Page 36 - HUB-4 Magazine Issue 99

Concrete
Investing for control: Needingworth
combines concrete production and
earthmoving with Liebherr
Arriving at Needingworth Quarry in
Cambridgeshire, the scale of the operation is
immediately clear. Lorries move steadily in and
out, conveyors stretch across the site, and, in the
distance, earthmoving equipment works
methodically across freshly stripped ground. It
is not a typical quarry setting. Producing close to
800,000 tonnes of sand and gravel each year
from a relatively shallow seam, Needingworth
has long been a key contributor to the region’s
construction supply — estimated to account for
around 40% of the local market.
Now, under the ownership of Brice Aggregates, the site is
undergoing a significant transformation. Since acquiring the
quarry in May 2024, the business has moved quickly to embed
its own operating model — one centred on control, efficiency
and long-term sustainability.
At the heart of that strategy is a dual investment: a new
Liebherr concrete batching plant and a fully in-house Liebherr
earthmoving fleet.
For Operations Manager Matt Ball, the decision to install
a Liebherr batching plant, supported by ten HTM 905
truck mixers, was rooted in experience. “We have a 2.5-F
batching plant at Colemans Quarry near Colchester and
have found it to be reliable in delivering consistent,
high-quality concrete all day, every day,” he explains,
standing beside the newly installed New Series Liebherr
Mobilmix plant. “We knew exactly what we were
getting with Liebherr, so it made sense to invest in the
latest version of a batching plant we already trust.”
That familiarity has allowed Brice Aggregates to establish
immediate concrete production capacity at Needingworth,
strengthening its position across East Anglia and maintaining
consistency for its customer base. The addition of the mixers
completes the package, ensuring materials produced on site
can be delivered efficiently and reliably.
But while the batching plant represents a key step forward in
production, it is the decision to bring earthmoving operations
in-house that marks the most significant operational shift.
Previously subcontracted, soil stripping and restoration are
now being carried out by a dedicated Liebherr fleet — a move
designed to give Brice Aggregates greater flexibility across the
site, alongside long-term cost benefits.
“We need around 50 acres of land per year to give us around
a million tonnes of mineral per year,” says Matt. “By bringing
that work in-house, we’ve got much better control over how
the site operates — and that gives us flexibility we didn’t have
before.”
Out on the quarry face, that change is already visible. A
Liebherr R 938 crawler excavator is steadily removing topsoil
and subsoil, working in close coordination with the Cambridge
Archaeological Unit. Progress is deliberate, with operators
carefully exposing layers of material as archaeologists monitor
each stage.
| p36 |
www.hub-4.com July/August - Issue 99