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Advances in gearbox technology delivered synchromesh and more speeds to improve operation of construction equipment on site. In the early days of mechanisation of quarries there were no specially designed off-highway machines to cope with the terrain and heavy loads. Instead there were on-highway trucks that were pressed into service to move material around site.

Lafarge has agreed with Boral to sell them its stake in their common Asian Gypsum joint venture LBGA (Lafarge Boral Gypsum Asia) for €429 million, which represents the enterprise value of Lafarge’s 50%-stake in the jv.

HeidelbergCement has launched an international research competition aiming at finding new ideas for the conservation and promotion of species diversity in quarries and gravel pits.

Russian company Pavlovskgranit has reported that its production volume and sales rose by 17.4% and 10.2% in the first half of 2011 compared with the same period last year.

France-based Clamens was one of the first companies to recycle concrete from demolition projects. ABE takes a look at this revolutionary company. The need to recycle construction waste is almost a given these days but in the 1980s it was very much a new idea. So new in fact that Francebased Clamens was one of the first companies to undertake such work when it moved into the sector in 1987

Selecting the right type of conveyor belt to handle abrasive and aggressive materials is key to achieving cost effective hauling, according to Dunlop conveyor belting's Les Williams. Conveyors can offer a highly effective method of on-site transportation but their durability and reliability can be critical factors in both productivity and cost management. The conveyor belt itself is often the most vulnerable component because it has to handle material that is hard, sharp and often abrasive too.

Samsung IMK Corporation is planning to build industrial enterprises in the Pavlodar region of Kazakhstan. Plants will process wastes from the Aksusky plant of Ferro Alloys and Aluminium of Kazakhstan.

Hungary-based subsidiary Nostra Cement – operated by a joint venture of Lafarge and Strabag - has announced the completion of a new cement plant in Kiralyegyhaza, which is now undergoing a six month-long test phase.

Metso has acquired Copperstate Industrial Services, a mining services provider based in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Metso says the acquisition strengthen its position as a service and technology provider for the mining and construction sectors.

While conveyors offer reduced manpower hauling, trucks give quarry operators flexibility to adapt operations and new technology is adding to these benefits too. The choice of haulers for a quarry is not a straightforward solution - a number of factors need to be taken into consideration to choose between field conveyors, articulated dump trucks or rigid dump trucks. It is not only initial costs and operational costs that need to be considered but the layout of the quarry and haul road condition, lifespan, p

The UK’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has recognised a geologist-turned-quarryman’s outstanding contribution of more than 35 years to safe and healthy working in the quarrying and mineral products sector.

Weir Minerals has launched a new servicing base in Essen, Germany, to support its growing customer base across Central Europe. The company has supplied mineral processing equipment including pumps, valves and filtration systems to the German market for more than 30 years.

Limited access to water resources and demand for higher quality aggregates is driving demand for washing equipment in quarries. Claire Symes reports. Quality is the key to gaining the top price for aggregates in today's competitive market and washing of materials offers the opportunity to make the most of the available reserves. Space to place washing plant on site and availability of water for processing is no longer an obstacle to adding washing facilities thanks to new technology.

New on-board weighing system brings improved accuracy and cycle times to load-out operations at Eysey Manor Quarry. A quarry's load-out operation is its main interface with customers on a day-to-day basis. Gains in efficiency here are not only important to site profitability but also to frontline customer service.

Danish company FLSmidth has received a contract worth €147.71 million for the supply of a complete cement plant from Russian company Kaluga Cement Plant.

Shortage of skilled operators is a critical problem for the quarrying sector but new simulators could help improve safety and training for new recruits and enhance the technique of skilled operators too. Equipment used in modern aggregate production in Europe is worth many thousands of Euros so letting a new operator loose on this in order to train them presents a significant risk. But the risk is not only fi nancial - there are also major health and safety hazards involved in training operators on a new ma

Development of new technology and bespoke software is helping both mobile and static weighing solutions to improve efficiency in quarries of almost any size, Claire Symes reports. While weighing operations may not directly impact on the quality of the aggregates themselves, the process of weighing is an important task in the operation of any quarry.

The President of the French Federation of Road Industry Unions (Usirf), Jean-Louis Marchand, has also been elected President of the European Asphalt Pavement Association (EAPA).

Whole life operation costs and on-going productivity are becoming a higher priority for some quarry operators than the original capital investment in a bid to produce quality aggregates at a fixed cost per tonne. These factors were the main drivers behind UK-based quarry operator Pinden's recent investment in a Kleemann Mobicat MC 110Z track-mounted single toggle jaw crusher

While Winter may seem long gone, it is still something that equipment specifiers have to keep in mind as recent deployment of a dual-fuel kleemann crusher to the tapojärvi gold mine in Finland illustrates. Winter is always cold in Finland but the most recent season was extreme with temperatures of -36.5°C becoming a common occurrence.