Feiring Bruk and Lundhs AS – both family-owned companies with extensive experience in their field – have a common goal of utilising the natural resource they manage to the fullest extent. The cooperation agreement, concluded on 2 May, is a major step in the right direction to achieve this goal for Lundhs’ quarry in Malerød. There is strong demand for crushed stone, and exploiting the full resources of a quarry also has an important environmental dimension. Natural stone is one of the most sustainable building materials available; the fact that Lundhs is now able to exploit 100% of the volume makes it an even more attractive option.
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Sustainable cooperation from two major players in the stone industry
Feiring Bruk AS and Lundhs AS are working together in one of Lundhs’ quarries in Larvik with a clear common goal: 100% exploitation of the surplus aggregate from the quarry.
“We are very excited to have entered into a joint venture with Feiring Bruk, a major industry professional,”
“Lundhs aims to exploit 100% of the volumes extracted from the quarried stone. Currently, around 10% from Malerød is suitable for use as facing stone. In addition, all the offcuts are used to produce blocks for building. Now that the remainder is to be crushed for aggregate, this will be the first larvikite industry quarry to achieve 100% exploitation of the extracted mass,” Lundhs' CEO Thor-Anders Lundh Håkestad explains.
A long-awaited venture
Lundhs has worked long and hard to put in place an aggregate agreement for the Malerød quarry.
“Both Lundhs and Feiring are continually working towards exploiting 100% of the mass and to make the best possible use of what is left over. The combination of two companies with much in common in terms of innovative thinking and long-term vision has led to the opportunity to establish a joint venture,” Lundh Håkestad continues. He explains that the objective is to achieve full utilisation of production from all eight quarries operated by Lundhs.
“This is a green initiative for both parties. Like Feiring, Lundhs is a family business with a long history and a commitment to utilise the stone resources we manage to the best of our ability for the benefit of the environment and society. We look forward to working together and to forging closer links with Lundhs,” says Knut Harald Ollendorff, CEO of Feiring Bruk.
Strong demand for aggregate
Surplus quarry materials are a sought-after resource. Production capacity is expected to be 300,000–500,000 tonnes of aggregate annually at full operation. This is more than the quantity of surplus materials generated by the Malerød quarry. Aggregate from Malerød will mainly be used on projects between Sandefjord and Porsgrunn. The expansion of the double railway track through Vestfold and the expansion of the E18 are some of the projects that will require large amounts of aggregate.
Unique project
“As far as I know, this is a unique project in Norway. The whole natural stone industry is keen to maximise utilisation of resources, and many people are finding alternative uses for surplus materials, but no one has yet achieved one hundred per cent utilisation,”
ABOUT FEIRING BRUK: Feiring Bruk is a family-owned group with its origins in aggregate and gravel pits. The company is dominant in eastern Norway, with ten stationary facilities. The company also takes commissions on a nationwide basis with mobile crushing and sifting facilities.
About Lundhs
Lundhs is the largest producer of natural stone in northern Europe. Lundhs extracts raw blocks of high-quality stone, mainly from Norway, and exports the materials to masonry factories worldwide. Lundhs’ portofolio comprises larvikite from Larvik, anortocite from Sirevåg and granite from Palin Granit of Finland. Lundhs’ head office is in Larvik, and the company has 140 employees.