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Following a successful trial in its cement business, Cemex UK has announced the roll out of the Epod proof of delivery system to other parts of its business. The Epod system combines unique vehicle barcoding and the latest GPS tracking technology, allowing the logistics planners to monitor detailed information of the geographical position of each vehicle and pro-actively plan the next delivery.

UK-based Finedoor has announced completion of work to commission a new asphalt plant in Nigeria. The company has installed a 200tonne per hour Cesan plant for ULO Consultants in Asaba, Nigeria. With low operating costs the 200tonne per hour plant that was supplied for the project can be operated either semi-automatically or fully automatic by two personnel making it an ideal choice for the Nigerian project. Finedoor also sourced and supplied a 60tonne steel deck weighbridge complete with computer and printe

Lafarge has announced the launch of a new telephone service for its French employees to help answer queries more quickly. The company’s 8200 employees in France can use the Filadom service for enquiries including health and safety issues and psychosocial related queries. The company has said that the service is being funded by surpluses from its pension scheme.

Lafarge has re-applied to extend its 200ha quarry in Moisson-Freneuse in Ile-de-France by 65ha in a bid to access a further 6million tonnes of aggregates. The company’s original application was turned down on the basis that the area was classified as a national monument but Lafarge is now seeking special permission as it claims the reserves are vital to meet regional demand.

Austria’s stone and ceramic association - Geschäftsführer des Fachverbandes Steine-Keramik – has reported a rise in turnover in the industry during the first half of the year. The organisation has said that sales were up 1.51% to €1.46billion in the first six months of 2010, compared to the same period last year.

Despite growth in recent sales figures, Bank of America-Merrill Lynch has downgraded its status for Lafarge from neutral to underperformance. The bank has also reduced its share price target for the business from €53 to €42. The bank has said that the status has been changed as it expects Lafarge to face difficulties in the Middle East and Africa and anticipates Holcim’s performance to be better in the medium term due to a greater presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

Europe's largest mobile crushers are helping to process greywacke in County Tipperary, Ireland. County Tipperary in Ireland may not seem a likely place for records to be set but it currently holds the title for the largest mobile crushing and screening plant in Europe. Latteragh Quarry took delivery of what is believed to be the largest and most powerful track-mounted mobile crushing and screening plant in Europe last year.

Heidelberg Cement has reported that turnover for the full year in 2010 was up 5.8% on 2009 levels at €11.8billion. The company has also reported that operating income before depreciation margin increased to 19% which the company has attributed to successful measures to reduce costs and increase efficiency. Profits were also up from €168million in 2009 to €511milllion last year.

Online auction house Iron Planet has announced the appointment of Nick Jones as its new UK account manager. Jones joins the company from Ritchies Brothers where he worked for 14 years gaining experience of the UK market, as well as working in the Middle East and Africa.

The cement plant jointly operated by Strabag and Lafarge in Umin Trbovlje, Slovenia has been ordered to stop work by environmental officials. The order follows a decision by the Slovenian administrative court which denied Lafarge the licence necessary for waste combustion to power the plant.

Lafarge is reported to be planning to build new cement plants in the Kaluga and Rostov regions of Russia. It is suggested that work on the Kaluga plant could start this year. The company has recently taken control of the Voskresenskcement plant in the Moscow region and Uralcement in the Chelyabinsk region and could be planning further acquisitions to expand its presences in Russia.

Higher than average costs for construction materials for the Sochi Olympic project in Russia has led to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev asking Premier Vladimir Putin and the General Prosecutor's Office. According to Medvedev, in early 2010 the cost of materials, such as sand and gravel, being used for the Olympic facilities was RUB360 (€8.95) per tonne, which was already higher than the national average. Today the cost per tonne has risen to RUB800.

Pinden has broken with its traditional approach to crushing and screening and taken delivery of its first crusher from Kleemann with arrival of a Mobicat MC110Z on site in Kent, UK. Pinden director Steve Bishop said that the company opted for a change despite the machine’s higher cost, because of Kleemann’s reputation for superior build quality and its potential to deliver significant lifecycle fuel and other savings.

Brazil-based steel maker Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN) has said that it is considering a new attempt to acquire Portuguese cement producer Cimpor. The company failed in its takeover of Cimpor in February this year. Announcement of the renewed attempt may have been driven by Cimpor’s announcement of a 12% rise in sales for the first half of the year to €608million following a 51% increase in revenues from its operation in Brazil.

JCB has announced that it is to donate equipment to Pakistan in a bid to help speed up the reconstruction following the recent flooding in the country. The company is to donate US$250,000 of its equipment to help with estimated US10billion rebuilding work. JCB chairman Sir Anthony Bamford said, Britainhas been leading the way with the level of its donations to Pakistan and as a British manufacturer I am keen for us to help in any way possible and hope that JCB’s donation of machines can assist in some small

Holcim has said that its investment in its facilities in Romania will reach €1billion by 2020 with upgrades worth €30million per year planned. Since moving into the market 14 years ago the company has invested €700million in local operations and a further €35million is planned for modernisation of its installations and technology, environmental protection projects and energy efficiency projects.

Quarry operators had the chance to see the benefits of washing crusher dust first hand during an open day held by CDE at Ireland-based Gleeson Quarries’ Laffansbridge site. Visitors to the County Tipparary quarry had the chance to see CDE’s new M2500 mobile washing plant in action. “The material we are washing at Gleeson Quarries was previously being stockpiled as a waste material as a result of the inherent levels of silts and clays,” explained CDE sales manager for Ireland Eunan Kelly. “The washing plant

While today's super-quarries maybe grabbing the headlines, micro-quarries can still be profitable operations. Mike Woof visited one in Germany to find out more

Close to the village of Pfatter, around 23km from the city of Regensburg, in the southern German state of Bavaria is the small Scheck sand and gravel quarry. This operation is typical of the many such quarries lying along the banks of the Danube River. These quarries range from the very small, to mid-sized operations and the area is well known for

UK-based Flannery Plant Hire has boosted its recycling capabilities with delivery of a new Terex Finlay J-1175 Jaw Crusher from Finlay Plant SE. The new crusher will be used with an existing Terex Finlay 663 screen at Flannery’s Wembley site to convert construction and demolition waste into five sizes of material which will be predominantly used as pipe fill for the utilities sector.

Atlas Copco has expanded its offering to the quarrying sector with acquisition of Austria-based mobile crushing and screening manufacturer Hartl Anlagenbau. The company has said that entering the growing mobile crushing and screening market will strengthen the group’s position in the area of quarrying and recycling.