorded a 1.3% turnover increase in 2011 to €4.7billion.

The UK’s Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has referred the aggregates, cement and ready-mix concrete markets in Great Britain to the Competition Commission.
The decision to make a market investigation reference follows the publication of the OFT’s market study and its announcement of a provisional decision to refer these markets in the UK in August 2011.
Having carried out a public consultation on its provisional decision and considered all the responses received, the OFT continues to be of the view “that com