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Turkey-based ICDAS has announced plans to invest around €150million in developing a new 2.5million tonne cement plant in the north west region of Turkey. No further details about implementation of the plan have been released but the announcement coincides with another by the company to also invest in energy projects in Turkey.

Construction of a new cancer centre in Germany has called for concrete not only to provide structural support but also protection against radiation. From 2010 up to 3000 patients a year will be able to undergo innovative particle therapy cancer treatment at a new specialist centre currently under construction in Marburg, Germany. The centre - only the third of its kind in the world - will use protons and carbon ions to treat tumours that would normally be difficult to combat using conventional medical techn

High fuel prices look set to become the norm. Bell explains how saving just a litre or two of fuel per hour can reduce the operating costs of an Articulated dump truck. With crude oil prices at a record high and prices expected to continue climbing, the impact on the operating costs of quarrying equipment is becoming ever more of a concern.

Last year oil prices reached US$65 per barrel and have continued to climb steadily over the last 12 months to over US$140. But industry experts have warned that fur

Delivering a 36% reduction in carbon emissions over three years has helped Cemex UK to gain the Carbon Trust Standard across all its sites in Greta Britain. The company secured the award that recognises organisations for carbon reduction thanks to its efforts between January 2007 and December 2009. Cemex used the Environmental Footprint Tracker software to record energy, CO2, waste and water for every site to benchmark best practice and set reduction targets. This process is applied not only to the manufact

David Ball has been appointed by the UK-based Concrete Society as its new president after being a director of the organisation for the last five years. Ball takes on the presidency from Professor Ravindra Dhir. Commenting on his appointment Ball said, “I am honoured and delighted to be appointed as the Concrete Society’s new president in these particularly challenging times for construction. I feel especially pleased as a representative of the manufacturing sector to be entrusted with the role and to follow

Slovakian aggregates producer Alas has announced plans to raise gravel and sand production at its Okoc quarry by 50% to meet increased demand. The company has said that it will expand the extraction area by 35ha in autumn this year as part of its plans to ramp up production from 130,000tonnes per year to 200,000tonnes.

Lafarge Cement is hoping its restoration of a former fluorspar quarry in Derbyshire, UK will help the company win a national award. The company, in partnership with the land owner, has entered the project to restore Dirtlow Rake Quarry in the Mineral Products Association’s National Restoration Awards. Work at Dirtlow has been carried out in conjunction with local farmers and the Peak District National Park Authority. This work has taken away the negative visual impact of the former mineral workings and spo

Investment in a new ready mixed concrete plant and improvements to an existing quarry will help Cemex to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in Austria by nearly 1000tonnes per year. The new plant at the Hollitzer quarry is located 50km from Vienna and features five state-of-the-art cement silos, a new recycling facility, and a recreational centre for employees.

Tarmac has announced that its UK operation has gained the Achilles Building Confidence accreditation for its safety, health and environmental policies. The company is believed to be the first in the quarrying and construction materials business to achieve this standard. Certification provides external verification of the strength of Tarmac’s quality management systems and the company’s commitment to providing greater supply chain transparency. The company was also the first in its sector to become a member

The Uzbekistan government and Omani Investment Fund have announced plans to form a joint venture to develop a new €250million cement plant. Work on the 1.7million tonne capacity facility is expected to start in 2011 with completion planned in 2014. The government has said that it plans to develop six cement plants to raise the countries total cement production by 10million tonnes per year to 12million tonnes.

Lafarge is trying to unearth some of the history of its Aberthaw Works in Glamorgan, South Wales as part of a project to celebrate the site’s centenary in 2012. The company is trying to find former employees and contractors who worked at the site to join in the event. Aberthaw Works manager James Kirkpatrick said, “Aberthaw Works has been a huge part of the local community for nearly 100 years and we want to celebrate the history of everyone who has been part of this legacy. We would be extremely grateful t

Strabag has announced that it is part of a consortium appointed to build a new 7000tonne per day capacity cement plant for Devnya Cement in Bulgaria. Under the contract the consortium will build the €160million plant for the Italcementi subsidiary near Varna on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. The consortium is led by Strabag and includes China’s CBMI which will undertake the plant engineering. Construction is expected to start next month with completion expected within 24 month.

Difficulty in obtaining tyres for quarry machines means that more attention is focused on proactive maintenance to improve service life. While the use of shredded tyres to power cement plants means that used tyres no longer have to be sent to landfill, the sourcing of new tyres to replace them is still a challenge.

The shortage of off the road (OTR) tyres has been a problem for the construction equipment industry for several years and the problems look set to continue until at least 2010. Although shor

Brussels may be the centre of European politics but for Metso Minerals' spare parts operation, the centre of Europe is now about an hour's drive from the Belgian capital. Claire Symes reports. Getting the right part to the right place at the right time is critical in the aggregates business and failure to achieve this can have a significant impact on production within a quarry. Many operators now select new equipment based not just on the machine's features and cost, but also on the manufacturer's ability t

Dust and emissions from Cemex Spain’s Vandellos i l'Hospitalet de l'Infant quarry in Tarragona have been cut following investment in a €1.5million upgrade at the site. The company has installed a new grinding plant at the quarry to enhance production as well as an advanced dust suppression system to improve the environmental performance of the site.

Hanson has said that it is confident that aggregate demand will return in the UK and has continued with its applications to access new reserves. The company has said that it has gained consent for five sites in the last 12 months that will open up 7million tonnes of sand and gravel for the UK construction market. Hanson land and mineral resources director Mick Daynes said, “Lead times for securing new permissions, even small extensions, can be anything from two to five years. It’s important that we look ahe

Reductions in CO2 and environmental incidents and an increase in the use of alternative fuels are the main achievements claimed by Cemex UK in its sustainable development report for 2009. The company has said that its second report brings it into line with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G3 principles for the first time. Key improvements included a 59% reduction in environmental incidents, a 30% increase in the use of alternative fuels and a 10% reduction of CO2 per tonne of product.

New heavyweight breakers may be hitting the headlines but it is the higher power to weight ration that is the real innovation. Claire Symes reports. Over the last few years a number of construction equipment manufacturers have unveiled new range-topping heavyweight excavators in a bid to get a slice of the quarrying market. At the same time, hydraulic breaker manufacturers have been scaling up their equipment to provide efficient tools for the growing fleets of extra-large excavators.

Before asphalt roads became the norm in Europe, travelling was a very dusty affair. ABE takes a look at Ammann's involvement in the development of paved roadways 100 years ago. Just over 100 years ago roads in Europe were often rutted, dusty and dirty and with the birth of the motorcar in Europe there came calls for better road surfaces to improve conditions.

In 1908 the first International Roadbuilding Congress was held in Paris, adding weight to the drive for road development. Speaking at the Paris c

Lafarge UK has officially opened a new footpath across its Panshanger Park site in Hertfordshire and named the link after a former employee. Officially opened by Rob Lester, Chairman of Hertingfordbury Parish Council, Butterfield Way commemorates the efforts made by former estates manager Brian Butterfield who died in February. Butterfield was a member of the Panshanger Management Committee and originally proposed the footpath link as he believed it would improve public access into Panshanger Park. A much l