Economy & Market

ACC Ltd: Marching ahead

Published

15 years ago

September 30, 2011

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ACC Ltd is one of the front runners in the cement industry in India and produces some of the best quality cement in the country. It has a significant market share in the segments of housing, real estate, infrastructure and other development projects. With more and more developmental projects coming up, the profit and the market share of the company is expected to rise at a considerable rate.

In an era when mergers and acquisition were unknown, 10 cement companies belonging to the Tatas, Khataus, Killick Nixon and F E Dinshaw came together in the year 1936 and merged into a single entity, which is today known as ACC Ltd. The company has a pan-India presence, with operation spread across the country with 14 modern cement factories having a total installed capacity of 22.4 MTPA, a string of 20 sales offices and a countrywide distribution network of over 9,000 dealers. It has a workforce of more than 10,000 persons.

ACC has been credited of introducing many firsts in India. In 1947, India’s first indigenous cement plant was built by at Chaibasa by ACC. The company commissioned the country’s first million tonne kiln at Wadi in 1982, and has erected the world’s largest cement kiln with a daily capacity of 12,500 tonne. From a production capacity of one million tonne per annum in 1936, the company has achieved a capacity of 22.5 MTPA. ACC also set many trends in the cement industry. One of the most significant was the introduction of blended cements. It used industrial waste like slag and fly ash, which helped in lowering greenhouse emission and conserving mineral wealth.

Products offered

The company manufactures 43 Grade Cement (OPC 43 Grade), 53 Grade Cement, Fly-ash based Portland Pozzolana Cement, and Portland Slag Cement. The OPC 43 Grade is the most commonly used cement in all constructions including plain and reinforced cement concrete, brick and stone masonry, floors and plastering. It is also used in the finishing of all types of buildings, bridges, culverts, roads, water retaining structures, etc. It has surpassed BIS Specifications (IS 8112-1989 for 43 grade OPC) on compressive strength levels. The 53 Grade Cement is an Ordinary Portland Cement which surpasses the requirements of IS: 12269-53 Grade. It is produced from high quality clinker ground with high purity gypsum. It provides high strength and durability to structures because of its optimum particle size distribution, superior crystalline structure and balanced phase composition. The fly-ash based Portland Pozzolana Cement is special blended cement, produced by inter-grinding higher strength ordinary Portland cement clinker with high quality processed fly ash-based on norms set by the ACC’s R&D division. This unique, value-added product has hydraulic binding properties not found in ordinary cements. The Portland Slag Cement is slag-based blended cement that imparts strength and durability to all structures. It is manufactured by blending and inter-grinding OPC clinker and granulated slag in suitable proportions as per norms of consistent quality. PSC has many superior performance characteristics which give it certain extra advantages when compared to ordinary Portland cement. The PSC is eco-friendly cement as reduces CO2 emissions and helps in conserving energy.

Plants

The cement plants of ACC are located in various regions of the country in a number of states. The gadgets and equipment are of high standards and comply with the international standards. Presently there are around 15 cement plants of ACC which cater to the different market segments of the country. The cement plants work in coordination with each other and also independently to increase the market share. All these cement plants use cutting edge technologies and services are equipped with advanced technological facilities which make them completely environment-friendly. The plants use some of the sophisticated pollution control devices in various parts such as raw mills, power plants, cement kilns, coolers and other equipments. In addition, the mining technologies that have been implemented in the cement plants of ACC are also based on environment safeguard norms. ACC’s cement plants consist of high quality Zero Water Discharge facilities which help in proper water management. The water that is used in the plant for the process of industrial cooling is recycled by the use of tanks, water ponds and cooling towers. Through this process, the company has been successful in water harvesting.

Subsidiary and associates

The subsidiary and associates of the company are ACC Concrete Ltd, ACC Mineral Resources Ltd, Bulk Cement Corporation (India) Ltd, National Limestone Company Pvt Ltd and Encore Cement & Additives Private Ltd. ACC set up India’s first commercial Ready Mix Concrete (RMX) plant in Mumbai in 1994. Today this business has been re-organised as a separate company called ACC Concrete Ltd which is one of the largest manufacturers of RMX in India with over 55 modern plants in major cities such as Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Goa, Pune and Ahmedabad. ACC’s wholly owned subsidiary, The Cement Marketing Company of India Ltd, was renamed as ACC Mineral Resources Ltd (AMRL) in May 2009 with an objective of securing valuable mineral resources, such as coal for captive use. ACC Mineral Resources Ltd has entered into joint venture arrangements for prospecting, exploration and mining coal from the coal blocks in Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. The company is also exploring other opportunities for securing additional coal and gypsum resources in India and abroad. The Bulk Cement Corporation (India) Ltd is situated at Kalamboli, Navi Mumbai and caters to bulk cement requirements. It has two cement storage silos with a capacity of 5,000 tonne each. The plant receives cement in bulk from ACC plants at Wadi. The plant has its own special purpose railway wagons and rakes and its own railway siding. A first of its kind in India, it is equipped with all the facilities required by increasingly sophisticated construction sites in a bustling metropolis, including a laboratory, a fleet of specialised trucks and site silos for the convenience of customers and is capable of offering loose cement in bulk-tanker vehicles as well as packed cement in bags of varying sizes from 1 ton down to 25 kg bags. It is situated strategically on the outskirts of Mumbai, just off the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and is spread over 30 acres of land. ACC acquired 100 per cent of the equity of Lucky Minmat Pvt Ltd. This company holds limestone mines in the Sikar district of Rajasthan, and helps supplement limestone supply to the Lakheri Plant. National Limestone Company Pvt Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary and is engaged in the business of mining and sale of limestone. It holds mining leases for limestone in the state of Rajasthan. ACC acquired 100 per cent of the financial equity of Encore Cement & Additives Pvt Ltd which is a slag grinding plant in Vishakhapatnam in coastal Andhra Pradesh. This company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of ACC in January 2010.

Corporate Social Responsibly

The CSR activities of ACC revolves around the underprivileged community that lives in the immediate vicinity of cement plants and is thus more dependent on their welfare. The range of activities begins with extending educational and medical facilities and goes on to cover vocational guidance and supporting employment-oriented and income-generation projects like agriculture, animal husbandry, cottage industries by developing local skills, using local raw materials and helping create marketing outlets. At all the cement factories of ACC the amenities and facilities are shared with members of the local community. This includes sharing education and medical facilities, sports and recreation. The company also shares access to bore wells, drinking water and the usage of colony roads. In its endeavor towards greenery, the company has also started various types of afforestation, horticulture and tree planting programmes near its cement plants. It not only reduces pollution but also helps conserve the mineral resources. The vacant spaces in the mines and the cement plans are being utilised for the purpose of planting of trees. In cement plants at Chaibasa, Kymore, Jamul and Gagal, greenery has been added to around 40 per cent of the total area which is around 10 per cent more than the normal norms that has been set. The management of these plants is stressing on the green belt development programmes. Due to the high production as well as the dedicated effort towards maintaining ecological balance and nature conservation, the company and its cement plans have been the recipient of a number of prestigious awards.

Awards & Accolades

ACC was the first recipient of ASSOCHAM’s first ever National Award for outstanding performance in promoting rural and agricultural development activities in 1976. Decades later, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry selected ACC as winner of its Good Corporate Citizen Award for the year 2002. Over the years, the company has received many awards and felicitations for achievements in rural and community development, safety, health, tree plantation, afforestation, clean mining, environment awareness and protection.

The Wadi cement plant of ACC Limited, in India’s southern state of Karnataka, now enjoys the distinction of being the world’s largest cement plant. The company recently completed this challenging integrated cement project in Karnataka comprising an expanded clinkering line of 12,500 TPD at Wadi together with two satellite cement grinding plants manufacturing Portland Slag cement and flyash based Portland Pozzolana Cement.

All operations at Wadi are now mammoth in scale and setting new trends and benchmarks – the largest limestone mining operations, the largest captive power plant in the industry, largest in inward and outbound logistics and the largest in bulk cement operations. The project reinforces ACC’s commitment to environment conservation in more ways than one. The plant incorporates sophisticated environment management systems and equipment that are designed to maintain very high levels of emission control.

Marching ahead With the government’s determined focus on infrastructure development and an optimistic outlook for overall GDP growth, the demand for cement will receive a considerable boost. The future for ACC looks bright and it is poised to grow at a much faster rate in coming decades due to its strong pan India presence, well entrenched dealership network, technical excellence, human resources, brand equity and market growth. Awards received by ACC National Award for Excellence in Water Management by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

Outstanding Corporate Vision, Triple Impact – Business Performance Social & Environmental Action and Globalisation for 2009-10 from Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Award in two categories, Green Leadership and Community Engagement by Enterprise Asia.
Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Award – by The Ministry of Environment and Forests for ?extraordinary work? carried out in the area of afforestation.
Subh Karan Sarawagi Environment Award – by The Federation of Indian Mineral Industries for environment protection measures.
Drona Trophy – By Indian Bureau of Mines for extra ordinary efforts in protection of Environment and mineral conservation in the large mechanized mines sector.
Indira Gandhi Memorial National Award – for excellent performance in prevention of pollution and ecological development
Excellence in Management of Health, Safety and Environment : Certificate of Merit by Indian Chemical Manufacturers Association
Good Corporate Citizen Award – by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry
FIMI National Award – for valuable contribution in Mining activities from the Federation of Indian Mineral Industry under the Ministry of Coal.
Rajya Sthariya Paryavaran Puraskar – for outstanding work in Environmental Protection and Environment Performance by the Madhya Pradesh Pollution. Control Board.
National Award for Fly Ash Utilisation – by Ministry of Power, Ministry of Environment & Forests and Dept of Science & Technology, Govt of India – for manufacture of Portland Pozzolana Cement.

Economy & Market

Leonard Unveils Dual-Head Robotic Arm for Hazardous Industrial Demolition

Published

5 days ago

October 30, 2026

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Leonard unveils Descender Duo, a dual-head robotic demolition arm designed to improve industrial safety and reduce shutdown time by up to 50 per cent.

Industrial robotics and refractory services specialist Leonard has launched Descender Duo, a dual-head robotic demolition arm designed to improve safety, accelerate maintenance and reduce shutdown times in hazardous industrial environments. The system made its debut at Lisahally Power Station in Northern Ireland, removing 25 tonnes of slag material within hours.

Developed for the cement, metals, waste-to-energy and petrochemical industries, Descender Duo enables remote-controlled refractory demolition, anchor cutting and welding, and refractory spraying inside boilers, calciners and silos. Its vertical-access design eliminates the need for personnel to enter confined, high-risk spaces during these operations.

Weighing less than two tonnes, the pre-assembled system requires an access opening of just 1.2 m². Supported by an external overhead hoist, it uses electrically operated hydraulic stabilising legs to secure itself inside vessels. The robotic arm offers 360-degree rotation and is suited to vessels approximately 9 m in diameter, with its operating reach extendable through strategically positioned access points.

Equipped with two independently controlled robotic heads, Descender Duo can perform identical or different tasks simultaneously, including refractory demolition, anchor cutting and spraying. Its remote-control system incorporates live camera feeds, allowing operators to monitor operations without entering hazardous environments.

According to Leonard, the technology can deliver time savings of up to 50 per cent compared with manual methods. Its ability to operate at temperatures exceeding 100°C allows maintenance to begin as early as 24 hours after burner shutdown. An all-electric power supply further supports cleaner and more cost-efficient operations.

First Deployment Demonstrates Shutdown Efficiency

The system was first deployed at Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor’s (BWSC) Lisahally Power Station in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The facility generates electricity from grade C waste wood, supplying approximately 40,000 homes and businesses.

Leonard and BWSC collaborated to develop a customised solution for the plant’s 26-metre furnace, where extensive external pipework created significant access challenges.

Mark Leonard, Managing Director, Leonard, said, “It required new thinking and rather than step away from the problem we were committed to solving it for the customer, with the customer. We’re relentless in our approach to tackling complex challenges, head-on. We took our years of cement plant experience, coupled with our working knowledge of the BWSC plant, and designed, engineered and tested a completely new vertical solution within just seven weeks from that initial conversation with the customer. That solution was the Descender Duo as we know it today.”

Traditionally, the furnace required a cooling period of up to 36 hours before preparatory work could begin, followed by manual slag removal using rope-access personnel. With Descender Duo, work commenced just 24 hours after shutdown, reducing downtime by up to one day.

The deployment removed 25 tonnes of slag within hours, eliminated the need for at least six workers to enter the hazardous furnace interior and saved 26 hours in the shutdown programme.

“The effectiveness exceeded expectation,” said Martin Doran, Plant Manager at Lisahally Power Station.

“When the Descender Duo concept was first discussed, we had to spend some time with the team from Leonard looking at how it was going to be moved into the furnace. Every site is different and that presented its own challenges, but nothing that the team couldn’t overcome. Once it was installed we were hugely impressed by its efficiency.”

Expanding Industrial Robotics Applications

Descender Duo joins Leonard’s existing portfolio of robotic maintenance solutions, including the Axis horizontal-access arm, Nano confined-space access arm, Charger cement mill media recharging system and Calibre cement mill media grading system.

Headquartered in Northern Ireland, Leonard provides robotic refractory demolition, installation, inspection and industrial maintenance services across the cement, metals, energy, biomass, glass and civil engineering sectors.

Formerly known as G Leonard, the company has more than 35 years of industry experience and operates across Europe, North America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific.

The latest innovation reinforces Leonard’s focus on replacing hazardous manual processes with robotic systems that improve workforce safety, enhance operational efficiency and minimise industrial downtime.

Concrete

Martin Engineering Appoints Ashwini Khunte as India General Manager

Published

5 days ago

October 30, 2026

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Martin Engineering names Ashwini Khunte India General Manager to strengthen operations and drive growth across key bulk material handling sectors.

Pune

Martin Engineering, a global provider of bulk material handling solutions, has appointed Ashwini Khunte as General Manager of its India business, strengthening its leadership as the company expands its presence across the country’s cement, mining, steel, power and infrastructure sectors.

Khunte brings more than a decade of experience with Martin Engineering, having joined its Indian operations in 2013 as a Design Engineer, shortly after the company established its presence in the country in 2012.

A mechanical engineer by qualification, she spent her initial five years developing bulk material handling solutions in collaboration with the company’s operations team. During this period, she gained extensive experience addressing operational challenges in the steel, cement and coal industries. She subsequently moved into project engineering, managing major engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) projects from initial enquiry to commissioning. Her responsibilities later expanded to overseeing Martin Engineering’s conveyor product portfolio in India, involving customer engagement, technical presentations and site visits across heavy industries.

In 2024, Khunte was promoted to Head of Sales & Marketing for the company’s Europe, Middle East, Africa and India (EMEAI) region. The position broadened her international market exposure and strengthened her strategic and commercial leadership capabilities.

Commenting on her appointment, Ashwini Khunte, General Manager, Martin Engineering India, said: “India represents a tremendous opportunity for Martin Engineering. The country’s continued investment in cement, mining, steel, power and infrastructure is creating increasing demand for safer, cleaner and more productive bulk material handling, and that’s exactly what we do. My priority will be to build on the strong foundations already established in India, while continuing to develop our people, strengthen customer relationships and bring practical solutions to the challenges faced by our industry.”

Robert Whetstone, Area Vice President – EMEAI, Martin Engineering, highlighted Khunte’s technical expertise, market understanding and leadership experience.

“Ashwini brings an exceptional combination of technical understanding, customer knowledge and commercial leadership. She has grown as Martin Engineering has grown, and has consistently demonstrated outstanding capability to transform her expertise into practical solutions. Her knowledge of the Indian market, together with her international experience, makes her ideally suited to lead our India business through its next stage of growth for years to come.”

Since establishing its Indian business in 2012, Martin Engineering has expanded its local workforce, manufacturing capabilities and dealership network. The company supplies conveyor products, transfer point solutions, material flow aids, training and technical support to bulk material handling industries. Khunte’s appointment positions the company to further strengthen customer relationships and expand its solutions portfolio in India’s growing industrial and infrastructure markets.

Concrete

Fornnax Wins AIRIA’s Special Export Award for Rubber Machinery in 2025-26

Published

2 weeks ago

October 19, 2026

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Fornnax Technology Pvt. Ltd. has been honoured with the Special Export Award – Rubber Machinery for 2025–26 by the All-India Rubber Industries Association (AIRIA), in recognition of its highest exports of tyre recycling plants to the European region.

With more than a decade of experience in India’s tyre recycling industry, Fornnax has contributed to the development of advanced recycling technologies and infrastructure. The company currently holds a 90% market share in India’s domestic tyre recycling sector, while exports account for 30% of its business, spanning markets such as Europe, Australia and the GCC.

The award marks another milestone for Fornnax, whose tyre recycling lines and advanced shredding technologies are supporting the growth of the circular economy in India and international markets.

Commenting on the recognition, Mr. Jignesh Kundaria, Founder and Director of Fornnax, said:

“This honour from AIRIA is a reflection of an incredible journey we have undertaken over the years. When we started Fornnax, there was no established recycling industry in India to follow. We chose to build for the future instead. Today, when you see India’s tyre recycling sector, it has already transformed into a dynamic, high-growth industry and we are extremely proud to have played our part in building it.”

Unlike standalone equipment suppliers, Fornnax focuses on developing complete, high-capacity recycling infrastructure. Its integrated systems combine multiple stages of shredding and size reduction to enable efficient, continuous operations. This system-level engineering approach helps recycling operators improve throughput, equipment reliability and operational consistency.

The recognition reinforces Fornnax’s commitment to developing engineering technologies that contribute to a more efficient and circular recycling ecosystem.

Looking ahead, the company aims to expand its international presence while continuing to develop advanced shredding and recycling solutions to address the growing volumes and evolving requirements of the global recycling industry.

For more information, visit: www.fornnax.com