Aggregate Industries, a member of the
Holcim Group
The Holcim Group, legally known as Holcim Limited, (formerly known as LafargeHolcim) is a Swiss multinational company that manufactures building materials. It has a presence in around 70 countries, and employs around 72,000 employees. Holcim op ...
, is a company based in the United Kingdom with headquarters at
Bardon Hill
Bardon Hill is the highest Hill in Leicestershire and on a clear day the Malvern and Shropshire Hills (approx. 50–60 miles), summits in Derbyshire (approx. 30–40 miles) and Lincoln Cathedral (almost 50 miles away) can be seen. However, ...
, Coalville, Leicestershire. Aggregate Industries manufactures and supplies a range of heavy building materials, primarily
aggregates such as
stone
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
,
asphalt
Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...
and
concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...
, to the
construction
Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and com ...
industry and other business sectors. Aggregate Industries also manufactures and imports
cement
A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mix ...
, and provides a range of aggregate-associated goods and services, these include the manufacture of
masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...
and reconstructed stone items for construction industry and domestic applications, the manufacture of pre-cast concrete items, the supply of ready mixed concrete, design and project
management consulting
Management consulting is the practice of providing consulting services to organizations to improve their performance or in any way to assist in achieving organizational objectives. Organizations may draw upon the services of management consultant ...
, and
resurfacing contracting services.
Aggregate Industries operates more than 60
quarries
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their environ ...
in the UK and has several bases throughout mainland Europe and Scandinavia. Its clients operate in a range of services including
construction
Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and com ...
,
aviation
Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...
, education,
horticulture
Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
, road building, housing, power and energy and
rail
Rail or rails may refer to:
Rail transport
*Rail transport and related matters
*Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway
Arts and media Film
* ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini
* ''Rail'' ( ...
.
History
The story of Aggregate Industries began with the Ellis family of Beaumont Leys, which is now part of Leicester. Active Quakers, the family was influential in the Midlands' first public railway, the
Leicester and Swannington Railway
The Leicester and Swannington Railway (L&SR) was one of England's first railways, built to bring coal from West Leicestershire collieries to Leicester, where there was great industrial demand for coal. The line opened in 1832, and included a tun ...
, which was used to transport
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
from local quarries. In time, John Ellis became the local MP and his descendant, Joseph Ellis II, entered into partnership with a Breedon Everard of Groby, initially as
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal is formed when dea ...
merchants, later extending their business interests to
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
.
In 1858, following the death of Joseph Ellis II, his sons James and Joseph joined with Breedon Everard to lease the Bardon quarries belonging to Robert Jacomb-Hood II of Bardon Hall. Those quarries, now known as Bardon Hills, are still active under the management of Aggregate Industries, and the nearby Bardon Hall is the company's headquarters.
Massachusetts State Police
The Massachusetts State Police (MSP) is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, responsible for criminal law enforcement and traffic vehicle regulation across the state. As of 10/4/2022, it ...
searched the offices of Aggregate Industries, the largest concrete supplier for the underground portions of the
Big Dig
The Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T Project), commonly known as the Big Dig, was a megaproject in Boston that rerouted the Central Artery of Interstate 93 (I-93), the chief highway through the heart of the city, into the 1.5-mile (2.4& ...
, in June 2005. They seized evidence that Aggregate delivered concrete that did not meet contract specifications. In March 2006 Massachusetts Attorney General
Tom Reilly announced plans to sue project contractors and others because of poor work on the project. Over 200 complaints were filed by the state of Massachusetts as a result of leaks, cost overruns, quality concerns, and safety violations. In total, the state has sought approximately $100 million from the contractors ($1 for every $141 spent).
In May 2006, six employees of the company were arrested and charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States. In July 2007, Aggregate Industries settled the case with an agreement to pay $50 million. $42 million of the settlement went to civil cases and $8 million was paid in criminal fines. The company will provide $75 million in insurance for maintenance as well as pay $500,000 toward routine checks on areas suspected to contain substandard concrete.
Aggregate Industries has subsequently grown, mainly through a series of acquisitions and particularly since 1990. In 2005 the company was acquired by the Swiss-based
Holcim Group
The Holcim Group, legally known as Holcim Limited, (formerly known as LafargeHolcim) is a Swiss multinational company that manufactures building materials. It has a presence in around 70 countries, and employs around 72,000 employees. Holcim op ...
, which in 2014 was one of the largest cement companies in the world.
In July 2015, Aggregate Industries became a member of LafargeHolcim following a global merger between Lafarge and Holcim, creating the biggest construction materials supplier in the world.
Governance
Aggregate Industries' board is chaired by a representative from Holcim. Other members comprise the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer/Deputy Chief Executive and a Non Executive Director. The board oversees performance and ensures that Aggregate Industries complies with the principles of good corporate governance.
Strategy formulation, operational management, performance monitoring and the evaluation of major capital projects fall within the remit of the UK Executive Committee. This comprises the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer/Deputy Chief Executive, Organisation & Human Resources Director, and the Directors for the Cement & Concrete Products, Aggregates, Asphalt and Readymix, Contracting and Commercial Divisions.
Products
Goods and services provided by Aggregate Industries include:
* Road surfacing products and contracting service - Aggregate Industries lays, maintains and resurfaces roads, including just under half of the UK's strategic road network.
* Garden and driveway landscaping - the company's Bradstone range is one of the UK's leading names in garden and driveway landscaping and products.
* Masonry - in particular, cast stone walling blocks for interior and exterior use.
* Ready mix concrete and screed - Aggregate Industries is one of the UK's leading suppliers of ready mix concrete, and supplies a wide range of products, chiefly for the construction industry.
* Roofing tiles - including reconstructed stone roof tiles, which are largely used as an affordable and viable replacement for slate tiles, since these are becoming somewhat difficult to source.
* Staircases and flooring - these products, which include beam and block flooring, hollowcore flooring, staircases and landings, are primarily supplied through Aggregate Industries' sister company, Charcon Construction Solutions.
* Surface water solutions - products to facilitate drainage of surface water.
*
Sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) - products to reduce flood risk, using a range of surfacing materials.
* Walling - products in both reconstructed and natural stone, also structural and architectural solutions.
*
Aggregates - these include crushed rock,
sand
Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...
and
gravel
Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone.
Gravel is classifi ...
, stone and fill materials. These are mainly used in construction projects.
*
Asphalt
Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...
- Aggregate Industries supplies asphalt (and associated contracting services) for a range of applications including major road projects, airfields, pedestrian footpaths, driveways and sports surfaces. The company produces more than 6 million tonnes of asphalt each year.
*
Cement
A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mix ...
/
cementitious
A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mi ...
materials - Aggregate Industries supplies through it wholly owned subsidiary Lafarge Cauldon Limited, cement, which is used in various forms including ready-mixed and precast concrete,
mortars
Mortar may refer to:
* Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon
* Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together
* Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind
* Mortar, Bihar, a villag ...
, screed and
render. The company also offers a range of sustainable cement replacements including
ground granulated blast slag, and
fly ash
Fly ash, flue ash, coal ash, or pulverised fuel ash (in the UK) plurale tantum: coal combustion residuals (CCRs)is a coal combustion product that is composed of the particulates (fine particles of burned fuel) that are driven out of coal-fired ...
.
* Commercial hard landscaping - including paving, kerbs and drainage products and technical/design support.
*
Concrete blocks - in a wide range of sizes and strengths, including both dense and lightweight, and for a range of applications.
Recognisable products and services
Not all of Aggregate Industries' products and services are marketed under the Aggregate Industries name. Other Aggregate Industries products include:
* Bradstone
* Charcon
* Lafarge Cement
* Express Asphalt
* Garside Sands
* Masterblock
* London Concrete
* Spadeoak
* Witherley
* Aggregate Industries Overseas
* Stalybridge Readymix (SRM)
* Kendall's Readymix
* Maxi Readymix Concrete
* Northumbrian Roads
Source:
Sustainability
While recognising that it operates within an industry marked by high energy consumption and transport needs, Aggregate Industries has a strong commitment to sustainability and to managing the impacts of its work upon people and the environment. It was the first company in the world to be certified to BES 6001, a framework for responsible sourcing of construction materials, by the Building Research Establishment, the first in the construction sector to develop a company-wide Biodiversity Action Plan, in 2002 and the first in the UK to be awarded the Gold standard certificate from the Concrete Sustainability Council in 2020 for supply of its aggregates into Europe. The organisation also has stated commitments and goals relating to carbon and energy, transport, circular econom, waste and water. For example, between 2009 and 2012, the amount of waste it sent to landfill dropped from 52,251 tonnes to 13,555 tonnes.
Aggregate Industries produces a range of products that are designed with sustainability in mind, such as its low carbon, low water 'Life' range.
Logistics
Aggregate Industries delivers a wide range of heavy building materials to clients in many different locations, thus its logistics needs challenge its commitment to sustainability. However, the organisation aims to make its transport services both efficient and environmentally friendly. As well as using lorries to transport goods, powered by biofuels where possible, Aggregate Industries owns several ships and barges, and is an open access
Train Operator. Many of its quarries have railheads on site, allowing materials to be loaded onto the transport vehicle immediately, minimising environmental impact. The company's largest ship, the Yeoman Bridge, can carry around 100,000 tonnes.
The barges, which are based on the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
at
Gravesend
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Ro ...
, provide an effective and environmentally friendly way of transporting heavy goods into the heart of London, each carrying around 1,000 tonnes.
Employee relations
Aggregate Industries employs 4,000 people. It has, for many years, administered apprenticeships, young enterprise programmes and work experience, and maintains a graduate training programme. In 2012 it became the first company in its sector to establish a training scheme approved by the
Institution of Civil Engineers
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters are located in the UK, whi ...
that allowed participants to work towards achieving professional status.
However, with a predominantly male workforce, many of whom are over 40, Aggregate Industries has also taken steps to safeguard the talent that it already has by encouraging staff to look after their health. During 2014, the company launched its 'Healthy You' programme, designed to raise awareness among staff of the need to address not work-based health and safety issues, but also underlying health concerns such as cardiovascular health, diabetes and mental health. The roll-out of ''Healthy You'' was accompanied by the introduction of compulsory occupational health medicals.
In 2014, the company announced that it would invest over £200,000 in placing defibrillators across 220 sites.
Recent and ongoing capital investment
In November 2014, Aggregate Industries announced the completion of a £30 million upgrade of its quarry at Glensanda, in the Scottish Highlands, which is Europe's largest granite quarry. The upgrade included the construction of a new primary crushing machine and new tunnel for transporting the aggregates from the site directly onto waiting ships, and secured 500 Scottish jobs for the next quarter century, that being the predicted lifespan of the crushing machine.
Aggregate Industries' CEO, Pat Ward, described the £30 million investment as being part of an ongoing programme of upgrades which includes new asphalt plants in Sheffield and Heathrow, as well as new crusher machinery at Moorcroft quarry in Plymouth.
Research and innovation
Aggregate Industries has been involved in the creation of England's first certified Passivhaus, Underhill Passivhaus, which is just outside
Moreton-in-Marsh
Moreton-in-Marsh is a market town in the Evenlode Valley, within the Cotswolds district and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Gloucestershire, England.
The town stands at the crossroads of the Fosse Way Roman road (now the A429) and the ...
in Gloucestershire.
Aggregate Industries is exploring the potential of off-site manufactured housing, made with precast concrete, and insulating concrete formwork 'building shell' systems.
References
External links
Aggregate Industries
{{Authority control
Building materials companies of the United Kingdom
British companies established in 1858
Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange
Companies based in Leicestershire
Construction and civil engineering companies of the United Kingdom
1858 establishments in England
Construction and civil engineering companies established in 1858
Holcim Group