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Volvo Construction Equipment believes its ascendancy in the Chinese market is behind its record annual sale of 84,000 machines in 2011. Full year sales rose by 21% to €7.38bn (SEK 64,987million) compared to €6.11bn (SEK 53,810million). Operating income also increased in 2011, to €756.3million (SEK 6,653million), up from €702.5million SEK (6,180million) the previous year. However, operating margin was down slightly in 2011 to 10.2%, compared to 11.5% in 2010. Volvo CE said this was mainly due to the negative

According to Oficemen, cement consumption in Spain totalled 1.7million tonnes during September 2011, which represents a 19.8% decrease compared to the same period in 2010. Consumption levels have dropped in the last six months after showing signs of a slight recovery at the start of 2011. Other figures show that clinker production dropped 28.6%, while cement production fell 20.3% to 1.8million tonnes. Year-on-year figures show that cement production dropped 12.8% to 23.6million tonnes, while consumption wen

Ceramic, natural stone and sanitary ware exhibitors from 40 countries were due at Feria, in Valencia, Spain, today for the start of the four-day Cevisama international trade fair. Around 200 new products will go on show at the event, which is celebrating its 30th edition. Organisers said that around 30% of the 780 exhibitors were from outside Spain.

Russia-based Basel plans to start the €319.18million upgrade of its BasilCement plant in Pikalevo, near St Petersburg, in 2012. As part of the upgrade, the company is planning to switch to a dry method of caking nepheline concentrate, which will allow the firm to cut energy consumption and production costs. The whole project is expected to finish in five years.

The MPQC (Mineral Products Qualification Council), the recognised training provider for the extractives, mineral processing and related manufacturing industries, has launched the MPQC Contractor Safety Passport Scheme. The scheme differs in a number of key areas compared with the previous quarrying schemes. With contractor safety being an industry priority, the MPQC Contractor Safety Passport provides vital basic knowledge and awareness of generic and particularly industry-specific hazards, and therefore pr

GSM has had permission to operate an open-air quarry in south-west France withdrawn due to an impact study’s perceived failure to sufficiently consider animals of protected status. The cement company and the state must each pay €1,000 to the town of Lahontan, near to where the 26-hectare quarry is based, following the decision by the Bordeaux administrative appeals court to annul GSM’s operating approval granted in 2008.

Readymix, the Irish building materials and cement producer, has estimated a pre-tax loss of €54million in 2011. The firm said its total impairment during the year was also expected to reach €39million, including a €27million impairment charge between 1 July and 31 December. Revenue for 2011 dropped by 15%, and operating loss before exceptional items was estimated to reduce from €15million in 2010 to around €13million last year.

The Mineral Products Association (MPA) welcomes The Times’ [newspaper] Cities fit for Cycling campaign, which broadly aligns with the MPA’s Cycle Safe Campaign and 6 Point Plan launched nationally at Wellington Arch, Hyde Park Corner, London, on 15 June, 2011. MPA’s Cycle Safe campaign aims to prevent collisions between cyclists and large goods vehicles (LGVs), by raising awareness on both sides of how to cycle and drive as safely as possible.

According to the Ministry of Economic Development, crushed stone production in the Republic of Karelia (North-West) will be 12,000tonnes in 2012; 13,000tonnes in 2013, 15,000tonnes in 2014 and 17,000tonnes in 2015. In 2011, the figure should rise to 11,000tonnes (10,280tonnes in 2010). Experts believe that the mining complex of Karelia can produce 18,000-20,000m³ of crushed stone per year. At the same time, the North-West of Russia requires 122million tonnes of crushed stone per year.

Concrete producer Thébault is looking for a buyer for three of its factories, while bidding for turnover of €24.5million in 2012. The French firm employs around 150 in its Landerneau and Mauron factories in Brittany and in and its site in Verneuil-sur-Avre, Normandy. The company is keen to match its record-breaking annual turnover achieved in 2007.

Ireland-based cement producer, Readymix, has received an improved takeover offer from Cemex. The Mexican cement firm increased its bid by almost 14% from €0.22 per share to €0.25 per share, valuing ReadyMix at slightly more than €27million.

Demand for high quality aggregates in the United Arab Emirates remains strong and one drill and blast contractor is investing to improve productivity. Although construction projects in Dubai and Abu Dhabi demand large volumes of aggregates, many quarries in those regions are being closed by authorities. Much of the demand is being met by quarries in the Emirate of Fujairah which are fast becoming the regions' 'bread basket' for gabbro aggregates. Meeting this demand is a challenge for these quarries an

Italian cement group Italcementi recorded a 1.3% turnover increase in 2011 to €4.7billion. Sales were strong in Morocco, France, India and North America, in contrast to falling trade in Italy and Egypt. Cement and clinker sales reached 51.1million tonnes, down 1.9% on 2010. Net debts reduced by €100million to €2.1billion, thanks to the sale of Italcementi subsidiary Axim.

According to a recent study conducted by the consulting company Intesco Research Group in 2011 the Russian market for sand, crushed stone, pebbles and gravel may grow by 9%. In 2010, the market for natural sand rose by 12.2%. Imported materials accounted for less than 0.5%.

HeidelbergCement said fourth-quarter profit and sales rose as the company cut costs mild weather helped extend the construction season in some of its main markets. It cut costs and boosted output in faster- growing emerging countries to help offset slower demand in regions including North America. The preliminary and unaudited figures for the fourth quarter and full year 2011 show that in Q4 revenue increased to €3.3billion (+13.8% from Q4 2010); operating income before depreciation improves by 6.8% to €639

Neftekom Oil has launched a new macadam plant in the Rovno region of Ukraine. The facility at Zaverichye Quarry will draw on the site’s estimated 36million m3 of granite reserves, and will have a processing capacity of 180tonnes per hour. Belonging to the financial and industrial group Altcom, Neftekom Oil has already produced 32,000tonnes of macadam this year. Of the total, 10,000tonnes of road metal was delivered to Russia for airport construction.

A turnaround in domestic sales, a surging growth in the international marketplace, and a strong five-year sales projection has resulted in the development of a new position designed to elevate service training programmes at Johnson Crushers International (KPI-JCI).

Reducing airborne dust has helped one quarry in Trinidad to improve the environment of its workers and relations with its neighbours. Dealing with nuisance dust is an issue for almost every quarry and for those operating in the tropical paradise of the Caribbean, it is no different. One Trinidad-based quarry operator has recently tackled the problem and is seeing benefits for its workers, neighbours and its machine service life too.

Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) extracts around 1.1million tonnes of limes

Turnover in Germany’s construction equipment and building material machinery industry rose by 17% in 2011 to €12.6billion. Of the total, €7.8billion was accounted for by the construction machinery sector and €4.8billion by the building materials, glass and ceramics machinery sector. Continued economic recovery in almost all sub-sectors was seen during 2011, though not all at the same speed. Overall, demand for construction machinery worldwide was higher than for building material machinery throughout the en

Caterpillar has said that it will build a new US$150million [€111.25million] factory in India to produce Perkins-branded 4000 Series engines. The company is also reported as saying that it is investing an additional $62million [€46million] in its existing off-highway truck manufacturing facility in Chennai, India. The new investment to expand truck capacity in Chennai is in addition to a $108 million [€80million] investment for Chennai that Caterpillar announced in 2010. Trucks produced in India include min