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Infrastructure development has to happen

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Ravindra Mate, CMO & President, ABG CementUnder the flagship company of ABG Shipyard, the company is all set to set up a cement plant in India in a couple of places like Thumbadi, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The company is in the process of setting up its most modern and eco-friendly 6 million tonne per annum cement plant and has Captive Limestone mines, Jetty and Desalination Plant. The capacities of all these units would be adequate to support the above 6 Million Tonnne Per Annum of Cement Production. Power will be supplied by ABG Energy Ltd located at nearby area. Very soon ABG Cement is expanding its manufacturing facilities to other parts of India as well as to other countries. The plants were about to come up in 2010 but got delayed.The area in which Cement Plant is coming up has adequate quantities of Limestone which is the basic raw material for manufacturing cement. The advantage of this location is the coastal area which will reduce the road transportation and helps for export/import of the raw material and finished product.ABG Cement is committed to utilise 100 per cent fly ash, produced by ABG Energy Ltd, for its cement manufacturing and all the cement and power plants are designed with energy efficient technology.Whilst ABG Cement is taking its baby steps in the cement industry, Ravindra Mate, CMO & President, ABG Cement talks to ICR about his perspective on the industry.When is your cement plant in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh expected to be commissioned? And inspite of the bad time what made you invest in the cement industry?
The plant in Gujarat is expected to start in the first quarter of FY14 whereas plant in Madhya Pradesh is still under planning phase. Investing in cement business has to be a long term perspective and necessary to be done at the time when the downturn is there. If you really see our total installed capacity is around 322 MT and we have to go long way to support the expected infrastructure developments in this county. Today we have almost reached to the bottom of the economy and whatever changes will happen be only for the betterment.How was the year 2012-13 for the cement industry?The year is little better than the previous year with a marginal increase in all India growth. The prices were more or less stable with ups and downs depending upon the seasonal change in demand. However the prices will start looking up in the last quarter of financial year due to increase in demand. Especially in case of West Zone where we are placed, the CAGR growth is more than 10 per cent and is expected to continue.How do you predict the year 2013-14?2013-14 may see some growth YOY as lot of infrastructure projects will be under implementation looking in to the elections approaching in 2014. As also not many capacities are expected to materialise, cement capacity utilization may see some improvements. On the front of prices they may improve due to increase in the input cost (especially energy and logistics).Now days it is becoming difficult to come-up with a greenfield projects due to environmental concerns and many other issues hence, more development will be on brownfield projects. The consolidation will also take place due to the above reason.Cartelisation is said to be one of the reasons responsible for this industry suffering a set back. What is your take on it?
According to me the demand and supply equation only decides the production and price level.What support in these circumstances would the industry require from the government?Fundamentally the development needs to take place. The GDP growth is quite low now and expected only to improve. This country is desperately in need of infrastructure support (especially road, rail and ports) from government which should co-exist with the likely development taking place in future. Industry also expects the support on tax concessions and other sops to attract the investment so as to boost the installed capacity to commensurate with the development of the country.It is said that the Pakistani Cement offered in the Indian market are of a better quality and are much cheaper as compared to us, Your views on the same?
We are producing the cement in India comparable to international standards. I believe the industry has taken up the matter with government on the duty levied on the imported cement.How technologically advanced is India when it comes to international standards of technologically?We have equally good technology standards at par with international standards.

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Economy & Market

Hindalco Buys US Speciality Alumina Firm for $125 Million

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This strategic acquisition marks a significant investment in speciality alumina, a key step by Aditya Birla Group’s metals flagship towards becoming future-ready by scaling its high-value, technology-led materials portfolio.

Hindalco Industries, the world’s largest aluminium company by revenue and the metals flagship of the $28 billion Aditya Birla Group, has announced the acquisition of a 100 per cent equity stake in US-based AluChem Companies—a prominent manufacturer of speciality alumina—for an enterprise value of $125 million. The transaction will be executed through Aditya Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary.

This acquisition represents a pivotal investment in speciality alumina and advances Hindalco’s strategy to expand its high-value, technology-led materials portfolio.

Hindalco’s speciality alumina business, a key pillar of its value-added strategy, has delivered consistent double-digit growth in recent years. It has emerged as a high-growth, high-margin vertical within the company’s portfolio. As speciality alumina finds expanding applications across electric mobility, semiconductors, and precision ceramics, the deal positions Hindalco further up the innovation curve, enabling next-generation alumina solutions and value-accretive growth.

Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of Aditya Birla Group, called the acquisition an important step in their global strategy to build a leadership position in value-added, high-tech materials.

“Our strategic foray into the speciality alumina space will not only accelerate the development of future-ready, sustainable solutions but also open new pathways to pursue high-impact growth opportunities. By integrating advanced technologies into our value chain, we are reinforcing our commitment to self-reliance, import substitution, and building scale in innovation-led businesses.”

Ronald P Zapletal, Founder, AluChem Companies, said the partnership with Hindalco would provide AluChem the ability and capital to scale up faster and build scale in North America.

“AluChem will benefit from their world-class sustainability and safety standards and practices, access to integrated operations and a consistent, reliable raw material supply chain. Their ability to leverage R&D capabilities and a talented workforce adds tremendous value to our innovation pipeline, helping drive market expansion beyond North America.”

An Eye on the Future

The global speciality alumina market is projected to grow significantly, with rising demand for tailored solutions in sectors such as ceramics, electronics, aerospace, and medical applications. Hindalco currently operates 500,000 tonnes of speciality alumina capacity and aims to scale this up to 1 million tonnes by FY2030.

Commenting on the development, Satish Pai, Managing Director, Hindalco Industries, said the deal reinforced their commitment to innovation and global expansion.

“As alumina gains increasing relevance in critical and clean-tech sectors, AluChem’s advanced chemistry capabilities will significantly enhance our ability to serve these fast-evolving markets. Importantly, it deepens our high-value-added portfolio with differentiated products that drive profitability and strengthen our global competitiveness.”

AluChem adds a strong North American presence to Hindalco’s portfolio, with an annual capacity of 60,000 tonnes across three advanced manufacturing facilities in Ohio and Arkansas. The company is a long-standing supplier of ultra-low soda calcined and tabular alumina, materials prized for their thermal and mechanical stability and widely used in precision engineering and high-performance refractories.

Saurabh Khedekar, CEO of the Alumina Business at Hindalco Industries, said the acquisition unlocked immediate synergies, including market access and portfolio diversification.

“Hindalco plans to work with AluChem’s high performance technology solutions and scale up production of ultra-low soda alumina products to drive a larger global market share.”

The transaction is expected to close in the upcoming quarter, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

 

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Concrete

Shree Cement reports 2025 financial year results

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Shree Cement posted revenue of US$2.38 billion for FY2025, marking a 5.5 per cent decline year-on-year. Operating costs rose 2.9 per cent to US$2.17 billion, resulting in an EBITDA of US$528 million—down 12 per cent from the previous year. Net profit fell 50 per cent to US$141 million. The company reported cement sales of 9.84Mt in Q4 FY2025, a 3.3 per cent increase from 9.53Mt in Q4 FY2024, with premium products making up 16 per cent of total sales.

Image source:https://newsmantra.in/

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Concrete

Rekha Onteddu to become director at Sagar Cements

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Sagar Cements has announced the appointment of Rekha Onteddu as a non-executive independent director, effective 30 June 2025. According to People in Business News, Rekha Onteddu is currently serving in a similar capacity at Andhra Cements, the parent company of Sagar Cements.

Image source:https://sagarcements.in/

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