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Shree Cement: The New Sustainability

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14 years ago

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Champion 10 factors that helped it make the gradeThere is a reason for putting Shree Cement on the cover in this issue. For an industry much maligned for its environmental impact, it is always welcome when members of this sector are honoured for their ability to practice innovative business solutions with sustainable development activities. The World Economic Forum (WEF) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) by identifying and honouring Shree Cement as one of the 16 new Sustainability Champion Companies, has ensured that the sector will work even more zealously to earn more laurels for the sector.World Economic Forum (WEF) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) have worked globally to identify New Sustainability Champion Companies that practice innovative business solutions with sustainable development objectives. As an initial part of this identification process, over 11 million projects / companies were screened. Following which, a few companies were further selected through a due diligence process, taking into consideration the sustainability aspect inculcated by them in their business. The top management personnel from around 200 of these short-listed companies were then engaged in a personal interview. They were interviewed on various related fields, considering their approach and work towards sustainability, innovation, scalability, geography and size. Based upon a detailed interview of Prashant Bangur, Executive Joint President of Shree Cement Limited (SCL), WEF identified SCL as one amongst 16 New World Sustainability Champions.Driving sustainabilityShree Cement inculcates sustainability in its business frame work based on the philosophy ‘Aah NA Bhadra: Kratavo Yantu Vishwatah’ (Let noble thought come to us from all over the world). The company’s sustainability policy aims to produce quality cement in in a socially responsible manner, with an eco-friendly, healthy and safe working environment approach, working toward continual improvement in the performance level."Our continual thirst to become steward in all spheres has led us to this reputed platform where we stand today," says Prashant Bangur, Executive Joint President of Shree Cement.The company has a 10-fold approach to ensure sustainability in all operations:Creativity and innovationShree Cement encourages its employees to think ‘Out of Box’, its "Jo Soche Wo Pave" scheme encouraged employees to provide innovative ideas and suggestions which are rewarded and communicated to spread the culture of innovative thinking."We believe that success comes through failure. Allowing failures encourage creative thinking and develop the attitude of creativity, risk taking and ultimately high performance," says Prashant Bangur.Employee creative ideas and innovations:

  • Developed synthetic gypsum to replace mineral gypsum for the first time in India.
  • Set a world record of commissioning a brown field clinkerization unit in a record time of 330 days.
  • Set a world record of commissioning a 46 MW of Waste Heat Recovery Based Green Power Plant in 17 months against the industry standard of 24 months.
  • Air lifted coal and raw mill from Germany to reduce the project execution time.
  • Installed the second largest waste heat recovery system in the world.

Resource and Energy ConservationA holistic view of Sustainability and care for the future generation through:

  • Conserving resources to ensure its availability for the future generation
  • Reducing emissions, cleaning environment and combating climate change

As an attempt to conserve fossil fuel, Shree Cement pioneered the use of petcoke as a replacement of fossil coal for the first time in India. Pet-coke has the properties of high sulphur, low volatile matter and harder grinding. Use of pet-coke came along with lots of constraints such as kiln jamming, low production and product quality but it also came as an opportunity to save precious fossil fuels. The company carried out extensive R&D and succeeded in pioneering its 100 per cent usage both in cement and power.Another initiative was to install India’s largest Air Cooled Condenser in its 2 X 150 MW power plant to replace the conventional water-cooled condensers, that ensured a current savings of 1 million KL water every year.One of the first process and cement manufacturing company in the world to obtain BS-EN 16001 Energy Management Certification, Shree Cement maintains one of lowest specific energy consumption for manufacturing its products.Environment FriendlinessThe company follows the philosophy of a Low Carbon Economy and work while following the maxim of clean and green is profitable. "They are members of various climate change initiatives like Cement Sustainability Initiative under the auspices of World Business Council of Sustainable Development (WBCSD)- Switzerland, GRI, TERI-BCSD etc.Waste UtilizationShree Cement began optimal use of fly ash in the cement manufacturing process in order to address the issues of fly ash disposal of power plants, while providing affordable cement to consumers and making planet better place. Use in cement makes the fly ash value added product thereby conserving limestone and fuels. The practice of using fly ash upto 35 per cent (which is maximum limit allowed by law), resulted in Shree Cement becoming the first cement manufacturing company in India to obtain CDM benefits for the same beginning July 2000.Similarly, the disposal of lead zinc slag was a serious problem for the zinc smelters. "However, our zeal to be opportunistic manufacturer provided us the threshold to utilise lead zinc slag, a waste of other industry thereby making us capable for laterite replacement from our operation. It also marked our "industrial ecologist" instinct. Besides, we have also demonstrated the use of agro-waste as a fuel replacement which is under validation for obtaining CDM benefits," says Prashant Bangur.The policy of Zero Disposals on LandMaintaining the lowest cost of production through:

  • Continual benchmarking with best achievements within Shree Cement and outside
  • Culture of challenging the established norms to find scope for further improvement
  • Focus on use of alternate raw material and fuels.

Empowering PeopleThe company empowers people by providing them with challenging roles, higher responsibilities, multi-skill jobs, faster career growth and healthy working practices; and encourage the youth.Engaging Local CommunityThe company promotes maximum employment from local community, in order to generate sustainable livelihood by assisting local community to engage in various livelihood creation activities. To ensure total prosperity in the community, it actively engages in initiatives focusing on infrastructure and water harvesting structure development, healthcare and women empowerment programs, educational awareness programs and plantation activities.Embracing New Technology"Our continuous focus is on technologies for enabling faster decisions through increasing speed and accuracy and releasing time which can be put to other productive uses," says Bangur. It is one of the first cement companies to implement ‘Operator Independent Truck Dispatch System’ at mines for automated truck dispatch. It also introduced remote surveillance system to track progress of projects on real time basis from office.Health and SafetyThe company’s facilities are certified to the OHSAS 18001:2007 standard. Committed to achieving its goal of becoming ‘Zero Accident Work Place’, Personal Protective Equipment is provided to all workers on the shop floor and their use is strictly enforced.Transparency and GovernanceThe company maintains an open door policy of inviting competitors and outsiders to visit its plants to interchange ideas. "We have highly analytical annual report covering detailed financial and non financial information. We are the first cement company to issue Corporate Sustainability Report based upon GRI guidelines," says Prashant Bangur.Successful implementation of some of the projects at SCL:-Thermal power plants have traditionally used Water Cooled Condenser (WCC) systems. Bearing in mind the location of our operations in one of India’s most water scarce regions, we operationalized the switch from a Water Cooled Condenser to Air Cooled Condenser system. Retrofitting of the old system to convert it to ACC was a challenging task requiring considerable skill; the retrofitting task was completed and the ACC was commissioned without any alignment problems.Implementation of air cooled condensers at its power plant in Beawar has enabled reduced water consumption by about 70 per cent.Waste heat utilization of Preheater & clinker coolerTwo major sources of heat rejection In a cement plant are pre-heater and clinker cooler hot gases. Waste heat recovery system installation in these two sources not only generates electricity also saves water for cooling down the gases. "Our earlier experience with the waste heat boiler in unit-I gave a strong background for installation of waste heat recovery system in other units with improved systems to generate electricity as well as to save the water used to cool down the gases," says Bangur. This has reduced water consumption by about 85 per cent in the power plant and 50 per cent in clinker production.

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Concrete

Adani’s Strategic Emergence in India’s Cement Landscape

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2 weeks ago

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September 16, 2025

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Milind Khangan, Marketing Head, Vertex Market Research, sheds light on Adani’s rapid cement consolidation under its ‘One Business, One Company’ strategy while positioning it to rival UltraTech, and thus, shaping a potential duopoly in India’s booming cement market.

India is the second-largest cement-producing country in the world, following China. This expansion is being driven by tremendous public investment in the housing and infrastructure sectors. The industry is accelerating, with a boost from schemes such as PM Gati Shakti, Bharatmala, and the Vande Bharat corridors. An upsurge in affordable housing under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) further supports this expansion. In May 2025, local cement production increased about 9 per cent from last year to about 40 million metric tonnes for the month. The combined cement capacity in India was recorded at 670 million metric tonnes in the 2025 fiscal year, according to the Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA). For the financial year 2026, this is set to grow by another 9 per cent.
In spite of the growing demand, the Indian cement industry is highly competitive. UltraTech Cement (Aditya Birla Group) is still the market leader with domestic installed capacity of more than 186 MTPA as on 2025. It is targeted to achieve 200 MTPA. Adani Cement recently became a major player and is now India’s second-largest cement company. It did this through aggressive consolidation, operational synergies, and scale efficiencies. Indian players in the cement industry are increasingly valuing operational efficiency and sustainability. Some of the strategies with high impact are alternative fuels and materials (AFR) adoption, green cement expansion, and digital technology investments to offset changing regulatory pressure and increasing energy prices.

Building Adani Cement brand
Vertex Market Research explains that the Adani Group is executing a comprehensive reorganisation and consolidation of its cement business under the ‘One Business, One Company’ strategy. The plan is to integrate its diversified holdings into one consolidated corporate entity named Adani Cement. The focus is on operating integration, governance streamlining, and cost reduction in its expanding cement business.
Integration roadmap and key milestones:

  • September 2022: The consolidation process started with the $6.4 billion buyout of Holcim’s majority stakes in Ambuja Cements and ACC, with Ambuja becoming the focal point of the consolidation.
  • December 2023: Bought Sanghi Industries to strengthen the firm’s presence in western India.
  • August 2024: Added Penna Cement to the portfolio, improving penetration of the southern market of India.
  • April 2025: Further holding addition in Orient Cement to 46.66 per cent by purchasing the same from CK Birla Group, becoming the promoter with control.
  • Ambuja Cements amalgamated with Adani Cement: This was sanctioned by the NCLT on 18th July 2025 with effect from April 1, 2024. This amalgamation brings in limestone reserves and fresh assets into Ambuja.
  • Subject to Sanghi and Penna merger with Ambuja: Board approvals in December 2024 with the aim to finish between September to December 2025.
  • Ambuja-ACC future integration: The latter is being contemplated as the final step towards consolidation.
  • Orient Cement: It would serve as a principal manufacturing facility following the merger.

Scale, capacity expansion and market position
In financial year-2025, Adani Cement, including Ambuja, surpassed 100 MTPA. This makes it one of the world’s top ten cement companies. Along with ACC’s operations, it is now firmly placed as India’s second-largest cement company. In FY25, the Adani group’s sales volume per annum clocked 65 million metric tonnes. Adani Group claims that it now supplies close to 30 per cent of the cement consumed in India’s homes and infrastructure as of June 2025.
The organisation is pursuing aggressive brownfield expansion:

  • By FY 2026: Reach 118 MTPA
  • By FY 2028: Target 140 MTPA

These goals will be driven by commissioning new clinker and grinding units at key sites, with civil and mechanical works underway.
As of 2024, Adani Cement had its market share pegged at around 14 to 15 per cent, with an ambition to scale this up to 20 per cent by FY?2028, emerging as a potent competitor to UltraTech’s 192?MTPA capacity (186 domestic and overseas).

Strategic advantages and competitive benefits
The consolidation simplifies decision-making by reducing legal entities, centralising oversight, and removing redundant functions. This drives compliance efficiency and transparent reporting. Using procurement power for raw materials and energy lowers costs per ton. Integrated logistics with Adani Ports and freight infrastructure has resulted in an estimated 6 per cent savings in logistics. The group aims for additional savings of INR 500 to 550 per tonne by FY 2028 by integrating green energy, using alternative fuel resources, and improving sourcing methods.

Market coverage and brand consistency
Brand integration under one strategy will provide uniform product quality and easier distribution networks. Integration with Orient Cement’s dealer base, 60 per cent of which already distributes Ambuja/ACC products, enhances outreach and responsiveness.
By having captive limestone reserves at Lakhpat (approximately 275 million tonnes) and proposed new manufacturing facilities in Raigad, Maharashtra, Adani Cement derives cost advantage, raw material security, and long-term operational robustness.

Strategic implications and risks
Consolidation at Adani Cement makes it not just a capacity leader but also an operationally agile competitor with the ability to reap digital and sustainability benefits. Its vertically integrated platform enables cost leadership, market responsiveness, and scalability.

Challenges potentially include:

  • Integration challenges across systems, corporate cultures, and plant operations
  • Regulatory sanctions for pending mergers and new capacity additions
  • Environmental clearances in environmentally sensitive areas and debt management with input price volatility

When materialised, this revolution would create a formidable Adani–UltraTech duopoly, redefining Indian cement on the basis of scale, innovation, and sustainability. India’s leading four cement players such as Adani (ACC and Ambuja), Dalmia Cement, Shree Cement, and UltraTech are expected to dominate the cement market.

Conclusion
Adani’s aggressive consolidation under the ‘One Business, One Company’ strategy signals a decisive shift in the Indian cement industry, positioning the group as a formidable challenger to UltraTech and setting the stage for a potential duopoly that could dominate the sector for years to come. By unifying operations, leveraging economies of scale, and securing vertical integration—from raw material reserves to distribution networks—Adani Cement is building both capacity and resilience, with clear advantages in cost efficiency, market reach, and sustainability. While integration complexities, regulatory hurdles, and environmental approvals remain key challenges, the scale and strategic alignment of this consolidation promise to redefine competition, pricing dynamics, and operational benchmarks in one of the world’s fastest-growing cement markets.

About the author:
Milind Khangan is the Marketing Head at Vertex Market Research and comes with over five years of experience in market research, lead generation and team management.

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Concrete

Precision in Motion: A Deep Dive into PowerBuild’s Core Gear Series

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1 month ago

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August 16, 2025

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PowerBuild’s flagship Series M, C, F, and K geared motors deliver robust, efficient, and versatile power transmission solutions for industries worldwide.

Products – M, C, F, K: At the heart of every high-performance industrial system lies the need for robust, reliable, and efficient power transmission. PowerBuild answers this need with its flagship geared motor series: M, C, F, and K. Each series is meticulously engineered to serve specific operational demands while maintaining the universal promise of durability, efficiency, and performance.
Series M – Helical Inline Geared Motors: Compact and powerful, the Series M delivers exceptional drive solutions for a broad range of applications. With power handling up to 160kW and torque capacity reaching 20,000 Nm, it is the trusted solution for industries requiring quiet operation, high efficiency, and space-saving design. Series M is available with multiple mounting and motor options, making it a versatile choice for manufacturers and OEMs globally.
Series C – Right Angled Heli-Worm Geared Motors: Combining the benefits of helical and worm gearing, the Series C is designed for right-angled power transmission. With gear ratios of up to 16,000:1 and torque capacities of up to 10,000 Nm, this series is optimal for applications demanding precision in compact spaces. Industries looking for a smooth, low-noise operation with maximum torque efficiency rely on Series C for dependable performance.
Series F – Parallel Shaft Mounted Geared Motors: Built for endurance in the most demanding environments, Series F is widely adopted in steel plants, hoists, cranes, and heavy-duty conveyors. Offering torque up to 10,000 Nm and high gear ratios up to 20,000:1, this product features an integral torque arm and diverse output configurations to meet industry-specific challenges head-on.
Series K – Right Angle Helical Bevel Geared Motors: For industries seeking high efficiency and torque-heavy performance, Series K is the answer. This right-angled geared motor series delivers torque up to 50,000 Nm, making it a preferred choice in core infrastructure sectors such as cement, power, mining, and material handling. Its flexibility in mounting and broad motor options offer engineers’ freedom in design and reliability in execution.
Together, these four series reflect PowerBuild’s commitment to excellence in mechanical power transmission. From compact inline designs to robust right-angle drives, each geared motor is a result of decades of engineering innovation, customer-focused design, and field-tested reliability. Whether the requirement is speed control, torque multiplication, or space efficiency, Radicon’s Series M, C, F, and K stand as trusted powerhouses for global industries.

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Concrete

Driving Measurable Gains

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1 month ago

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August 16, 2025

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Klüber Lubrication India’s Klübersynth GEM 4-320 N upgrades synthetic gear oil for energy efficiency.

Klüber Lubrication India has introduced a strategic upgrade for the tyre manufacturing industry by retrofitting its high-performance synthetic gear oil, Klübersynth GEM 4-320 N, into Barrel Cold Feed Extruder gearboxes. This smart substitution, requiring no hardware changes, delivered energy savings of 4-6 per cent, as validated by an internationally recognised energy audit firm under IPMVP – Option B protocols, aligned with
ISO 50015 standards.

Beyond energy efficiency, the retrofit significantly improved operational parameters:

  • Lower thermal stress on equipment
  • Extended lubricant drain intervals
  • Reduction in CO2 emissions and operational costs

These benefits position Klübersynth GEM 4-320 N as a powerful enabler of sustainability goals in line with India’s Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) guidelines and global Net Zero commitments.

Verified sustainability, zero compromise
This retrofit case illustrates that meaningful environmental impact doesn’t always require capital-intensive overhauls. Klübersynth GEM 4-320 N demonstrated high performance in demanding operating environments, offering:

  • Enhanced component protection
  • Extended oil life under high loads
  • Stable performance across fluctuating temperatures

By enabling quick wins in efficiency and sustainability without disrupting operations, Klüber reinforces its role as a trusted partner in India’s evolving industrial landscape.

Klüber wins EcoVadis Gold again
Further affirming its global leadership in responsible business practices, Klüber Lubrication has been awarded the EcoVadis Gold certification for the fourth consecutive year in 2025. This recognition places it in the top three per cent
of over 150,000 companies worldwide evaluated for environmental, ethical and sustainable procurement practices.
Klüber’s ongoing investments in R&D and product innovation reflect its commitment to providing data-backed, application-specific lubrication solutions that exceed industry expectations and support long-term sustainability goals.

A trusted industrial ally
Backed by 90+ years of tribology expertise and a global support network, Klüber Lubrication is helping customers transition toward a greener tomorrow. With Klübersynth GEM 4-320 N, tyre manufacturers can take measurable, low-risk steps to boost energy efficiency and regulatory alignment—proving that even the smallest change can spark a significant transformation.

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Economy & Market

Shree Cement: The New Sustainability

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14 years ago

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Champion 10 factors that helped it make the gradeThere is a reason for putting Shree Cement on the cover in this issue. For an industry much maligned for its environmental impact, it is always welcome when members of this sector are honoured for their ability to practice innovative business solutions with sustainable development activities. The World Economic Forum (WEF) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) by identifying and honouring Shree Cement as one of the 16 new Sustainability Champion Companies, has ensured that the sector will work even more zealously to earn more laurels for the sector.World Economic Forum (WEF) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) have worked globally to identify New Sustainability Champion Companies that practice innovative business solutions with sustainable development objectives. As an initial part of this identification process, over 11 million projects / companies were screened. Following which, a few companies were further selected through a due diligence process, taking into consideration the sustainability aspect inculcated by them in their business. The top management personnel from around 200 of these short-listed companies were then engaged in a personal interview. They were interviewed on various related fields, considering their approach and work towards sustainability, innovation, scalability, geography and size. Based upon a detailed interview of Prashant Bangur, Executive Joint President of Shree Cement Limited (SCL), WEF identified SCL as one amongst 16 New World Sustainability Champions.Driving sustainabilityShree Cement inculcates sustainability in its business frame work based on the philosophy ‘Aah NA Bhadra: Kratavo Yantu Vishwatah’ (Let noble thought come to us from all over the world). The company’s sustainability policy aims to produce quality cement in in a socially responsible manner, with an eco-friendly, healthy and safe working environment approach, working toward continual improvement in the performance level."Our continual thirst to become steward in all spheres has led us to this reputed platform where we stand today," says Prashant Bangur, Executive Joint President of Shree Cement.The company has a 10-fold approach to ensure sustainability in all operations:Creativity and innovationShree Cement encourages its employees to think ‘Out of Box’, its "Jo Soche Wo Pave" scheme encouraged employees to provide innovative ideas and suggestions which are rewarded and communicated to spread the culture of innovative thinking."We believe that success comes through failure. Allowing failures encourage creative thinking and develop the attitude of creativity, risk taking and ultimately high performance," says Prashant Bangur.Employee creative ideas and innovations:

  • Developed synthetic gypsum to replace mineral gypsum for the first time in India.
  • Set a world record of commissioning a brown field clinkerization unit in a record time of 330 days.
  • Set a world record of commissioning a 46 MW of Waste Heat Recovery Based Green Power Plant in 17 months against the industry standard of 24 months.
  • Air lifted coal and raw mill from Germany to reduce the project execution time.
  • Installed the second largest waste heat recovery system in the world.

Resource and Energy ConservationA holistic view of Sustainability and care for the future generation through:

  • Conserving resources to ensure its availability for the future generation
  • Reducing emissions, cleaning environment and combating climate change

As an attempt to conserve fossil fuel, Shree Cement pioneered the use of petcoke as a replacement of fossil coal for the first time in India. Pet-coke has the properties of high sulphur, low volatile matter and harder grinding. Use of pet-coke came along with lots of constraints such as kiln jamming, low production and product quality but it also came as an opportunity to save precious fossil fuels. The company carried out extensive R&D and succeeded in pioneering its 100 per cent usage both in cement and power.Another initiative was to install India’s largest Air Cooled Condenser in its 2 X 150 MW power plant to replace the conventional water-cooled condensers, that ensured a current savings of 1 million KL water every year.One of the first process and cement manufacturing company in the world to obtain BS-EN 16001 Energy Management Certification, Shree Cement maintains one of lowest specific energy consumption for manufacturing its products.Environment FriendlinessThe company follows the philosophy of a Low Carbon Economy and work while following the maxim of clean and green is profitable. "They are members of various climate change initiatives like Cement Sustainability Initiative under the auspices of World Business Council of Sustainable Development (WBCSD)- Switzerland, GRI, TERI-BCSD etc.Waste UtilizationShree Cement began optimal use of fly ash in the cement manufacturing process in order to address the issues of fly ash disposal of power plants, while providing affordable cement to consumers and making planet better place. Use in cement makes the fly ash value added product thereby conserving limestone and fuels. The practice of using fly ash upto 35 per cent (which is maximum limit allowed by law), resulted in Shree Cement becoming the first cement manufacturing company in India to obtain CDM benefits for the same beginning July 2000.Similarly, the disposal of lead zinc slag was a serious problem for the zinc smelters. "However, our zeal to be opportunistic manufacturer provided us the threshold to utilise lead zinc slag, a waste of other industry thereby making us capable for laterite replacement from our operation. It also marked our "industrial ecologist" instinct. Besides, we have also demonstrated the use of agro-waste as a fuel replacement which is under validation for obtaining CDM benefits," says Prashant Bangur.The policy of Zero Disposals on LandMaintaining the lowest cost of production through:

  • Continual benchmarking with best achievements within Shree Cement and outside
  • Culture of challenging the established norms to find scope for further improvement
  • Focus on use of alternate raw material and fuels.

Empowering PeopleThe company empowers people by providing them with challenging roles, higher responsibilities, multi-skill jobs, faster career growth and healthy working practices; and encourage the youth.Engaging Local CommunityThe company promotes maximum employment from local community, in order to generate sustainable livelihood by assisting local community to engage in various livelihood creation activities. To ensure total prosperity in the community, it actively engages in initiatives focusing on infrastructure and water harvesting structure development, healthcare and women empowerment programs, educational awareness programs and plantation activities.Embracing New Technology"Our continuous focus is on technologies for enabling faster decisions through increasing speed and accuracy and releasing time which can be put to other productive uses," says Bangur. It is one of the first cement companies to implement ‘Operator Independent Truck Dispatch System’ at mines for automated truck dispatch. It also introduced remote surveillance system to track progress of projects on real time basis from office.Health and SafetyThe company’s facilities are certified to the OHSAS 18001:2007 standard. Committed to achieving its goal of becoming ‘Zero Accident Work Place’, Personal Protective Equipment is provided to all workers on the shop floor and their use is strictly enforced.Transparency and GovernanceThe company maintains an open door policy of inviting competitors and outsiders to visit its plants to interchange ideas. "We have highly analytical annual report covering detailed financial and non financial information. We are the first cement company to issue Corporate Sustainability Report based upon GRI guidelines," says Prashant Bangur.Successful implementation of some of the projects at SCL:-Thermal power plants have traditionally used Water Cooled Condenser (WCC) systems. Bearing in mind the location of our operations in one of India’s most water scarce regions, we operationalized the switch from a Water Cooled Condenser to Air Cooled Condenser system. Retrofitting of the old system to convert it to ACC was a challenging task requiring considerable skill; the retrofitting task was completed and the ACC was commissioned without any alignment problems.Implementation of air cooled condensers at its power plant in Beawar has enabled reduced water consumption by about 70 per cent.Waste heat utilization of Preheater & clinker coolerTwo major sources of heat rejection In a cement plant are pre-heater and clinker cooler hot gases. Waste heat recovery system installation in these two sources not only generates electricity also saves water for cooling down the gases. "Our earlier experience with the waste heat boiler in unit-I gave a strong background for installation of waste heat recovery system in other units with improved systems to generate electricity as well as to save the water used to cool down the gases," says Bangur. This has reduced water consumption by about 85 per cent in the power plant and 50 per cent in clinker production.

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Concrete

Adani’s Strategic Emergence in India’s Cement Landscape

Published

2 weeks ago

on

September 16, 2025

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Milind Khangan, Marketing Head, Vertex Market Research, sheds light on Adani’s rapid cement consolidation under its ‘One Business, One Company’ strategy while positioning it to rival UltraTech, and thus, shaping a potential duopoly in India’s booming cement market.

India is the second-largest cement-producing country in the world, following China. This expansion is being driven by tremendous public investment in the housing and infrastructure sectors. The industry is accelerating, with a boost from schemes such as PM Gati Shakti, Bharatmala, and the Vande Bharat corridors. An upsurge in affordable housing under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) further supports this expansion. In May 2025, local cement production increased about 9 per cent from last year to about 40 million metric tonnes for the month. The combined cement capacity in India was recorded at 670 million metric tonnes in the 2025 fiscal year, according to the Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA). For the financial year 2026, this is set to grow by another 9 per cent.
In spite of the growing demand, the Indian cement industry is highly competitive. UltraTech Cement (Aditya Birla Group) is still the market leader with domestic installed capacity of more than 186 MTPA as on 2025. It is targeted to achieve 200 MTPA. Adani Cement recently became a major player and is now India’s second-largest cement company. It did this through aggressive consolidation, operational synergies, and scale efficiencies. Indian players in the cement industry are increasingly valuing operational efficiency and sustainability. Some of the strategies with high impact are alternative fuels and materials (AFR) adoption, green cement expansion, and digital technology investments to offset changing regulatory pressure and increasing energy prices.

Building Adani Cement brand
Vertex Market Research explains that the Adani Group is executing a comprehensive reorganisation and consolidation of its cement business under the ‘One Business, One Company’ strategy. The plan is to integrate its diversified holdings into one consolidated corporate entity named Adani Cement. The focus is on operating integration, governance streamlining, and cost reduction in its expanding cement business.
Integration roadmap and key milestones:

  • September 2022: The consolidation process started with the $6.4 billion buyout of Holcim’s majority stakes in Ambuja Cements and ACC, with Ambuja becoming the focal point of the consolidation.
  • December 2023: Bought Sanghi Industries to strengthen the firm’s presence in western India.
  • August 2024: Added Penna Cement to the portfolio, improving penetration of the southern market of India.
  • April 2025: Further holding addition in Orient Cement to 46.66 per cent by purchasing the same from CK Birla Group, becoming the promoter with control.
  • Ambuja Cements amalgamated with Adani Cement: This was sanctioned by the NCLT on 18th July 2025 with effect from April 1, 2024. This amalgamation brings in limestone reserves and fresh assets into Ambuja.
  • Subject to Sanghi and Penna merger with Ambuja: Board approvals in December 2024 with the aim to finish between September to December 2025.
  • Ambuja-ACC future integration: The latter is being contemplated as the final step towards consolidation.
  • Orient Cement: It would serve as a principal manufacturing facility following the merger.

Scale, capacity expansion and market position
In financial year-2025, Adani Cement, including Ambuja, surpassed 100 MTPA. This makes it one of the world’s top ten cement companies. Along with ACC’s operations, it is now firmly placed as India’s second-largest cement company. In FY25, the Adani group’s sales volume per annum clocked 65 million metric tonnes. Adani Group claims that it now supplies close to 30 per cent of the cement consumed in India’s homes and infrastructure as of June 2025.
The organisation is pursuing aggressive brownfield expansion:

  • By FY 2026: Reach 118 MTPA
  • By FY 2028: Target 140 MTPA

These goals will be driven by commissioning new clinker and grinding units at key sites, with civil and mechanical works underway.
As of 2024, Adani Cement had its market share pegged at around 14 to 15 per cent, with an ambition to scale this up to 20 per cent by FY?2028, emerging as a potent competitor to UltraTech’s 192?MTPA capacity (186 domestic and overseas).

Strategic advantages and competitive benefits
The consolidation simplifies decision-making by reducing legal entities, centralising oversight, and removing redundant functions. This drives compliance efficiency and transparent reporting. Using procurement power for raw materials and energy lowers costs per ton. Integrated logistics with Adani Ports and freight infrastructure has resulted in an estimated 6 per cent savings in logistics. The group aims for additional savings of INR 500 to 550 per tonne by FY 2028 by integrating green energy, using alternative fuel resources, and improving sourcing methods.

Market coverage and brand consistency
Brand integration under one strategy will provide uniform product quality and easier distribution networks. Integration with Orient Cement’s dealer base, 60 per cent of which already distributes Ambuja/ACC products, enhances outreach and responsiveness.
By having captive limestone reserves at Lakhpat (approximately 275 million tonnes) and proposed new manufacturing facilities in Raigad, Maharashtra, Adani Cement derives cost advantage, raw material security, and long-term operational robustness.

Strategic implications and risks
Consolidation at Adani Cement makes it not just a capacity leader but also an operationally agile competitor with the ability to reap digital and sustainability benefits. Its vertically integrated platform enables cost leadership, market responsiveness, and scalability.

Challenges potentially include:

  • Integration challenges across systems, corporate cultures, and plant operations
  • Regulatory sanctions for pending mergers and new capacity additions
  • Environmental clearances in environmentally sensitive areas and debt management with input price volatility

When materialised, this revolution would create a formidable Adani–UltraTech duopoly, redefining Indian cement on the basis of scale, innovation, and sustainability. India’s leading four cement players such as Adani (ACC and Ambuja), Dalmia Cement, Shree Cement, and UltraTech are expected to dominate the cement market.

Conclusion
Adani’s aggressive consolidation under the ‘One Business, One Company’ strategy signals a decisive shift in the Indian cement industry, positioning the group as a formidable challenger to UltraTech and setting the stage for a potential duopoly that could dominate the sector for years to come. By unifying operations, leveraging economies of scale, and securing vertical integration—from raw material reserves to distribution networks—Adani Cement is building both capacity and resilience, with clear advantages in cost efficiency, market reach, and sustainability. While integration complexities, regulatory hurdles, and environmental approvals remain key challenges, the scale and strategic alignment of this consolidation promise to redefine competition, pricing dynamics, and operational benchmarks in one of the world’s fastest-growing cement markets.

About the author:
Milind Khangan is the Marketing Head at Vertex Market Research and comes with over five years of experience in market research, lead generation and team management.

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Concrete

Precision in Motion: A Deep Dive into PowerBuild’s Core Gear Series

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August 16, 2025

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PowerBuild’s flagship Series M, C, F, and K geared motors deliver robust, efficient, and versatile power transmission solutions for industries worldwide.

Products – M, C, F, K: At the heart of every high-performance industrial system lies the need for robust, reliable, and efficient power transmission. PowerBuild answers this need with its flagship geared motor series: M, C, F, and K. Each series is meticulously engineered to serve specific operational demands while maintaining the universal promise of durability, efficiency, and performance.
Series M – Helical Inline Geared Motors: Compact and powerful, the Series M delivers exceptional drive solutions for a broad range of applications. With power handling up to 160kW and torque capacity reaching 20,000 Nm, it is the trusted solution for industries requiring quiet operation, high efficiency, and space-saving design. Series M is available with multiple mounting and motor options, making it a versatile choice for manufacturers and OEMs globally.
Series C – Right Angled Heli-Worm Geared Motors: Combining the benefits of helical and worm gearing, the Series C is designed for right-angled power transmission. With gear ratios of up to 16,000:1 and torque capacities of up to 10,000 Nm, this series is optimal for applications demanding precision in compact spaces. Industries looking for a smooth, low-noise operation with maximum torque efficiency rely on Series C for dependable performance.
Series F – Parallel Shaft Mounted Geared Motors: Built for endurance in the most demanding environments, Series F is widely adopted in steel plants, hoists, cranes, and heavy-duty conveyors. Offering torque up to 10,000 Nm and high gear ratios up to 20,000:1, this product features an integral torque arm and diverse output configurations to meet industry-specific challenges head-on.
Series K – Right Angle Helical Bevel Geared Motors: For industries seeking high efficiency and torque-heavy performance, Series K is the answer. This right-angled geared motor series delivers torque up to 50,000 Nm, making it a preferred choice in core infrastructure sectors such as cement, power, mining, and material handling. Its flexibility in mounting and broad motor options offer engineers’ freedom in design and reliability in execution.
Together, these four series reflect PowerBuild’s commitment to excellence in mechanical power transmission. From compact inline designs to robust right-angle drives, each geared motor is a result of decades of engineering innovation, customer-focused design, and field-tested reliability. Whether the requirement is speed control, torque multiplication, or space efficiency, Radicon’s Series M, C, F, and K stand as trusted powerhouses for global industries.

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Concrete

Driving Measurable Gains

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August 16, 2025

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Klüber Lubrication India’s Klübersynth GEM 4-320 N upgrades synthetic gear oil for energy efficiency.

Klüber Lubrication India has introduced a strategic upgrade for the tyre manufacturing industry by retrofitting its high-performance synthetic gear oil, Klübersynth GEM 4-320 N, into Barrel Cold Feed Extruder gearboxes. This smart substitution, requiring no hardware changes, delivered energy savings of 4-6 per cent, as validated by an internationally recognised energy audit firm under IPMVP – Option B protocols, aligned with
ISO 50015 standards.

Beyond energy efficiency, the retrofit significantly improved operational parameters:

  • Lower thermal stress on equipment
  • Extended lubricant drain intervals
  • Reduction in CO2 emissions and operational costs

These benefits position Klübersynth GEM 4-320 N as a powerful enabler of sustainability goals in line with India’s Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) guidelines and global Net Zero commitments.

Verified sustainability, zero compromise
This retrofit case illustrates that meaningful environmental impact doesn’t always require capital-intensive overhauls. Klübersynth GEM 4-320 N demonstrated high performance in demanding operating environments, offering:

  • Enhanced component protection
  • Extended oil life under high loads
  • Stable performance across fluctuating temperatures

By enabling quick wins in efficiency and sustainability without disrupting operations, Klüber reinforces its role as a trusted partner in India’s evolving industrial landscape.

Klüber wins EcoVadis Gold again
Further affirming its global leadership in responsible business practices, Klüber Lubrication has been awarded the EcoVadis Gold certification for the fourth consecutive year in 2025. This recognition places it in the top three per cent
of over 150,000 companies worldwide evaluated for environmental, ethical and sustainable procurement practices.
Klüber’s ongoing investments in R&D and product innovation reflect its commitment to providing data-backed, application-specific lubrication solutions that exceed industry expectations and support long-term sustainability goals.

A trusted industrial ally
Backed by 90+ years of tribology expertise and a global support network, Klüber Lubrication is helping customers transition toward a greener tomorrow. With Klübersynth GEM 4-320 N, tyre manufacturers can take measurable, low-risk steps to boost energy efficiency and regulatory alignment—proving that even the smallest change can spark a significant transformation.

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