Displaying items by tag: Tarmac

UK: Archaeologists have completed the excavation of a 52-grave cemetery dated to 3rd century Roman Britain at Ireland-based CRH subsidiary Tarmac’s Knobb’s Farm quarry in Cambridgeshire. The company said that the find is remarkable for its high proportion of decapitated bodies (33%), indicating the proximity of an execution site. The graveyard is situated near a settlement on a peninsula in the Fens wetland area. The settlement itself is lost to the quarrying activities of the previous owner.

UK: Tarmac has renewed its partnership with the Peak District National Park until 2026. Under the partnership, the company organises volunteering and funds an engagement conservation job role at the national park in Derbyshire. Since 2016, volunteers from Tarmac’s Tunstead quarry have built dry stone walls, restored a footbridge and helped to manage ancient hay meadows. In several areas of the park, volunteers have also replaced benches.

Tunstead quarry stone and powders director Pete Butterworth said that he was ‘delighted’ about the renewal. He added, “By sponsoring the engagement role, we also enable many people to get involved in practical projects which make a significant contribution to the maintenance and improvement of this beautiful area.”

UK: Tarmac, part of Ireland-based CRH, has relocated reptiles to purpose-built bespoke habitats at its Bellhouse, Essex, quarry. The reptiles lived in an area of planned quarry expansion. Work began in 2016 on the new habitat for grass snakes, common lizards and slow worms, consisting of acid grassland, tussocks and ponds. The company plans to expand the reserve under its site restoration process. It says that this will enable reptile populations to grow.

Restoration manager Enrique Moran Montero said, “The restoration phase of a quarry provides so many opportunities to promote local fauna and flora, and we pride ourselves in making the most of this land. From nature reserves to parks and wildlife learning zones for schools to use, we always strive to provide benefits for local wildlife as well as the communities we work in.”

UK: CRH subsidiary Tarmac has appointed Chris Bradbury as the plant manager at its integrated Dunbar cement plant in East Lothian, Scotland. He previously worked at Tarmac’s Tunstead plant in Derbyshire. Bradbury began working in the cement industry as an apprentice in 1994 and has held many roles at plants both in the UK and in Nigeria and the Philippines.

UK: HeidelbergCement subsidiary Hanson has appointed Michael Wildmore as the technical development manager for its cement business. He holds over 30 years’ experience in senior technical and quality management roles in the building materials industry, according to Construction Index.

Wildmore joined Hanson UK, part of the HeidelbergCement, as a technical sales advisor in January 2020 having previously spent five years with Tarmac, latterly as technical manager at Tarmac Building Products. Before that, he worked for 20 years with Redland and subsequently Lafarge and LafargeHolcim after acquisitions and mergers. He is an associate member of the Institute of Concrete Technology and is on technical committees of the Mineral Products Association (MPA).

UK: The Mineral Products Association (MPA) has appointed Jeremy Greenwood as the Chair of UK Concrete. He will work with Chris Leese, the Director of UK Concrete, to coordinate the work of the Concrete Centre, MPA Cement, British Ready-mixed Concrete Association (BRMCA) and British Precast on the roadmap the sector is implementing to go ‘Beyond Net Zero by 2050.’ Greenwood previously worked for Tarmac as its managing director, having been at the company since 1988.

UK: CRH subsidiary Tarmac has announced its renewal of multiple contracts for transportation of its products by rail, effective until 2025. The contracts - with Colas Rail UK, GB Rail Freight, Freightliner and DB Cargo - cover the shipment of 9.0Mt/yr of cement and building products.

Head of rail Chris Swan said, “The renewal of these contracts highlights both our on-going commitment to supporting the delivery of a lower-carbon built environment and the continued enhancement of our rail freight capabilities. Effective use of the rail freight network is key in supporting the UK’s transition to a net-zero society and supporting a green recovery as we emerge from the Covid-19 crisis. Collaborative working has a vital role to play in this and we are looking forward to working with our freight operating partners as the industry focuses on increasing the volumes of material moved by rail, as well as enhancing efficiencies and service.”

UK: The Mineral Products Association (MPA) has appointed Simon Willis as its chairman for the next two years. He succeeds Martin Riley, Senior Vice President at Tarmac, as the eighth incumbent in the role. Willis is currently the chief executive officer (CEO) of HeidelbergCement subsidiary Hanson UK. He holds experience in the aggregates and construction materials industry and has held previous directorship roles at Eurovia Infrastructure, Midland Quarry Products and Tarmac.

UK: Tarmac says that it is the first cement company to have signed up to the EV100, a scheme that targets net-zero carbon emissions in transportation. Under the initiative, Tarmac will replace its fleet of 2000 corporate cars and vans with electric models by 2030.

Tarmac procurement director Jonathan Harry said, “We are fully committed to supporting the UK’s ambition of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and have been proactive in making significant changes to our business and product portfolio for many years. The road to a reduction in carbon requires collective action and sustainable procurement strategies have an important role to play in supporting these ambitions. By taking progressive actions such as adopting electric vehicle (EV) technology and switching to clean electricity, we can lead by example and begin to effect real change.”

UK: Tarmac has marked the UK’s national squirrel day (21 January 2020) by renewing its commitment to conservation at one of England’s rare red squirrel habitats: its Harden quarry in Northumberland. Harden quarry manager Gareth Williams said, “The team has set up a feeding station and has been working to monitor the number of visitors.”

Two Tarmac employees are trained squirrel wardens and are responsible for keeping track of the resident red population.