Things began hotting up for Metso Minerals when it was invited by Tarmac to supply crushing and screening equipment to its Al Dhahira quarry in Oman, the largest overseas wadi gravel quarry the company owns. The site is relatively new, having only recently replaced the older ABC Tarmac quarry, and covers roughly 40 km², though further expansion is expected. The quarry at present supplies just Oman and the UAE markets, but with the Gulf states of Kuwait and Bahrain closing down all crushing and screening operations on environmental grounds, and with Qatar looking to follow suit, Al Dhahira will be in a position to supply the whole Gulf region.

In addition general manager Dave Thomas highlights, "there is a construction boom in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and consequently demand for our products will further increase". In anticipation of this increase in demand, the quarry wanted its processing plant to have a production rate of 650 tonnes/hour. Metso Minerals has achieved this target using a primary CIOO jaw crusher, three NPI 1-10 impactors, one HP200 cone crusher, five 12 m² screens and over 40 conveyors.

In addition, Metso Minerals claims the plant has extensive dust suppression systems, including infrared-triggered spray systems at feed points, to meet stringent Omani pollution regulations. According to Metso the plant's construction took just 10 months from initial earthmoving to completion. With current production reaching 1.6 million tonnes of crushed material, the quarry claims to have at least 20 years of reserves.

Metso Minerals has a