Economy & Market
“Railways consider private terminals as their competitors”
Published
11 years agoon
By
admin
Yogesh Mehta Joint Vice President – Commercial, Shree Cement
Government policies must be so framed as to encourage bulk cement transport in India. There are many ways to boost logistical efficiencies at plant and government level. Yogesh Mehta shares with ICR what Shree Cement is doing at its plant and how the government can help to do more. Excerpts from the interview…
How much is the contribution of the logistical expenses to the cost of the product? How can one reduce this cost?
Logistics is one of the major cost contributors to cost and has significant influence on the final price of the product. Factors leading to the high cost mainly include transportation and warehousing costs, maintaining distribution networks and the expenses of procuring raw materials. Overall the cost amounts to almost 25 per cent of final cost of product.
There is a need to identify major cost drivers in logistics and to replace traditional forms of cost allocation structures with more appropriate methods. Well organised logistics management can have significant impact on overall return on investment and ultimately bring value to the stakeholder.
To reduce logistical expenditure, the cement industry can adopt the following measures:
- Encourage big cement users for bulk/loose cement transport. This will reduce packing cost and is also eco-friendly. It is beneficial for both – the seller and the buyer
- Establish grinding units, blending or packing units in big market area for direct delivery of materials
- Plan dispatches in a way that reduce rail freight/rail freight on return journeys availed for procurements
- Maximise dispatches directly to the end user so that warehousing/distribution cost can be reduced, and
- Optimise truck size/fleet capacity, timing of vehicle engaged in cement and raw material loading, unloading as well as the transit time, so that operational cost of vehicle is reduced by maximising efficiency of every trip made by the vehicle.
How do you synchronise your production volume with respect to fluctuating market demands?
Looking at the nature of cement commodity, no one can produce excess and store it for long period. Hence all cement industries plan their production according to their sale projections/targets. Being a smart producer of cement, the industry maintains cement stock just sufficient to meet the demand for next to 2-3 days at production centre and similarly a stock of 2-3 days in kept in transit and at godowns. So on an average the company maintains around 5 days stock to absorb fluctuations in a timely manner.
Besides that, most importantly, extra cement grinding capacity can be planned while setting up various production units based on future projected demand/fluctuation.
What are the problems faced by the cement industry in the last mile delivery?
Hurdles in last mile delivery may be classified as encountered with big and small consumers. Both have different types of problems, which need to be resolved in manner that ensures that the deliveries are made in minimum lead time. These challenges are as under:
Big consumer:
- Maintaining supply according to their consumption schedules
- Cement storage constraints at consumption sites
- Labour unavailability and unloading issues at night
- Sudden spurt in demand in short of period making it difficult to arrange vehicles for transport, and
- Lack of rail wagons for small delivery for far-off destination, where road delivery is not feasible.
Small consumer:
- Meeting demands of small quantity with minimum lead time
- Requirement of product at remote locations, and
- Lack of storage space.
The problems mentioned above can be tackled by doing well-planned supply co-ordination with consumer, supported by strong logistic backbone having commitment towards costumer?s satisfaction. Big consumers have their own planning of consumption which is fulfilled from plant directly by adopting any mode, i.e., rail or road. To overcome storage issues, stock on wheels is one of the best options considering unloading of cement vehicles within stipulated time frame with excellent coordination with consumer. However, small users may be served better by the cement dealer networks or from nearest warehouses. Therefore such delivery networks/warehouses need to be situated at strategic locations from where supply can be made effectively.
In SCL, we encourage regular and big consumer to use bulk (loose) cement, which can be stored easily in vertical silos with minimum requirements. Here we faced a hurdle where the bulk cement users were not able to use their existing compressor facility. The pumps were not compatible with all of the individual bulk carrying vehicles. To overcome this, we have installed compressors mounted on mobile vans.
By using loose cement, customers, industry and builders can reduce their dependency on manual intervention to a great extent. The labour involvement in cement bag unloading as well as feeding in silos could be avoided.
To give delivery at long distances, SCL has established cement production units near consumer areas, from where multiple consumer deliveries are clubbed together for last mile delivery with minimum lead time.
Bulk cement small deliveries are also catered through bulk cement loading terminal, where customers can take loose cement delivery in short lead time and in small lots as per their convenience. In this way all customers are served by SCL in the loose cement too. SCL is one of the leaders in implementing eco-friendly initiatives. The company has converted PP bag-using consumers into bulk cement users.
How do you ensure that your fleet is performing at its best?
There is a variety of vehicles that ply cement for us. Some vehicles are dedicated for cement dispatches, which form 80 per cent of the fleet. The rest of the cement dispatch is done through return vehicles, which normally ply in open market. Market trucks are attracted to us due to surety of load availability, i.e., assurance. Dedicated vehicles require load planning with lowest turnaround trip time. So the optimum use of vehicles achieved by maximum quantity loaded to earn more revenue in defined period serves as an incentive to them. In SCL?s case, we have a fixed size of our truck fleet that plies on our dedicated route dispatches. After restricting the number of trucks (by reducing fleet strength by 25 per cent), we observed that the rate of vehicle utilisation has improved. Now maximum quantity is dispatched using minimum number of vehicles. As a result, our benchmarking freights are achieved as well as revenue to truckers has also increased.
To further improve the performance of the fleet, SCL increased laden run km of vehicles by 9 per cent in last fiscal year, i.e., 53 per cent in FY 2013-14 from 44 per cent in FY 2012-13, by providing return load of raw material to dedicated fleets. This ensures increased revenue for every run km.
Also, while ensuring dedicatedly fleet performance, SCL encourages market fleet to approach SCL?s independent/impartial reverse freight bidding system, in which they can decide their own revenue, as result of their own choice routes available for transit.
Do you think that it is a good idea to outsource logistical functions?
Looking at the huge involvement of logistics cost in total cost of product, at first instant the obvious answer is NO to outsource logistical functions in SCL. In logistic function huge dedication is required for customer satisfaction which is possible with personal involvement only, with an object of cost reduction.
By outsourcing, it is not necessary that we get financial benefits but on the contrary, purity of work and quality of service both may disturb or get affected and the result may not up to the mark. Scarcity of expert and experienced employees will always be there since none of the outsourced party will give preference to priority work in a dynamic company which is objective/essence of logistics. Secondly the pipeline of experienced manpower, in a growing organisation which has need of expert people, will become dry because outsource people do not necessarily have cultural acquaintances.
How do you assess the potential of coastal shipping and IWT? What are the major hurdles that dent the growth potential of IWT?
Coastal shipping can be a very good option for reduction of cost for plants located close to water bodies. However, there is an unmet need of small jetties for delivery at unloading point as well as connecting with road to consumption centres across coast. In Bihar, industries are located in Southern region, but the main consumer market of Bihar lies in north. As of now no infrastructure is available to let heavy commercial vehicles cross Ganges River, except rail, which is already insufficient to meet the growing demand.
IWT has very good potential in India. IWT can be used where we have limitations in road/rail transportation, but are blessed with plenty of rivers and other water bodies. SCL is one of the first cement companies to associate with Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) to move cement trucks via waterways by Roll on-Roll off of trucks from vessels. IWAI provides facility for cement laden trucks to disembark vessels at Patna (South Bihar) and then roll-off at Chhapra road (North Bihar) accounting to a lead distance reduction by 60 km. This not only conserves natural resources like fuel but also prevents congestion on overburdened road/rail infrastructure.
To make IWT a success, the government is expected to build the infrastructure of small loading and unloading jetties through IWAI as-well-as dredge the river channels regularly. The government should provide freight subsidy for using IWT to encourage its use at large scale.
Why has cement transport via BCCW not picked up that well in the country?
In India, the use of bulk (loose) cement is not as popular as it is in the international market. Compared to packed cement, use of bulk cement is just 8-9 per cent since no infrastructure or encouragement is provided for bulk cement transport and use. BCCW transport to be economically viable requires minimum order size of 3000+ MT of cement in one way single trip and the wagon must bring back fly ash from the nearest source from the cement dispatch point. Consumers are not always located near to the railway line. Cement companies have to establish packing units at rail site to take two way advantage. Since two way movement of cement and fly ash cannot be done on rail line, use of BCCW has not yet picked up in India.
There is lack of co-ordination amongst government enterprises both at the Centre and at State level. The Railways department should develop industrial parks along the rail terminals jointly with the state governments. The suggestions for rail terminal location should be invited from industrial organisations. As government initiative, a high level coordination committee should be formed, consisting of experts from industry, railway, and the Centre and State governments with an objective to promote return logistic in railway.
This initiative will develop many industries at a small cost of coordination. Cement industry alone cannot bear the cost of huge fly ash evacuation system at power plant. It should be a part of the government policy for power project?s in-built approvals that they should compulsorily develop fly ash filling system at their railway siding for BCCW type wagons.
The cement industry can develop infrastructure at their plants, but they cannot build infrastructure at fly ash sourcing point. Huge costs are involved at factory level for creation of storage silos for cement/fly ash, with compressor and transportation system from rail siding to their main plant.
What are the hindrances in setting-up private rail terminals?
Basic hindrances in setting-up private terminals are as under:
- Discouraging policies of railways towards private terminals. It is as if railway considers private terminals as their competitors, instead as supporters who will take on the load from overburdened rail system.
- Long and difficult approval process prevalent at various railway departments where approvals are required separately from commercial, technical, civil, rail transporter department, etc.
- Difficulties inland acquisition and high lease licensing for railways land for siding takeoffs.
- Clearances from various government bodies, i.e., road/highways authorities for ROB and RUB, State Electricity Boards for relocation of cable tower, etc. Take too much time.
- No incentive is offered by railway for cost recovery of infrastructure created by private terminals. Earlier Rs 40/- PMT was committed by railway as terminals charges but they have been withdrawn unexpectedly.
The Liberalised Wagon Investment Scheme (LWIS) seems to be skewed in favour of Railways. What is your take on this and what needs to be done?
LWIS policy does not correlate with huge investment. A wagon costs around Rs 60 lakh, whereas railway policy gives rebate on railway freight instead of ensuring return on investment (ROI) for a wagon. Only if the scheme is modified by way of freight rebate to investment based return will the LWIS be successful. Even if railway plans to give return by way of freight rebate then they have to ensure free movement of wagons on railway infrastructure, without any restriction. The freight rebate should match ROI at 15 per cent. This will help LWIS serve its true purpose.
Cement being the 3rd largest revenue earner for Indian railways, should there be preferential treatment given to the industry especially when restrictions are necessary to be imposed?
Cement is put on ?D? category for wagon allotment preference by railways. Hence, cement has low priority in comparison to ?B? category food grains and fertilisers. The cement industry has to suffer heavily on account of wagon shortages, being non priority in wagon allotment. Choking of rail infrastructure at loading and unloading points with large storage areas occupied by ?B? category seasonal items, puts restrictions on cement industry. Cement should be considered in par with other commodities.
Coastal shipping can be a good option for plants located close to water bodies. However, there is an unmet need of small jetties for delivery at unloading point as well as connected road network.
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Concrete
Adani’s Strategic Emergence in India’s Cement Landscape
Published
6 days agoon
September 16, 2025By
admin
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.
Concrete
Precision in Motion: A Deep Dive into PowerBuild’s Core Gear Series
Published
1 month agoon
August 16, 2025By
admin
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.

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.

Adani’s Strategic Emergence in India’s Cement Landscape

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

Driving Measurable Gains

Reshaping the Competitive Landscape

CCU testbeds in Tamil Nadu

Adani’s Strategic Emergence in India’s Cement Landscape

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

Driving Measurable Gains

Reshaping the Competitive Landscape
