Aggregates agent poised for first deal

A new company has been set up as a middleman to source aggregates and minerals for contractors and other construction industry materials procurers.

The new agent, called Aggregates Agencies, is well on the way to signing its first deal with a specifier. The company is currently talking to two procurers in the construction industry in the UK and one in Rotterdam.

The middleman service offered by the company is new. Most specifiers chose to buy direct from quarries, which means time and money is spent trying to find the right materials for the project concerned and then testing them for quality.

Although profit margins on aggregates are known to be slim, Aggregates Industries will not charge procurers a fee for the aggregates specified and located. Instead it aims to make a profit by trading in large volumes.

The man behind the venture is Charles Osbond. He has spent several years developing the concept to source the right aggregates and industrial minerals, negotiating prices from quarries situated in the UK and Europe, as well as organising complex logistics of shipping and delivery.

The company will concentrate on supplying aggregates for medium and large contracts. "We will provide them with the right aggregates at the right prices. Specifiers only have to call us with their requirements and not have to spend considerable time searching, often without getting the right price or result," claimed Osbond.

Another bonus for specifiers, according to Osbond, is that his company ensure "testing of materials is rigidly carried out on the representative samples from the quarry source, prior to delivery to the clients".