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The UK’s Mineral Products Association (MPA) used this week’s Hillhead exhibition in Derbyshire, UK as a platform to launch its new tool to help the industry improve safety. The ‘Safer by Association’ is MPA’s new site-based health and safety audit package which is offered free to its member to assist them in their quest to deliver a safer, healthier industry, with the ultimate aim of achieving zero harm. MPA chief executive Nigel Jackson said, “The ‘Safer by Association’ package is designed to help members

JCB has announced that former Jaguar Land Rover strategic business office director Michael Mohan has joined the company as group engineering director. Mohan joined Jaguar 20 years ago and in his role a chief programme engineer was responsible for the Jaguar XF. “We are delighted to welcome Michael to JCB to one of the most senior positions in the company,” said JCB group managing director for product development and commercial operations Tim Burnhope. “As well as a deep rooted pedigree in UK manufacturing,

In September health and safety experts from Europe and the US convened to discuss best practise and the way forward to further improve the sector. Safety is a high priority in both Europe and across the Atlantic in the US and led to the formation of the Atlantic Alliance as a forum to share knowledge and understanding. The group meets every two years and the most recent events - the fifth - was held near Washington DC in September courtesy of the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association.

Turkey’s competition authority Rekabet Kurumu has announced an investigation of three Antalya-based cement companies following a sharp rise in cement and ready mixed concrete prices. According to the authority, cement prices have gone up by 50%, while ready mixed concrete prices have risen 40% in the last two months. The names of the companies involved in the investigation have not been released.

Finlay Hire has boosted its waste management solutions with an agreement to buy a new Airtrac 3200 S from Iona Waste Systems signed at Hillhead last week. The Airtrac is manufactured in Northern Ireland and combines German technology from two market leaders - Hein Lehmann and Westeria – to deliver a versatile, mobile waste processing machine suitable for a wide range of waste sectors. According to the manufacturer, it is particularly effective in managing small fraction fines clean-up, ranging from 0 to 50m

France-based mineral company Imerys is reported to have launched a takeover bid for the Luzenac talc quarry in Southern France. The company has made a binding offer for a 100% shareholding of the company to Rio Tinto but has yet to be approved by the regulatory authorities. The acquisition of Luzenac would extend Imerys geographical presence and allow it to develop its activities in polymers, paints, ceramics and paper.

Metso Minerals sales reached record levels in 2006, but the company believes there is further growth to come and is reorganising to maximise its potential. Mike Woof reports. Metso Minerals is benefiting from the worldwide boom in demand for construction, quarrying and mining equipment and saw its turnover rise 17% during 2006 to €4.9 billon. Despite this growth, the company is taking the opportunity to adapt its operations and capitalise on this strong global market.

The new president of Metso Minerals construction business line has been with the company for nearly 30 years, and he has some big plans for the future. João Ney Prado Colagrossi Filho admits his company has a lot of exciting plans for the future, but at present he cannot talk in detail about them.

CRH has reported full year sales of €17.17billion for 2010, down just 1% from the previous year, although EBITDA has dropped 10% to €1.61billion for 2010. Nonetheless, CRH chief executive Myles Lee describes last three months of 2010 as a stabilisation. "Overall demand across the Group appears to have stabilised in the past three months and, assuming no major market dislocations, we believe that it is reasonable to look forward to like-for-like revenue growth for 2011 as a whole,.” He said.

The impact of the recession is no excuse for quarry firms not to continue building on the solid foundation of health and safety they have developed over the years, former senior inspector of quarries Eric Darlow told the recent British Aggregates Association (BAA) annual general meeting. Speaking to a packed hall at the Palace Hotel in Buxton, Derbyshire on 21 June, the former Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector, and author of two editions of Health and Safety Law in Quarries, praised the BAA for it

Cemex France has celebrated the completion of its new 90m3 per hour concrete plant in Lille, France. The inauguration of the new facility means the existing plant at Lesquin will be decommissioned. Built by EMCI, the new plant has five 80tonne cement silos and a 2.5m3 concrete mixer.

Lafarge and Cantillana joint venture Coli Maçon has said that it wants to grow its market share in France’s packaged aggregates market to take the leading position in the sector. The company plans to use its seven packaging plants, along with the sand and aggregates supplies from Lafarge and mortars expertise from Cantillana to increase sales of its 25kg, 40kg and bigBag products.

Cemex has extended its sand and gravel businesses in France and Germany with the buyout of two quarries. The company has acquired a sand and gravel quarry located near Willich, 10km from Dusseldorf which extracts sand and gravel deposits from the River Rhine. The quarry extracts material from below the water table using a pontoon excavator and conveyor network.

Doosan Infracore Construction Equipment has announced the appointment of Scott Nelson as its new president for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. Nelson takes over the post from Alberto Foraro who has managed the role alongside his other responsibility as chief financial officer since the start of 2010. Nelson joined Bobcat in 1999 and was responsible for the integration with Doosan in North America before taking of the role of CEO of Doosan Infracore International.

Plans for Schotter- und Steinwerk Weißenburg (SSW) to establish a new quarry in Altmühltal, Germany has met with objections from an environmental organisation. Bund Naturschutz is reported to have filed a lawsuit against the quarry, which it claims would destroy woodland within a nature park.

Aggregate production in France fell to 335.8million tonnes in 2010, down from almost 348million tonnes in the previous year, according to the national aggregates association Unicem. The organisation has also reported that production in December last year fell to 15.77million tonnes compared to the 19.22million tonnes recorded in December 2009.

Lafarge UK has confirmed that it is to be the lead sponsor of the first Business of Biodiversity Conference which is due to be held at Excel in London, UK on 13 July. The symposium is partnered by DEFRA and the Department for Business Innovations and Skills. As part of the conference, Lafarge UK will be hosting the official pre-event site visit, on the 12 July, at its Panshanger Estate in Hertfordshire. This site visit will enable delegates attending the symposium, along with other invited guests, to tour t

Poldim has lost out in the shortlist of companies qualified by the Polish Government for the final round of bidding to acquire an 85% stake in Kieleckie Kopalnie Surowcow Mineralnych. Only four companies - Dolnoslaskie Surowce Skalne, Colas Kruszywa, Gorazdze Kruszywa and Strabag – have been selected for the final stage of the process to buy a stake in the sand and gravel operation.

Lafarge has announced that it was the first company to subscibe to a new bond issue launched by Novacem last week. The UK-startup will use the £1million bond to continue development of its carbon negative cement technology Magnesium Oxide-based product for the construction industry. It will also be used to study a semi-industrial pilot plant to be located next to an existing cement plant. The subscribers to the bond will have a priority access to test the products and will participate in the study of the un

Holcim has announced that Gut Corporate Finance managing partner Alexander Gut is to be proposed as new member of the board of directors at the company’s next AGM. The vote is scheduled to take place during the meeting, which is planned for 5 May 2011. Gut has a degree in business administration from Zurich University and his career development in the financial sector has included key roles at KPMG and Ernst & Young.