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Sandvik has announced that it is to reduce its workforce in Sweden by 365 employees. The reduction affects employees at Sandvik Materials Technology and Sandvik Mining and Construction in Sandviken as well as employees at Sandvik Materials Technology in Hallstahammar.

The European commission has recently published a number of documents that will affect the aggregates sector. The European Aggregates Association (UEPG) summarises the key events. European politics covers a wide range of issues but the minerals industry has been in the spotlight in several recent publications and communications

Tarmac, continuing its focus on sustainability and exploring alternative fuels, says it is the first company in the quarrying and aggregates industry to trial hydrogen powered-vehicles.

Wider use of smartphones has added a new opportunity for equipment manufacturers to assist customers and over the last few months several have launched applications to improve services. Sandvik has unveiled a new smartphone application that can be used on both iPhone and Android handset, which the company claims improves customer service. "Our aim is to be able to serve our client's needs regardless of location, time zone or challenge. To provide a solution to any problem that might occur is an important co

Irish building materials group CRH, which is currently listed on Dublin's Iseq, is applying for inclusion in London's FTSE 100 index.

Tsurumi has announced the launch of a new submersible pump range that the company claims meets demands for a powerful, robust and reliable water management solution. Tsurumi's LH series are high-head, three-phase dewatering pumps capable of withstanding deep water pressure levels. The company has introduced the LH890 and LH690, which have a 90 kW motor, and the LH8110 with a 110 kW motor, to the European market. At almost 2m tall, the pumps are designed for high-head, high capacity and high pressure work in

Atlas Copco has announced that from 1 July it will operate under four new business units that have been designed to strengthen customer segment and product focus. Under the new structure, quarrying equipment will be part of the Mining and Rock Excavation Technique, which will cover underground and surface drilling products, crushing, loading and hauling, and exploration equipment. Hydraulic breakers will become part of the Construction Technique business area and be combined with portable compressors and ge

Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) has signed an agreement with CeDe Group that will see a range of specialised machines made available for customers working in specific applications.

Powerscreen has announced it is to extend its Maxtrack mobile cone crusher range upwards with the launch of the new 1500 model, which will join the 1000, 1000SR and 1300 models. According to the company, this range extension is part of a company-wide strategy to increase capacity and follow on from the launch of the XA750 its largest mobile jaw crusher and its range-topping warrior 2400 screen last year "We are firmly positioning ourselves to meet the needs of the aggregates and mining segments. The additio

Hanson is restructuring its concrete, asphalt and contracting business to improve efficiency and customer service and prepare for the challenges which lie ahead in 2012 and beyond.

Efforts to improve energy efficiency in any quarry will be furthered by a new EU-funded project now underway. Claire Symes met with the EE-Quarry project leader Antonio Barona to find out more. When you think of energy efficiency and quarries, you might not link these thoughts with an office block in a newly built district on the northern edge of the Spanish city of Madrid.

The biggest country in the world, with probably the most diverse geology, Russia is also a relative newcomer to some of the Western business practices and attitudes that its global counterparts take for granted. After the collapse of communism, Russia had no SME style businesses as we see them in the West - dynamic and aggressive developers of new markets and ideas that can move geographically and economically to fill voids in the marketplace.

Quarry efficiency and productivity was keenly in the spotlight at the CONEXPO-CON/AGG event in Las Vegas in March with a large number of new machines aimed at improving aggregate operations unveiled. While many of the products had already been seen in Europe and were unveiled at Conexpo as new to the US, there were still some major innovations on display for the first time. Rockmore and Furukawa displayed new down the hole drilling solutions and Atlas Copco allowed visitors to try out its new drill training

Michelin is aiming to strengthen innovation and reduce the time it takes to bring new tyre technology to the market with a €100million investment in a new technology centre in France. Under the plan, the company will consolidate all of its research and development work and laboratories in Ladoux near Clermont-Ferrand in a purpose built facility that expects to be complete by 2017

Demand for aggregates in Hungary has dropped dramatically in recent years. Julie-Anne Ryan reports. The aggregates market in the small, land-locked central European republic of Hungary has dropped markedly in the last few years along with so many others worldwide. Figures show that it's back to where it was 20 years ago, despite being double that size as recently as 2005 - a surge in construction projects around that time clearly couldn't be sustained.

Mining and quarrying applications are the main targets for Doosan's latest wheeled loader launch, according to the company. The 4m3 bucket DL420 has been unveiled as the replacement for the DL400 and is claimed to offer advances in terms of handling, power, serviceability and durability.

Atlas Copco became the latest company to move into the mobile crushing market last year with the acquisition of Hartl Anlagenbau. Claire Symes spoke to Bo-Göran Johansson about the new strategy and market prospects. Many quarry operators prefer to use single suppliers wherever possible for construction equipment these days as it can help ease maintenance and repair issues, as well as simplify on-site use for operators. In recent years this has seen OEMs extend their product ranges but the trend is also bein

Wakoz's newest quarry is producing top quality aggregates for major road construction work in Gdansk following investment in washing facilities. Claire Symes visited the quarry in Poland to find out more. Visitors arriving at Wakoz Beton's Glazica sand quarry in Poland for the first time may mistake the peacefulness of the site for inactivity and low productivity. However, first perceptions belie the level of activity at the site which is producing high quality

Sandvik Mining and Construction has bought Shanghai Jianshe Luqiao Machinery (SJL), a major Chinese manufacturer of crushing and screening equipment, which sells its products under the SHANBAO brand.Following the move, announced earlier this year, the SHANBAO name will be retained and this will be used as a mid-price brand alongside the premium Sandvik range.

Improving and promoting sustainability is a key task for the aggregates industry, according to Cemex's new president for global energy and sustainability ignacio madridejos. Claire Symes reports. The days when the involvement of companies producing aggregates in the materials ended when the material left the quarry gates, or when the last reserves are exhausted, are over. Today's quarry operators take a much more holistic view of the sector and get involved at local level with communities and with customers