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Sandvik has been working on building a new approach to training for drill operators, which it claims benefits the overall production within the quarry. "We used to just offer start-up and technical training when we delivered a new rig to familiarise operators with the new features on a rig and show them how to use and maintain it on a daily basis," explained Sandvik surface top hammer drill training manager Mika Kotro. "But we began to notice the need to educate drillers about the importance of their work

France-based National Union of Aggregate Producers (UNPG) has developed a new tool to help its members assess their CO2 emissions. The calculator allows the operator to identify emissions at every stage of operation from loading and crushing through to storage and transport. The organisation has said that the tool focuses on the production in the quarry and stops with the delivery of the aggregate to the customer. The system uses the ADEME method.

The outstanding safety record at Buzzi Unicem’s Geseke cement plant in Germany has been rewarded with a special award from the German Cement Association (VDZ). The gold award was presented to plant manager Theodor Grosse-Frie for achieving 11 years with a zero accident rate out of the last 20 years.

Family-owned building products company Chausson has regained control of the business and now has an 88.2% share in the business after CRH pulled out of the business. Ireland-based CRH acquired a 35% stake in the French company in 2008 with an option to either increase or divest its interest. According to Chausson, the restructure means that it now has more freedom to direct the business. The remaining shares in the business are held by three investment funds (11.2%) and employees (0.6%).

New EU legislation planned for 2013 could cause cement prices in Poland to rise by a third, according to the Poland’s Association of Cement Manufacturers (SPC). The proposed legislation would lower the CO2 limit above which companies have to buy carbon credits and also raise the price to €40 per tonne. SPC has said that cement producers will have no option than to pass the cost onto customers. The organisation has said that this will have a significant impact on the cost of construction, especially with the

Terex Distribution Limited's recently appointed mining and quarrying manager has seen many changes over the last three decades. He talks to Patrick Smith about some of them, and the challenges ahead. Malcolm Judd is sitting in his office at the factory that manufactures some of Terex Corporation's smallest machines. The parallel is probably irrelevant, but his job with the company now involves selling some of the largest machines the company produces.

With almost 350 entries received for the Mineral Products Association’s Health and Safety Best Practice Awards, the Health and Safety Executive praised the progress made by the organisation’s members. The 2010 awards were held yesterday, in association with the Institute of Quarrying (IoQ), at the Institution of Engineering and Technology in London. The two top prizes, the Sir Frank Davies Trophy, for companies with less than 1000 employees, and the John Crabbe Memorial Trophy, for outstanding excellence in

Quarries across Spain are preparing for visits by more than 4000 students this week as part of the Day of the Tree celebrations. On 14 April, the students, aged 10 to 14, will visit selected quarries to help plant more than 5000 trees as part of conservation work. The event, coordinated by Spain’s aggregates association ANEFA, is being held a month ahead of the European Minerals Day because the weather in Spain is best suited to tree-planting in April.

Cemex has committed to creation and maintenance of 1,000 hectares of priority habitats by 2020 as part of its new strategy for biodiversity in the UK. The company announced the challenging targets at an event held in Scotland in the company of Scottish Minister for the Environment Roseanna Cunningham MSP and the RSPB at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh. In addition to the creation and management of priority biodiversity habitats, the strategy which is being presented to key Cemex stakeholders at regional events a

Advances in drill rig design and automation are helping to improve efficiency of drilling operations in European quarries, but more is yet to come. Claire Symes reports. Demand for better efficiency and higher penetration in European quarries has changed the type of drilling methods used over the last few decades. But now even these 'newer' techniques are being advanced with innovative technology to further improve productivity. The latest surface drilling rigs available to the quarrying market feature

Denmark-based Sydhavnen Port in Copenhagen has announced that it has opened a new 175000m2 facility for aggregate imports. Transport Minister Hans Christian Schmidt officially opened the new site which will be used for handling gravel and he said that the site will be expanded by a further 125,000m2 by next summer. Schmidt added that the expansion was in line with a strategy to expand the operation of the port while demand was low to ensure that it had sufficient capacity for when the market recovers.

Cirino Mendola's 40 years of experience will stand him in good stead as he takes up the presidency of ANEPLA - the Italian aggregates federation - for the second time. Adrian Greeman reports. It is surely an honour to take on the role of president in the Italian aggregates federation, the Associazione Nazionale Estrattori Produttori Lapidei Affinia (ANEPLA) but for the new president it is perhaps one filled with déjà vu? Certainly it must seem that way for Cirino Mendola who has recently been elected to the

Cement producers in Ireland are likely to benefit from an over allocation of carbon credits under the National Allocation Plan, according to Euroconstruct. The downturn means that the industry is likely to have an over allocation amounting to 13.5million tonnes of carbon dioxide. Euroconstruct has predicted that the market will decline by 64% between 2007 and 2012 but credits were awarded on the basis of a 30% increase in demand during the same period. Sale of the excess credits is estimated to be worth aro

Germany-based Meristem-Tobi has announced that it is to invest €2million in a gabbro quarry in Macedonia. The new quarry will provide aggregates for the construction market and is located near Kocani in eastern part of the country.

Blasting in European quarries has an excellent safety record thanks to rigorous checks and training and the latest security initiatives are also helping to boost safety. Claire Symes reports. Problems with noise and vibration from drilling and blasting are causing some quarries to consider ripping or hydraulic breakers for primary breaking in Europe. However, since most quarries deal with hard rock, blasting is still an essential tool, so explosives are likely to remain part and parcel of aggregate produc

Over 400 people converged on Volvo’s Eskilstuna demonstration area in Sweden in last week for the first joint customer event hosted by Volvo’s Swedish dealer Swecon and Sandvik Mining and Construction.The event for customers in the Sweden, Norway and Denmark regions demonstrated the entire road building process from drilling rock in a quarry prior to blasting through to compacting asphalt on a finished road. The 'Rock to Road' event was organised to highlight the equipment and processes needed in a quarry f

Basel Cement has announced that Vyacheslav Shmatov is to take on the role of director general following the departure of Dmitry Savenkov. Shmatov joins the company from the post of deputy director of economics from engineering company Transstroy. It has been reported that Savenkov may be moving to a role with Lafarge but has said he left Basel because he wants to change his priorities and engage in new projects.

Reversing is a hazardous process in a quarry site but, according to Brigade, there is a quieter alternative to noise pollution creating beeping systems. Beeping reversing alarms are now commonly heard in quarry sites across Europe as operators try to reduce the risk of strike accidents during manoeuvring operations. But while such systems can improve safety, the noise they create can be difficult to locate and may also be a nuisance to neighbours.

Poland-based quarry operator Dolnoslaskie Surowce Skalne (DSS) has secured a PLN110million (€28.15million) contract to supply materials to the consortium building the new A2 motorway. Under the deal the company will supply PLN60million of aggregates and a further PLN50million of ready mixed concrete but further agreements are expected during the course of the project.

Cemex France has announced that it has joined forces with Denjean Bétons to group production activities in the Haute Garonne, and Gers regions of France. The Denjean Cemex Bétons will be headed up by Jean-Marie Modica, who is director of Cemex Bétons Sud-Ouest, as president and François Larue – managing director of Denjean - as managing director.