CAT Finning FC fp ad.indd - Plant & Civil Engineer

From the desk of:
PJ O'Donnell, President, IMQS
Steering A Path out of
Economic Difficulties
The Irish Mining and Quarrying Society is a society that represents
members from both the mining and quarrying sectors.
PJ O'Donnell, President IMQS
Although it is limited;
government capital
expenditure on roads is
going to happen shortly. It
is now expected that work
will commence in January
2013 on both the Newlands
Cross intersection and
also the N11 upgrade from
Rathnew to Arklow. These
two projects should lead to
an increased local demand
for quarrying products. By
60 Plant & Civil EnginEER
creating local employment
there should also be some
wider economic benefits.
The IMQS have long been
stating that additional
capital expenditure on
large scale infrastructure
projects is the only way
that we will reinvigorate
the quarrying sector and
generally employment
in Ireland. Now that this
is being acknowledged
As president of the IMQS I get to see the
effects of the current economic climate on
the quarrying sector first hand. The sector
is now rolling along the bottom of the
economic cycle. There is no strong reason
for a national recovery in the sector in the
foreseeable future. There is however ways in
which the sector can help itself steer a path.
by the EU there should
be light at the end of the
tunnel. Although we have
not received any detail the
recent summit of EU leaders
talked about a two prong
approach being necessary
to get Europe out of its
current economic difficulties.
These two prongs are
austerity the prong we have
been feeling like a dagger
in Ireland for going on four
years now and a new one
stimulus packages. There
have been no specifics yet
on what form these stimulus
packages might take,
however it is a well proven
fact that government capital
expenditure on infrastructure
is the quickest way to give
an economy the kick start
Ireland needs right now.
This should lead to many
more local recoveries like the
two road projects mentioned
above and some level of
much needed recovery
in the quarrying sector.
In Ireland we can learn
a lot from our Northern
neighbours. The Northern
Ireland quarrying sector
has always been export
focused to a much stronger
degree than we down south.
In a time when national
demand is weak this is the
area to focus on. In order
to pursue this strategy we
must concentrate on value
added products, as the cost
of transport of more base
outputs leaves us in an
uncompetitive situation.
I am delighted to see that
Kilsaran International is
expanding their sale of
paving and dry products into
Britain. I understand that
they are taking on a local full
time sales team to drive this
business for them. This is
an example of the potential
export business that I am
writing about. We need more
Irish quarrying companies
to develop and export value
added products in order
to stimulate the sector.
PJ O'Donnell 1pg.indd 60 18/07/2012 14:59