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Access to mineral resources is a problem in Europe but the European Aggregates Association (UEPG) is working to improve the situation through the European Commission's Raw Materials Initiative. Aggregate extraction provides the construction industry with vital building materials with consumption in the European Union reaching more than 3billion tonnes last year. But access to mineral resources has become a crucial issue in Europe.

Jesus Gonzalez has been named by Cemex as the company’s new regional president for the UK. Gonzalez takes on the role from Gonzalo Galindo who has moved to the US to take on the job of regional president for Cemex USA East. Gonzalelz moves to the UK from Pananma where he was president for Central America and has held a number of posts within the company since he joined from management consultant McKinsey in 1998. Gonzalez holds a BSc in Naval Engineering from Polytechnic University in Madrid and MSc in Busi

Vicat CEO Guy Sidos has been presented with a national award in a special ceremony held in L'Isle-d'Abeau, near Grenoble, France. He was presented with the Ordre national du Mérite as an officer for his services to industry.

Cemex has announced that it has planted 50,000 trees at its UK sites over the last two years and this is a key part of the company’s land management and biodiversity strategy. The company has said that the trees are all native species and are chosen to enhance and blend with the surrounding landscape. “Trees are great for biodiversity, both aesthetically and in providing homes to wildlife,” explained RSPB biodiversity advisor Sam Tarrant. “Woodland and other habitats can also absorb a significant amount of

Spain’s Smopyc exhibition, held in Zaragoza last month, has reported higher than expect visitor numbers with a significant increase in foreign visitors. The organisers have reported that almost 89,000 people from 50 countries gathered at the event to view the products being displayed by the 1253 exhibitors.

Pegson and Powerscreen are two of the major players in the quarrying and mining business and they now have common goals. Patrick Smith spoke to the companies' new global sales director to find out more

Increased concrete and aggregates sales in the first three months of 2011 have helped France-based Vicat to record a sales growth of 28.8% in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period last year. The company has reported sales of €518million for the period, with a 32% increase in aggregates and concrete sales contributing €180million to the total. The company reported that business was buoyant in emerging markets and there were signs of a gradual recovery in the US too. Vicat said that the si

French union of aggregates producers UNPG has warned the French parliament of the potential for aggregates shortages in the future if the current rise in demand and difficulties to gain consent continue. According to a white paper sent by the UNPG to the government, gaining consent for a new quarry now takes an average of ten years where as it used to take three. The association said that it expects demand to rise from 360million tonnes in 2010 to reach 550million tonnes by 2030 but questioned how this dema

France-based Italcementi subsidiary Ciments Francais has announced a drop in sales and profit in the first half of 2011, compared to the same period last year, due to financial challenges. The company recorded a turnover of €2.04billion, down 1.8% on 2010, and a recurring EBITDA of €386million, a drop of 12.8% on last year.

Lafarge and Anglo Amercian’s subsidiary Tarmac are reported to be planning to sell off £600million (€682million) worth of assets in order to complete their planned merger. The companies are reported to be selling quarries, cement plants and ready mixed concrete facilities in order to satisfy the concerns of the Office of Fair Trading in the UK. The joint venture is expected to submit plans for the restructuring to the authority next month in a bid to gain approval for the deal.

Demand for aggregates and cement in the UK rose in the first quarter of the year, according to new figures released by the Mineral Products Association. Nonetheless, the association has said it has concerns over market activity in the next 18 months and raised doubts about official construction and GDP forecasts. Aggregates sales volumes in total were 6% up in the first quarter compared with the first quarter of 2010, with growth evident in sand and gravel rather than crushed rock sales, while cement, ready

The subprime mortgage crisis is a critical factor for the aggregates industry in the US in the coming 12 months, and to some extent for Canada too. Adrian Greeman looks at the quarrying sector in North America. The aggregates industry in the US has been on a long roll. For more than two decades, with the exception of a small hiccup in the early 1990s, output has climbed steadily, along with company profits. Prices have gone up too, though in real terms they have more or less just held steady, or in fact s

Lafarge’s Spanish cement subsidiary Lafarge Cementos has announced that it has appoint Luis Ferrer Vidal as its new sales director. Vidal takes on the role from Patrick David who has moved to a development role within Lafarge. In his new role, Vidal will also be part of the management board for Lafarge’s Spanish operations.

Italcementi has posted profits of €187.8million for the first half of the year, up from €81.8million in the same period in 2010 partly due to the sale of assets in Turkey. Sales for the first six months remained relatively stable at €245billion, compared to €2.4billion in 2010. Nonetheless, EBITDA was down 18% on 2010 levels at €372million due to increased energy costs and instability in the Egyptian market following the political issues there.

Cemex is celebrating completion of its five year contract to supply construction materials to the expansion project at Alicante Airport in Spain. The company started working on the scheme in 2006 and has now supplied the site with 120,000m3 of concrete and 95,000tonnes of cement. The company was selected for the project by architect Bruce Fairbanks on the basis of Cemex’s ability to supply materials that met the stringent demands for the energy efficient design.

The majority share in Poland-based concrete and steel producer Kombinat Budowlany is to be sold off by the Polish government by auction next month. An 85% stake in the state-owned company is to be sold on 5 September but offers from interested parties must be placed by the end of this month. The government has set the opening price for the company at €1.07million.

Cemex is celebrating completion of its five year contract to supply construction materials to the expansion project at Alicante Airport in Spain. The company started working on the scheme in 2006 and has now supplied the site with 120,000m3 of concrete and 95,000tonnes of cement. The company was selected for the project by architect Bruce Fairbanks on the basis of Cemex’s ability to supply materials that met the stringent demands for the energy efficient design.

The UK-based Mineral Products Association has said that it welcomes the publication of the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) but there is some concern about the details of it. The association said that and a number of initiatives it includes are essential to support economic growth. According to the MPA the policy also fits with the Localism Bill, which addressed the exclusion of minerals development from neighbourhood plans and third party rights of appeal which were essential measures to ens

Shareholders at Lafarge’s AGM yesterday cleared the way for participation in future meetings to be carried out electronically removing the need to physically travel to the event. This was one of 21 resolutions put to the shareholders vote during the meeting her in Paris, France. The shareholders also approved a dividend of €1 per share and a loyalty dividend of €1.1 per share to be paid in July, as well as the appointment of Baudouin Prot, who is director and CEO of BNP Paribas, to the Lafarge board of dire

Holcim has announced that it has appointed Bogdan Dobre as its new concrete and aggregates director for the Romanian region. Dobre will take over the post from Anastas Dimovski.