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The production of the construction sector in the Euro zone during August increased by 2.8% with respect to the same period last year, while it grew by point four percent compared with July, announced the European statistics office, Eurostat, today.

In the European Union as a whole, construction production registered a 4% interannual increase, while the month on month increase was 1%.

Among the members of the EU for whom data is available, the greatest monthly construction production increases were recorded in the United Kingdom (+6.1%), Romania (+3.2%), the Netherlands and Slovenia (both +2.5%), while the greatest reductions occurred in Slovakia (-2.2%), Spain (-1.4%), Portugal (-1.0%) and Sweden (-0.8%).

Building construction activity grew by 0.2% in August in the Euro zone and 0.8% in the EU in general in comparison with July, while civil engineering works increased by 0.6% and 1.5% respectively.

In interannual terms, construction sector production increased in nine states and decreased in four. The greatest increases were recorded in Romania (+37%), Slovenia (+31.4%) and Poland (+14.8%), while the most notable reductions occurred in Sweden (-3.2%), Germany (-3%), Portugal (-2%) and Slovakia (-1.4%).

Building construction activity grew by 2.4% in the Euro zone and 3.7% in the EU, while civil engineering works increased by 2.4% in the Euro zone and 3.9% among the Twenty-Seven members of the EU.

On October 24th, BERALMAR held a conference entitled “Automated control of a grinding, distribution and combustion facility for petrol coke“, run by Javier Duro, BERALMAR software applications officer. This conference took place within the framework of a technology day at the headquarters of the Ceramics Institute of Galicia, in Santiago de Compostela.

Because of the incredible presence of solid fuels in Galicia, and the rest of Spain, where about 70 kilns currently fire using BERALMAR solid equipment, the interest in these facilities continues, given the growing role of energy in production costs.

On October 26th, BERALMAR held another conference, this time in the city of Gyor (Hungary) invited by the Hungarian Association of Manufacturers of Ceramics, which was holding a sector meeting. The theme of the BERALMAR conference was “BERALMAR in Hungary. Beralmar news”, and was presented by Artur Massaguer, engineer and director of BERALMAR’s technical office, accompanied by Carlos Acosta BERALMAR’s representative in Hungary.

Artur Massaguer commenced his talk with a brief summary of BERALMAR’s activity in the Central European country, and continued by explaining which technologies could be of more use for Hungarian ceramists, in terms of the current need for energy efficiency in the areas of firing and drying.

BERALMAR has a relatively new, yet nevertheless intense, relationship with the Hungarian ceramics industry. Hungarian ceramists have trusted BERALMAR was the construction of a semi-continuous kiln, a kiln tunnel and the installation of petrol coke, gas and fuel firing equipment in various ceramic works throughout the country.

Among the many firing equipment facilities being provided by BERALMAR, we would like to highlight one of the gas burners for the two BRAMPTON BRICK kiln tunnels in Toronto, Canada.

BRAMPTON BRICK entrusted the construction of 2 PRESTHERMIC model kilns to BERALMAR back in 2001, for a production of 400 tonne/day each, although they continued to fire using the old burners, which were in good condition. On this occasion, BRAMPTON BRICK have charged BERALMAR with the provision of a total of 140 pulsed gas injectors, to update the combustion facility.

We thank BRAMPTON BRICK for their continued confidence in BERALMAR.