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In the first half of 2011, prices for construction materials in Russia significantly rose in price. Rebar grew by 5.7% in price; metal by 5-10%; gravel and cement by 10% and concrete by 18%. Market participants expect a further increase in prices for concrete and metal later in 2011, and then it may be slowing down. According to experts, if this trend remains unchanged, housing prices may grow. In 2011, the profitability of residential construction stands at 8-20%, but before the economic crisis it reached

Reaching the end of reserves in a family-owned quarry operation is normally a time to wind down, but swiss-based Carriers De Lessus has found new opportunities for Its final years. Consolidation in Europe's quarrying business means that many familyowned operations are now in the hands of multi-national corporations. But there are still some thriving locallycontrolled businesses, which continue to enjoy success despite the difficulty to expand and access new reserves.

The Slantsy cement plant at Cesla, 170km south-west of St Petersburg, Russia, and controlled by HeidelbergCement Group, has signed an agreement with GCE Group on an energy audit of the facility. By February 2012, the company is to complete the energy audit and develop a programme to improve energy efficiency of the plant through to 2017.

The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has named Gregory M. Scott senior vice president of government affairs. He will head the association’s Washington DC office in the US capital and represent PCA and its members before Congress, the administration and the White House. He brings a strong record of accomplishments to PCA with a wealth of experience in trade association leadership and legislative campaigns on federal transportation, environmental and energy issues.

Cemex says it has been named the primary cement supplier for the Baha Mar tourist complex in Cable Beach, Nassau, being built by CCA Bahamas. It is expected that the complex will house the largest entertainment centre in the Caribbean and will be completed in December 2014. As primary supplier, Cemex will provide 110,000tonnes of cement for the first phase of the project, which is currently being built on an area of 1,000 acres and it is intended to be key in maintaining the Bahamas as one of the world’s pr

Swiss group Holcim, one of the world's leading suppliers of cement and aggregates, says that its 2011 first-half net profit fell by 4.2% to 586 million Swiss francs (approximately €517 million), due to the franc's strength. The company says that while an appreciable number of other group companies improved their results in local currency terms, these successes were cancelled out in the consolidated financial statements by the strength of the Swiss franc. The currency also affected sales, which dropped 7% co

Breedon Aggregates, the UK’s largest independent aggregates business, is entering the Nottingham ready-mixed concrete market with the acquisition today of Nottingham Readymix. The company says the acquisition fills an important gap in Breedon Aggregates’ coverage of the East Midlands [region of England], located midway between its plants at Cloud Hill, County Derbyshire, to the south-west and Grantham, County Lincolnshire to the east.

Individual trading category figures for the same month included a hardware trader and wholesaler product sale rise of 5.5%, while wood traders saw a 4% increase.

FL Smidth has been awarded contracts worth a total of approximately €66.7 million for equipment supplies to a copper producer in South America. The equipment contracts for the copper mine include the delivery of gyratory crushers, apron feeders, cyclones, flotation cells, concentrate thickeners, and tailing thickeners. The equipment supplied by FLSmidth will improve production efficiency and enable higher recovery of valuable metals.

Aggregates are more a way of life than just a career for Nigel Jackson. Claire Symes met him to talk about his role as chairman of the UK's CBI Minerals Group. The UK consumes around 350million tonnes of non-energy minerals each year and the task of representing this sector falls to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Minerals Group. This self-funding organisation is led by chairman Nigel Jackson, who is determined to take the message about the need for minerals to a wider audience.
"The CBI Mine

Irish group CRH has unveiled plans to expand further into emerging markets, while reporting pre-tax profits of €95 million for the six months to June. The 280% rise compared to the same period last year is accompanied by a 7% turnover increase from €7.7 billion to €8.2 billion. CRH, one of Ireland's biggest companies, says it plans to buy assets in Russia and expand its presence in China, one of the world's fastest growing economies. The company could spend up to €1.5 billion on fresh acquisitions without p

Atlas Copco has acquired Perfora, Italy, a company that manufactures and sells cutting and drilling equipment in the dimensional stone industry. Through this acquisition Atlas Copco is entering the dimensional stone (DSI) quarry equipment sector, thereby broadening the group's business interests. "Perfora is a leading supplier in this segment, with a strong customer focus and high quality products," said Bob Fassl, business area president of Atlas Copco Mining and Rock Excavation Technique.

Building materials company, Cemex has compiled its Sustainable Development Update,an interim report updating its environmental, economic and social performance during 2010.

FLSmidth has signed a share purchase agreement to acquire 100% shareholding in Phillips Kiln Services, a US-based supplier of kiln services for the cement and minerals industries. “We continuously seek to strengthen the services we provide to our customers. The acquisition of Phillips Kiln Services complements and supports our service activities in both the cement and minerals industries and will contribute to further expand FLSmidth's successful customer services business,” says Jørgen Huno Rasmussen, grou

Finning International, represented in the UK by Finning UK and Ireland, and Caterpillar have reached an agreement for Finning to acquire from Caterpillar the distribution and support business formerly operated by Bucyrus in portions of South America and Western Canada and in the UK. After closing, Finning expects to begin providing sales, service and support for former Bucyrus mining products in all of Finning's dealership territories. The transaction is valued at approximately US$465 million (€365 million)

The UK’s Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has referred the aggregates, cement and ready-mix concrete markets in Great Britain to the Competition Commission. The decision to make a market investigation reference follows the publication of the OFT's market study and its announcement of a provisional decision to refer these markets in the UK in August 2011. Having carried out a public consultation on its provisional decision and considered all the responses received, the OFT continues to be of the view “that compe

The UK’s Mineral Products Association (MPA) says it has noted the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) decision to refer the Great Britain aggregates, ready-mixed concrete and cement markets to the Competition Commission for investigation. It says it will continue to cooperate fully with the competition authorities, as it has to date.

The wheeled loader has become a key tool for the quarry sector, whether for loading haul trucks or in-pit crushers and for stocking duties. Mike Woof looks at the development. Highly versatile and mobile, the wheeled loader has become an important machine in the quarrying industry.

The first wheeled loaders were developed in the 1920s and were based on agricultural tractors, with these machines being used mainly on construction sites or for stocking and handling materials. Many of these crudely converted

Weir Minerals has launched two new sales and support centres in Spain and The Netherlands as part of its strategy to get closer to its customers across the Iberian Peninsula and Benelux regions. The company supplies mineral processing equipment including pumps, valves and filtration systems to the mining, aggregates and general industrial sectors. The new bases, strategically placed in locations central to the territories, will provide both sales and technical support to the company’s growing European custo

Pupils who took part in a road safety campaign run by building materials manufacturer Lafarge Aggregates & Concrete UK, now have a standout souvenir. Schoolchildren at Roundhill Community College in Thurmaston, County Leicestershire, central England, collected bright orange hoodies from Lafarge staff as the culmination of the pioneering project. The hoodie was the winning entry in a competition challenging youngsters to come up with a piece of high visibility clothing or accessory.