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Cemex is aiming to improve delivery of aggregates in France by river with the launch of a new GPS-based monitoring system. The company operates 88 transportation barges and 12 pusher boats on the River Seine and the new satellite-based system is designed to optimise the operation. The GPS tracking allows Cemex to follow the activity of the barges, analyse travel time between sites and evaluate the timing for loading and unloading materials.

Having the right people in the right place at the right time can be key for a rapidly growing business. ABE takes a look at Extec and Fintec's alternative approach to recruitment. Salary and location may be part of the decision process of whether to take a new job or not but the reputation of the company can often be a bigger deciding factor. But how can you be sure that your company's reputation in the employment marketplace actually truly reflects the reality? Outdated public perception was a problem for

According to CEO Joan Molins, profits of the Spanish cement producer Cementos Molins should remain at similar levels to those in 2009, despite the industry's outputs in Spain dropping to 28million tonnes over two years, half of what was recorded in 2007. Profits of the company should be of some €56million in 2010, and dividends should be at similar levels than those in 2009, after they were cut to €0.24 per share. Meanwhile, the company has decided to move on with its current investments plan, and raise it

Spain-based Financiera y Minera has announced the appointment of Cefisa to install an automated loading management system at its Arrigorriaga cement plant in Spain.

Spanish fast-drying cement and dry mortar producer, Propamsa, has acquired Spanish chemical products company Betec, for an undisclosed amount. This will allow Propamsa to offer a wider range of high performance mortar and auxiliary products for concrete repairs as Betec is a specialist in these products. Propamsa generated revenues of €48.95million and a net profit of €3.4million in 2008.

The next generation of rigid chassis trucks will be easier to drive and more economical, Mike Woof speculates on the improvements likely to be offered. With the Intermat exhibition due in Paris next year, it is worth considering the developments the rigid truck manufacturers are likely to be bringing to market in the near future. Exactly what Europe's rigid truck market competitors - Astra, Caterpillar, Hitachi, Komatsu, Perlini and Terex - will offer remains to be seen. However, it is not hard to predict s

The Egyptian state is considering imposing a 5% tax on cement sales, instead of the present taxes of €0.28 per tonne. The proposed tax comes at a time of growing deficit in the country. Italy-based Italcementi, which owns Ciments Français (together holding 30% of the market); French cement companies Lafarge (20%) and Cemex (10%), and the Greek group Titan (15%) would be the companies most affected by the taxes, say sources. The Egyptian government is also considering eventually raising the tax from 5 to 10%

Irish company Readymix recorded pre-tax losses of €3.8million in the first quarter of 2010, a modest improvement on losses of €3.9million for the corresponding period the previous year. The concrete products company's first quarter revenues slumped 31% against the same period the year before. Revenues were hit by a decline in prices across several product lines, while subdued construction industry activity continues to have an adverse impact.

CEM 21, a cement company created by a former executive of Calcia, is investing in a cement plant at Oudalle, in the port zone of Le Havre in Seine-Maritime, northern France. The €3million investment will include a clinker grinder with a capacity of around 500,000tonnes per year. The plant should be operational by end 2012, with cement production of between 600,000 and 700,000 tonnes.

Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia government has revealed plans to introduce a €1 per tonne tax on gravel extracted in the region. The region’s largest producer Hülksens has said that the tax would “ruin the whole industry”. Hülksens CEO Michael Schulz is also chairman of the industry association and has said that the tax would have a huge impact on the sector with the average prive for gravel currently only €8 per tonne.

Cement is used in every aspect of construction from roads to housing. European companies operating in this capital intensive sector are also a force to be reckoned with globally. Alan Peterson reports. An important product of a quarry operation, cement plays a pivotal role in every aspect of building and civil engineering - from housing to road construction. Cement is not so much a star in its own right as a strong supporting act to concrete, the most universal of all construction materials.

Lafarge Bétons has announced that Frédéric Guimbal is to take on the role of managing director of Lafarge Bétons Nord. Guimbal takes over the position from Gaëlle Monteiller.

Expect for 2006, the German brick and tile market has declined over the last 15 years. In 2009 production value fell 9.3% to €975.8million. Production of bricks fell 15.5% to 6 million m³. In terms of value, it fell from €461.1million to €397.3million. Production of tiles fell 13.4% to 630.9 million units. In terms of value it fell from €614.2million to €578.5million. The industry association Bundesverband der Deutschen Ziegelindustrie is not sure whether brick and tile industry has already bottomed-out.

Russian sunflower oil producer Solntsedar-Don (South) has diversified its business, and started crushed stone production. The first facility with the annual capacity of 1.32million tonnes of crushed stone for road construction and concrete production has been launched in the Rostov region. The plant is situated on a 50 hectare land plot. Investments reportedly totalled€11.80million, and the project was financed by the bank Vozrozhdenie. Previously Solntsedar-Don produced 500,000 bottles of sunflower oil pe

Production at Trapp's Quarry is scheduled to restart in autumn 2011 after the Trapp operator has completed the renewal of some equipment. A joint operation of Colas Est and Screg Est, the company has chosen a rotary crusher, two grinders and other equipment and services from Metso Minerals. The unit, which processes 2-3million tonnes of aggregates per year, mainly for road and rail applications, is based in Raon-L'Etape in eastern France.

Rising fuel costs and focus on lower cost per tonne production is leading to more quarries using conveyors for hauling rather than fleets of trucks. Conveyors are nothing new to the quarrying market but each year more and more quarries are opting to use them to haul material about the quarry. What has changed is not so much the design and performance of conveyors, but the factors affecting other hauling options.

Polish construction firm PBG plans to complete its aggregate mine in Tlumaczow, in which it will invest €58.41million before the end of 2010. The mine has already been opened and is currently in the process of initiating production. Before its official opening, however, the money still has to be invested in a new technology line and in logistics issues. The target output capacity of the mine has been set at around 3million tonnes.

Asamer, the Austrian building materials company, is to use trains instead of trucks for transporting gravel from Roitham to Linz. The company says that this will replace 14,500 road trips a year and reduce carbon emissions by 1,920tonnes. The move required investments of €8million in Roitham. The containers will be transported in a cooperation with Rail Cargo Austria.

Holcim has announced that is will reached its planned reduction in CO2 emissions earlier than planned and is on target to meet the rest of its ambitions. CEO Markus Akermann made the announcement at a press conference for the publication of the company’s 2009 sustainable development report. Akermann explained that the company has now set itself a new CO2 reduction target for 2015. Taking 1990 as reference year, Holcim's original target was a 20% reduction in net CO2 emissions per tonne of cement by the end

The dangers of trespassing in quarries are being highlighted by the Mineral Products associations’ latest Stay Safe campaign and it is being backed by two families affected by the issue. Both families lost teenage sons last year through accidents in quarries and are lending their support to the initiative. The MPA has said that the annual Stay Safe campaign aims to raise awareness of the danger of trespassing in quarries. The initiative was launched ahead of the period when quarry managers report an annual