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The latest fully automated concrete precasting plants are helping To deliver on site precision. ABE reports on a new facility in Saudi Arabia. Complex architectural designs and challenging structures are calling for ever more precision when it comes to precast concrete. The industry is meeting this demand with the use of state of the art facilities with fullyautomated systems that also help to improve safety.

Slovakia’s competition authority PMU has given the go ahead to Holcim’s acquisition of building materials producer Vychodoslovenske Stavebne Hmoty (VSH). The only condition to the deal is for Holcim to sell the cement terminal in Vlkanova in the Banska Bystrica region to an independent buyer.

Financial organisation Morgan Stanley has maintained its outlook rating for Lafarge at equal-weight because it said the shares do “not show visibility”. The rating may be changed later in the year as the organisation said that recent divestment announcements mean the company should exceed its debt reduction target this year. Nonetheless, Morgan Stanley said that Lafarge is a more uncertain investment than its competitors and has lowered the target share price from €53 to €51.

Spain-based concrete producer Forte Hormigones Tecnologicos has filed for administration due to mounting debts. In a bid to save the business, the company will remain in operation but is to close one its eight concrete plants in order to save costs. The company is believed to be in talks with investors from Nigeria, Qatar and Brazil about a rescue package.

Cemex has announced the launch of two new ready mixed concrete products, which the company has said will help meet the need of niche markets in Croatia and the UK. New to the UK market it Permatite weather proofing concrete, which has been developed in partnership with weather proofing specialist Fosroc, to produce a moisture barrier solution. The new material is available in a number of strengths and grades and is aimed at use in basements, tunnels and water tank. According to Cemex, the material offers re

Cement demand in Germany is expected to rise 6% to 26million tonnes this year, according to the industry association Bundesverband der Deutschen Zementindustri. The association said that demand in 2010 fell behind levels seen in the previous year due to poor weather but overall cement consumption has fallen by a third in the last 10 years. Demand in the first four months of 2011 was up 28% on the same period the year before, which combined with a rise in residential construction, is expected to drive the in

Lafarge’s Russian subsidiary Finarge 47 has launched a takeover bid for aggregate producer Sibnerud, according to local media reports. The company is seeking permission from the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) for the acquisition.

Holcim has announced that corporate function manager and head of commercial services Stefan Wolfensberger is to leave the company at the end of this month. The company has said that he is leaving Holcim to become an independent advisor and board member to SME organisations in Switzerland.

Eastern Europe, along with Switzerland and Finland, are leading the market in terms of growth this year for CRH, according to its latest interim management report. However, the company said that European countries experiencing austerity measures – Ireland, Portugal and Spain - continue to face very challenging market conditions.

Road safety will be the focus of a new campaign being piloted by Lafarge Concrete and Aggregates UK over the new few weeks. Under the scheme, Lafarge will use games, challenges and educational sessions to help children aged 10 to 11 understand the risks. The company has said that it will trial the programme in Leicestershire over the next few weeks and, if successful, it plans to roll it out to other areas of the UK. During the sessions students learn about vehicle blind spots and stopping distances and exp

Offices belonging to Pavlovskgranit in Moscow have been searched as part of a fraud investigation. The company’s directors are reported to be accused of defrauding Sberbank through misuse of a loan issue to purchase a 48% stake in the aggregate producer. Pavlovskgranit has not commented on the investigation.

Construction of Germany’s Kaiserschleuse Bremerhaven is well on the way to completion following delivery of over 48,000m3 of ready mixed concrete to the project by Cemex over the last three years. The new Kaiserschleuse – which extends 13m below sea level and is designed for 6.5m of high water - is one of Europe’s largest locks with capacity to accommodate ships 305m long and 55m wide. Bremerhaven’s port is one of the key locations for transporting motor vehicles and the new lock provides a high capacity li

Lafarge has announced that it is to renew its agreement with Ecole des Ponts ParisTech for the Materials Science for Sustainable Construction (SMCD) teaching and research chair for five years. This news comes at the same time as the Lafarge Research Centre and the Laboratoire Navier (a combined research unit of Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, IFSTTAR and CNRS) have announced they have signed a new framework research contract.

UK Business organisation CBI’s director general John Cridland has said that green taxes places on cement and steel may be double taxing the environment. He said that a large proportion of the green taxes raised to ensure that one third of the UK's electricity is obtained by 2020 from wind power are counterproductive. According to Cridland, the steel and cement industries are being increasingly taxed even though they are key suppliers for wind turbine manufacture and installation. He has called for the UK go

UK-based Mineral Products Association (MPA) has launched a new national campaign in a bid to reduce the risk of accidents between cyclists and lorries. The Cycle Safe initiative was launched at an event in London last week and aimed to highlight the problem to both cyclists and truck drivers. MPA chief executive Nigel Jackson said, “The health and safety of all those who come into contact with our sector is critical to us and we think it’s the responsible thing to do to try and go for a preventative strateg

Archaeological excavations at Lafarge’s Besthorpe sand and gravel quarry in Nottinghamshire, UK have helped to reveal some of the site’s history. Recent investigations have unearthed Roman coffin nails and Bronze Age pottery, adding to the Roman burials that were found during a previous phase of work. Besthorpe assistant quarry manager Levi Liversedge said, “"It is really fascinating to see all these ancient objects coming out of the ground and giving us an insight into the lives of ordinary people many hun

The outlook for the economy over the next four to five years in the UK is weaker than seen after previous recessions, said Office for Budget Responsibility chairman Robert Chorte speaking at the Mineral Products Association’s general assembly. CBI deputy director-general Dr Neil Bentley said, “We were always very unlikely to get that V-shaped bounceback that emerging economies have enjoyed. The picture is one of very steady recovery, but our surveys show that business confidence is improving. The economy is

Cemex’s aggregates production operation at Marseille Port has gained the ISO 14001 standard in recognition of its environmental performance – the 33rd of the company’s to achieve this since January this year.

Austria-based crushing and screening specialist Rockster Recycler has reported that its products are now available in Russia.

Cemex’s French business has signed a deal with Novacom to provide digital information directly from 90 of its concrete pumps. The system will allow ready mixed concrete pump drivers to send photos of the work site for security purposes, have clients sign paperwork, report hours worked, calculate travel time to a site, locate pumps and protect them from theft.