Economy & Market

Optimising Logistics

Published

11 years ago

March 31, 2015

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Cement is a vital building material that demands well-organized distribution and timely delivery; and the most important focus areas are to optimize the logistics value chain of the product which includes first and last mile transportation.
In the last two years, logistics has emerged as a function of critical importance in cement business on par with manufacturing and marketing and sales. This is the activity that links cement from the point of its production till it reaches the hands of the ultimate consumer. When we use the term logistics, we mostly refer to outbound movement; but of course the function must ideally also include inbound logistics or the activities involving inward movement of raw materials, inputs and intermediate goods. But essentially logistics plays a collaborative role between manufacturing on one side and sales on the other.

Cement is a vital building material that demands well-organized distribution and timely delivery. The cost of transporting cement via road comes to about Rs 1-3/tonne/km. The wide range is due to the variation in lead distance, which can range from anywhere between 50-300 km. Longer the distance, lower is the cost of transport. Railway on other hand costs Rs 1.3 to 1.4/tonne/km. However, railway has additional fixed costs related to loading and unloading. The handling cost is high for railways. So for a distance below 200 km, rail is not viable. The total cost of logistics considering inbound and outbound movement can come up to 20-25 per cent of cement price. This is for companies having good infrastructure such as rail sidings, etc, and who transport 40-60 per cent product by rail. For companies that do not have such facilities, the cost can go as high as 30 per cent of the cement cost.

Market scenario
According to Tushar Dave, Vice President – Central Logistics, ACC Ltd, the importance of logistics in cement business cannot be understated. Says Dave, ?Typically, cement has to travel about 400 km from the plant before it reaches the end customer. The cost of outbound logistics represents nearly 20 per cent of net sales; in fact it comprises the second highest share of costs after manufacturing and fuel. On-time delivery is another critical area where logistics plays a role, considering that it is essential to ensure customer satisfaction. In view of these facts, logistics has enormous potential to deliver cost savings while simultaneously impacting customer satisfaction through improvements in service levels.?

He adds, ?A major bottleneck in this front is the time consumed at the loading bay. Trucks typically have had to wait for hours to enter and move out of the plant premises. This takes up a lot of the total travel and turnaround time and congests the bay during peak loading hours. ACC devised a unique solution to this problem by way of introducing the digitalised loading bay.?

Says Praveen Garg, Head – Logistics, Bharathi Cement, ?In the present scenario, logistics in cement industry plays a vital role to decide the competitive advantage or disadvantage for a company. Logistics in Indian cement industry per se is in growth stage and there is a long way to go to achieve consolidation and mature stage. Logistics cost is one of the highest cost elements and contributes 25 to 30 per cent of total spend in cement industry.? He adds, ?Existing infrastructure related to road, rail and sea transport is a major bottleneck, which does not provide flexibility as compared to developed nations. Indian cement industry still has separate vendors for primary transportation, last mile delivery and supply chain planning. Big 3PL and 4PL players are yet to come in cement logistics that can provide end-to-end solution.?

Functional bottlenecks
Speaking about the functional constraints Arun Khurana, Head – Logistics, JK Cement, had this to say. ?Definitely, logistics remains always under pressure when industry scenario is not so good. The prices are not supportive and with the logistics cost is pretty high, always the aim remains to how we can rationalize or optimize the logistics cost. Rail logistics constitutes almost 35 per cent of the total dispatches being done from the factory and now railways is reaching to the point of saturation. In fact, in the last 10 years, the percentage of rail has really come down from 40-45 per cent to 35 per cent and all this is because railways does not have sufficient infrastructure to support the demand requirement. So, the alternate mode comes as road. Again, the biggest challenge here is the availability of skilled drivers. It is not confined to cement alone, but the fact remains that these kinds of challenges are there in the transport industry which is directly linked to the cement industry as well. In the last two years, it seems the supply chain as a function is evolving across industries. So on that extent, skilled manpower available is not to the desired level.? Speaking about the functional bottlenecks, Capt. Ashok Shrivastava, Chief Executive Officer, Shipping Services, Allcargo Logistics, says, ?The fundamental reasons for challenges or bottlenecks in logistics especially in the cement industry has more to do with the product itself which is high volume and low value. This gives rise to the bottleneck of various kinds from transportation of raw material to plants and then from plants to the end-consumer through distribution channels. The challenge is compounded by India?s unique demography and its fast pace economic growth which is not concentrated in particular locations but is spread across all corners of the country. Thus, the demand is scattered but the production is located sparingly across states keeping in mind the economics of the business. Many of these macroeconomic variables cannot be altered to a greater extent, thus given this industry a unique set of opportunities and challenges. Logistics is the backbone of this product in demography such as India.?

He adds, ?Road has been the tradition medium of transportation, but given the congestion, limitation on quantity which can be carried, costs of toll across highways and the low average speed of movement it has given rail the opportunity to be one of the preferred modes of surface transportation. Coastal shipping has emerged as the most preferred medium of movement of cement, given its advantage in terms of costs as well as capacity to carry larger volume. Coastal shipping will be a game changer for India given that our country is surrounded by over 7,000 km of coastline and the cement industry can leverage this mode of transportation more effectively and efficiently to move its products.?

According to Prabhat Ranjan, AGM – Sales & Logistics, Meghalaya Cement, there are two sides to bringing down cost of logistics; one is infrastructure and the other is technology. ?As far as infrastructure is concerned, whenever a truck load is coming, there should be a scope for return load so that the freight cost remains low. Here in the North-East region, there is no scope for return load as the industry is not developed here. Some bulk terminals can be set up in Delhi in the north and Chennai in south, where bulkers are coming from the cement plant can go back to the cement plant with fly ash. So, they are getting the two-way transportation. Bulkers are unloading the cement in the silos and there it is getting packed. In this mode, the transportation cost is reduced. But in North-East region, the roads are not good for bulkers to ply as it is hilly terrain. Also, cement consumption is very low here compared to other parts of the country. So, in North-East, the scope of bulk terminals is not feasible.?

Bulk transportation
According to Garg, bulk cement consumption and transportation at present in India is very low which is at a level of 10 per cent only. He says, ?Bulk transportation will increase at 15-20 per cent CAGR in future with consolidation in cement customer segment and growth of ready mix concrete business in India. At present, there is an issue both at the customer end and available logistics infrastructure, which is resulting in such a low bulk transportation percentage in India. This will further increase with introduction of new bulk terminals coming up near major consumption centres.? He adds, ?Now we are exploring the possibilities to use bulk silo placing unit attached to trucks and these small silos can be carried by trucks to the small construction site. With this concept, small construction site can be converted from bags to bulk. This will reduce the packaging and handling cost to a great extent.? Says Khurana, ?Bulk cement is used either in RMC or infra projects. But till date, the larger demand coming is from the rural pockets. Big projects like smart cities are at conceptual stage and if it becomes a reality then there is good scope for bulk cement. As of today, the percentage of loose cement sold in India is below 10 per cent of the total sales. The use of bulk cement is majorly at metro cities only. But going forward, if the projects like dedicated freight corridors, smart cities and other mega infra projects, come up, definitely there is a huge scope for bulk cement. If the future growth of cement comes to this segment then there is a huge growth.?

According to Ranjan, bulk transportation is good but there are a lot of technologies need to be developed like the bulk terminals, from where cement can be supplied to big projects. Now the RMC concept is evolved, and they have now started taking bulk cement, which saves costs involved in packing, packaging materials etc. The trend is gaining momentum as before starting big projects, they set up silos because they can set up a silo at 50 per cent production cost of cement and they can use loose cement. Almost every company has started this, especially for hydel projects they are using own silos. Now, NHPC has started this and many private companies are going to start. Even in road projects, bulk handling is going on.

Rail freight impact
According to Khurana, the 2.7 per cent increase in freight rate definitely adds to the cost of cement. He says, ?The input cost in terms of coal and slag transportation has increased almost 7 per cent, which adds to the cost of cement by Rs 2-2.50 per bag. So effectively, there will be a Rs 6-7 hike in per bag cost. But due to less demand in the current market, it is difficult to pass on the cost difference to the end-consumer. As of now, it is really hitting the bottom line of the cement company.?

Ranjan has a different take on this. According to him, freight rate is not a major factor in railway transportation. He says, ?More than freight rate, there are so many other factors that are affecting, which include other policies of Railways, infrastructure at rail yard, etc. Rail yards are working 24 hour, but the labours are available for only eight hours. Railways charges demurrage, if my rakes are getting placed today evening, I have to pay the demurrage charges for the whole night, and the labours will be available in the morning next day. Thus, demurrage charges, labour charges, local infrastructure charges, and other charges are so high which are diluting the increase of freight rates.?

Says Garg, ?Freight rate for cement has been hiked by 2.7 per cent whereas for coal this has been hiked by 6.3 per cent. This will have overall negative impact of around Rs 40 to 60/tonne on bottom line of cement industry. This freight hike by Railways will also impact the rail co-efficient as Railways has increased the freight at the time when diesel prices have come down drastically.?

On a positive angle, Shrivastava had this to say. ?In a growing vibrant economy like India, rise in input costs of variables such as rates, taxes, fuel costs have direct effect on the industry, but the overall advantage of the demand-supply fundamentals are still the more important opportunity for further growth and development. Any business has to be proactive to leverage the developments as well as innovate itself to make convert it into an opportunity.?

Setting up of bulk terminals
According to Garg, setting up of bulk terminals and same shared by different players will give a real boost to cement industry. He says, ?Any grinding unit or bulk cement terminal require at least 50 acre of land near to major cement consumption centres like Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and upcoming metros. If we look at any of existing terminal (existing private siding or railway siding), there is a great scope of sharing existing private/railway siding and other available space in these terminals. This will be a win-win solution for the existing siding operator located nearby major consumption centres to collaborate and share their asset which is not fully utilised. Challenges are from regulation side also the modalities on sharing the existing set-up.?

Says Khurana, ?Collaborating with multiple companies will become challenging from the perspective of different players. Even today, industry has not graduated to a level where people only compete by way of brand. The industry has to reach that level of maturity where different manufacturers collaborate probably for the mutual benefit. Of course, looking at the Indian Railways to do those kinds of investments is not a scenario as of now. But there is a huge potential for private terminals, which are designed in such a way that they can be used as multiple operators rather than for a bagged cargo or loose cement cargo.

Says Dave, ?The future points to a shift towards bulk transport but that would happen gradually over 9 to 12 years horizon in big way once all the stake holders (from manufacturers to end users) are ready and fully on board. It also needs other enablers to be in place such as a shift in the way cement is sold (migration from B2C to B2B) and the availability of appropriate transportation, handling and infrastructure facilities.?

Integrated logistics
Says Khurana, ?In terms of operational aspect, one of the options available is the mechanisation of the goods shed and the second option is exploring the possibilities of bulk terminals across the country. Many big cement companies can explore upon setting up integrated terminals but for smaller players who have limited volumes and different geographies, this is not operationally viable. So there may be a potential for a common facility that can be utlised by different players and then repack and distribute to the local market from thereon. We have taken such initiatives for our white cement market due to longer distance from our plant in Rajasthan to the market in west coast and down south which is a multimodal type of operation. We have recently commissioned a grinder unit in Haryana which will reduce the load that goes into the road and rail network.?

Manufacturers tend to use a combination of distribution methods, which include bulk and bags via road, rail, in-land transport and by sea. The most inexpensive method of moving cement is in bulk by water. The optimum solution is always a combination of methods. In today?s technologically advanced world, it is possible to use the power of information technology to arrive at optimum solutions using mathematical modelling and algorithms. For effective and optimum costs in cement distribution, one needs to integrate IT solutions with actual demand and supply and, most importantly, include all options of cement movement and storage into the management cycle. One will need to work with almost everyone involved in the supply chain, from the drivers of road bulkers and trucks, the captains of the barges and ships and to the customer engineers who will finally receive the cement for use in their plants.

Shrivastava sums up, ?For the cement industry which includes home grown as well as international players competing for the market, one of the most important focus areas is to optimize the logistics value chain of the product which also included first and last mile transportation. Presently, movement of cement goes through multiple modes and service providers handling the product thus forming part of the overall logistics cost structure. One of the most efficient ways to control and leverage this variable is to look at integrated logistics wherein a provider has the network, the size and scale to provide all types of movement from coastal shipping to trailer movement to last mile distribution, thus forming a value added service. This will make a huge difference in terms of managing the value chain and optimizing costs as well delivery time of the product.?

LOGISTICS CHALLENGES IN NORTH-EAST

Logistics is the most important part in cement industry as almost 30 per cent of the cost of cement is involved in logistics. But it is more than that in the North-East part of the country. Since it is hilly terrain, transportation cost is very high which can be more than 40 per cent of the cement price. In this region, we have only one mode of transport, the road transport. There is no rail logistics here, except some parts of Assam.
Another bottleneck is the presence of anti-social elements in some parts of Nagaland, Manipur, and such north-eastern states. There are some parallel government system in Manipur, as we have to pay taxes at two points – one at Indian government and another at ?terror government?. This affects the final cost of the cement. For example, if the freight rate is Rs 100 at normal places in Assam, it will be same in these parts also for the same distance, but there are other taxes like token tax.
Apart from that, there is a convoy system here for transportation. If today there is no convoy if a truck is loaded, it may have to wait for a couple of day because convoy will go only on a particular day and all the trucks loaded with materials will be taken by the convoy up till Imphal, Agarthala, or such places. So these are the big bottlenecks, like if the truck is going, it is taking one week for a small distance of 200-300 km to go and come back. And the cost factor is coming at every stage which ultimately affects the final price of the cement and the customers.
As told by Prabhat Ranjan, AGM – Sales & Logistics, Meghalaya Cement

MOVING AHEAD

Coastal shipping will be a game changer for India
Bulk transportation will increase at 15 per cent to 20 per cent CAGR
Integrated logistics will make a huge difference in terms of managing the value chain
Rail logistics constitutes almost 35 per cent of the total dispatches being done from the factory

CHALLENGES

Availability of skilled drivers is a challenge in road transport
Costs of toll across highways and the low average speed of movement
Non availability of labours in rail yards
Demurrage charges from railway
Lack of rail wagons for small delivery for far-off destination, where road delivery is not feasible.

OPTIMISING LOGISTICS COST

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
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.

Concrete

Refractory demands in our kiln have changed

Published

3 days ago

February 20, 2026

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Radha Singh, Senior Manager (P&Q), Shree Digvijay Cement, points out why performance, predictability and life-cycle value now matter more than routine replacement in cement kilns.

As Indian cement plants push for higher throughput, increased alternative fuel usage and tighter shutdown cycles, refractory performance in kilns and pyro-processing systems is under growing pressure. In this interview, Radha Singh, Senior Manager (P&Q), Shree Digvijay Cement, shares how refractory demands have evolved on the ground and how smarter digital monitoring is improving kiln stability, uptime and clinker quality.

How have refractory demands changed in your kiln and pyro-processing line over the last five years?
Over the last five years, refractory demands in our kiln and pyro line have changed. Earlier, the focus was mostly on standard grades and routine shutdown-based replacement. But now, because of higher production loads, more alternative fuels and raw materials (AFR) usage and greater temperature variation, the expectation from refractory has increased.
In our own case, the current kiln refractory has already completed around 1.5 years, which itself shows how much more we now rely on materials that can handle thermal shock, alkali attack and coating fluctuations. We have moved towards more stable, high-performance linings so that we don’t have to enter the kiln frequently for repairs.
Overall, the shift has been from just ‘installation and run’ to selecting refractories that give longer life, better coating behaviour and more predictable performance under tougher operating conditions.

What are the biggest refractory challenges in the preheater, calciner and cooler zones?
• Preheater: Coating instability, chloride/sulphur cycles and brick erosion.
• Calciner: AFR firing, thermal shock and alkali infiltration.
• Cooler: Severe abrasion, red-river formation and mechanical stress on linings.
Overall, the biggest challenge is maintaining lining stability under highly variable operating conditions.

How do you evaluate and select refractory partners for long-term performance?
In real plant conditions, we don’t select a refractory partner just by looking at price. First, we see their past performance in similar kilns and whether their material has actually survived our operating conditions. We also check how strong their technical support is during shutdowns, because installation quality matters as much as the material itself.
Another key point is how quickly they respond during breakdowns or hot spots. A good partner should be available on short notice. We also look at their failure analysis capability, whether they can explain why a lining failed and suggest improvements.
On top of this, we review the life they delivered in the last few campaigns, their supply reliability and their willingness to offer plant-specific custom solutions instead of generic grades. Only a partner who supports us throughout the life cycle, which includes selection, installation, monitoring and post-failure analysis, fits our long-term requirement.

Can you share a recent example where better refractory selection improved uptime or clinker quality?
Recently, we upgraded to a high-abrasion basic brick at the kiln outlet. Earlier we had frequent chipping and coating loss. With the new lining, thermal stability improved and the coating became much more stable. As a result, our shutdown interval increased and clinker quality remained more consistent. It had a direct impact on our uptime.

How is increased AFR use affecting refractory behaviour?
Increased AFR use is definitely putting more stress on the refractory. The biggest issue we see daily is the rise in chlorine, alkalis and volatiles, which directly attack the lining, especially in the calciner and kiln inlet. AFR firing is also not as stable as conventional fuel, so we face frequent temperature fluctuations, which cause more thermal shock and small cracks in the lining.
Another real problem is coating instability. Some days the coating builds too fast, other days it suddenly drops, and both conditions impact refractory life. We also notice more dust circulation and buildup inside the calciner whenever the AFR mix changes, which again increases erosion.
Because of these practical issues, we have started relying more on alkali-resistant, low-porosity and better thermal shock–resistant materials to handle the additional stress coming from AFR.

What role does digital monitoring or thermal profiling play in your refractory strategy?
Digital tools like kiln shell scanners, IR imaging and thermal profiling help us detect weakening areas much earlier. This reduces unplanned shutdowns, helps identify hotspots accurately and allows us to replace only the critical sections. Overall, our maintenance has shifted from reactive to predictive, improving lining life significantly.

How do you balance cost, durability and installation speed during refractory shutdowns?
We focus on three points:
• Material quality that suits our thermal profile and chemistry.
• Installation speed, in fast turnarounds, we prefer monolithic.
• Life-cycle cost—the cheapest material is not the most economical. We look at durability, future downtime and total cost of ownership.
This balance ensures reliable performance without unnecessary expenditure.

What refractory or pyro-processing innovations could transform Indian cement operations?
Some promising developments include:
• High-performance, low-porosity and nano-bonded refractories
• Precast modular linings to drastically reduce shutdown time
• AI-driven kiln thermal analytics
• Advanced coating management solutions
• More AFR-compatible refractory mixes

These innovations can significantly improve kiln stability, efficiency and maintenance planning across the industry.

Concrete

Digital supply chain visibility is critical

Published

3 days ago

February 20, 2026

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MSR Kali Prasad, Chief Digital and Information Officer, Shree Cement, discusses how data, discipline and scale are turning Industry 4.0 into everyday business reality.

Over the past five years, digitalisation in Indian cement manufacturing has moved decisively beyond experimentation. Today, it is a strategic lever for cost control, operational resilience and sustainability. In this interview, MSR Kali Prasad, Chief Digital and Information Officer, Shree Cement, explains how integrated digital foundations, advanced analytics and real-time visibility are helping deliver measurable business outcomes.

How has digitalisation moved from pilot projects to core strategy in Indian cement manufacturing over the past five years?
Digitalisation in Indian cement has evolved from isolated pilot initiatives into a core business strategy because outcomes are now measurable, repeatable and scalable. The key shift has been the move away from standalone solutions toward an integrated digital foundation built on standardised processes, governed data and enterprise platforms that can be deployed consistently across plants and functions.
At Shree Cement, this transition has been very pragmatic. The early phase focused on visibility through dashboards, reporting, and digitisation of critical workflows. Over time, this has progressed into enterprise-level analytics and decision support across manufacturing and the supply chain,
with clear outcomes in cost optimisation, margin protection and revenue improvement through enhanced customer experience.
Equally important, digital is no longer the responsibility of a single function. It is embedded into day-to-day operations across planning, production, maintenance, despatch and customer servicing, supported by enterprise systems, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) data platforms, and a structured approach to change management.

Which digital interventions are delivering the highest ROI across mining, production and logistics today?
In a capital- and cost-intensive sector like cement, the highest returns come from digital interventions that directly reduce unit costs or unlock latent capacity without significant capex.
Supply chain and planning (advanced analytics): Tools for demand forecasting, S&OP, network optimisation and scheduling deliver strong returns by lowering logistics costs, improving service levels, and aligning production with demand in a fragmented and regionally diverse market.
Mining (fleet and productivity analytics): Data-led mine planning, fleet analytics, despatch discipline, and idle-time reduction improve fuel efficiency and equipment utilisation, generating meaningful savings in a cost-heavy operation.
Manufacturing (APC and process analytics): Advanced Process Control, mill optimisation, and variability reduction improve thermal and electrical efficiency, stabilise quality and reduce rework and unplanned stoppages.
Customer experience and revenue enablement (digital platforms): Dealer and retailer apps, order visibility and digitally enabled technical services improve ease of doing business and responsiveness. We are also empowering channel partners with transparent, real-time information on schemes, including eligibility, utilisation status and actionable recommendations, which improves channel satisfaction and market execution while supporting revenue growth.
Overall, while Artificial Intelligence (AI) and IIoT are powerful enablers, it is advanced analytics anchored in strong processes that typically delivers the fastest and most reliable ROI.

How is real-time data helping plants shift from reactive maintenance to predictive and prescriptive operations?
Real-time and near real-time data is driving a more proactive and disciplined maintenance culture, beginning with visibility and progressively moving toward prediction and prescription.
At Shree Cement, we have implemented a robust SAP Plant Maintenance framework to standardise maintenance workflows. This is complemented by IIoT-driven condition monitoring, ensuring consistent capture of equipment health indicators such as vibration, temperature, load, operating patterns and alarms.
Real-time visibility enables early detection of abnormal conditions, allowing teams to intervene before failures occur. As data quality improves and failure histories become structured, predictive models can anticipate likely failure modes and recommend timely interventions, improving MTBF and reducing downtime. Over time, these insights will evolve into prescriptive actions, including spares readiness, maintenance scheduling, and operating parameter adjustments, enabling reliability optimisation with minimal disruption.
A critical success factor is adoption. Predictive insights deliver value only when they are embedded into daily workflows, roles and accountability structures. Without this, they remain insights without action.

In a cost-sensitive market like India, how do cement companies balance digital investment with price competitiveness?
In India’s intensely competitive cement market, digital investments must be tightly linked to tangible business outcomes, particularly cost reduction, service improvement, and faster decision-making.
This balance is achieved by prioritising high-impact use cases such as planning efficiency, logistics optimisation, asset reliability, and process stability, all of which typically deliver quick payback. Equally important is building scalable and governed digital foundations that reduce the marginal cost of rolling out new use cases across plants.
Digitally enabled order management, live despatch visibility, and channel partner platforms also improve customer centricity while controlling cost-to-serve, allowing service levels to improve without proportionate increases in headcount or overheads.
In essence, the most effective digital investments do not add cost. They protect margins by reducing variability, improving planning accuracy, and strengthening execution discipline.

How is digitalisation enabling measurable reductions in energy consumption, emissions, and overall carbon footprint?
Digitalisation plays a pivotal role in improving energy efficiency, reducing emissions and lowering overall carbon intensity.
Real-time monitoring and analytics enable near real-time tracking of energy consumption and critical operating parameters, allowing inefficiencies to be identified quickly and corrective actions to be implemented. Centralised data consolidation across plants enables benchmarking, accelerates best-practice adoption, and drives consistent improvements in energy performance.
Improved asset reliability through predictive maintenance reduces unplanned downtime and process instability, directly lowering energy losses. Digital platforms also support more effective planning and control of renewable energy sources and waste heat recovery systems, reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
Most importantly, digitalisation enables sustainability progress to be tracked with greater accuracy and consistency, supporting long-term ESG commitments.

What role does digital supply chain visibility play in managing demand volatility and regional market dynamics in India?
Digital supply chain visibility is critical in India, where demand is highly regional, seasonality is pronounced, and logistics constraints can shift rapidly.
At Shree Cement, planning operates across multiple horizons. Annual planning focuses on capacity, network footprint and medium-term demand. Monthly S&OP aligns demand, production and logistics, while daily scheduling drives execution-level decisions on despatch, sourcing and prioritisation.
As digital maturity increases, this structure is being augmented by central command-and-control capabilities that manage exceptions such as plant constraints, demand spikes, route disruptions and order prioritisation. Planning is also shifting from aggregated averages to granular, cost-to-serve and exception-based decision-making, improving responsiveness, lowering logistics costs and strengthening service reliability.

How prepared is the current workforce for Industry 4.0, and what reskilling strategies are proving most effective?
Workforce preparedness for Industry 4.0 is improving, though the primary challenge lies in scaling capabilities consistently across diverse roles.
The most effective approach is to define capability requirements by role and tailor enablement accordingly. Senior leadership focuses on digital literacy for governance, investment prioritisation, and value tracking. Middle management is enabled to use analytics for execution discipline and adoption. Frontline sales and service teams benefit from
mobile-first tools and KPI-driven workflows, while shop-floor and plant teams focus on data-driven operations, APC usage, maintenance discipline, safety and quality routines.
Personalised, role-based learning paths, supported by on-ground champions and a clear articulation of practical benefits, drive adoption far more effectively than generic training programmes.

Which emerging digital technologies will fundamentally reshape cement manufacturing in the next decade?
AI and GenAI are expected to have the most significant impact, particularly when combined with connected operations and disciplined processes.
Key technologies likely to reshape the sector include GenAI and agentic AI for faster root-cause analysis, knowledge access, and standardisation of best practices; industrial foundation models that learn patterns across large sensor datasets; digital twins that allow simulation of process changes before implementation; and increasingly autonomous control systems that integrate sensors, AI, and APC to maintain stability with minimal manual intervention.
Over time, this will enable more centralised monitoring and management of plant operations, supported by strong processes, training and capability-building.

Concrete

Cement Additives for Improved Grinding Efficiency

Published

3 days ago

February 20, 2026

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Shreesh A Khadilkar discusses how advanced additive formulations allow customised, high-performance and niche cements—offering benefits while supporting blended cements and long-term cost and carbon reduction.

Cement additives are chemicals (inorganic and organic) added in small amounts (0.01 per cent to 0.2 per cent by weight) during cement grinding. Their main job? Reduce agglomeration, prevent pack-set, and keep the mill running smoother. Thus, these additions primarily improve, mill thru-puts, achieve lower clinker factor in blended cements PPC/PSC/PCC. Additionally, these additives improve concrete performance of cements or even for specific special premium cements with special USPs like lower setting times or for reduced water permeability in the resultant cement mortars and concrete (water repellent /permeation resistant cements), corrosion resistance etc.
The cement additives are materials which could be further differentiated as:

Grinding aids:
• Bottlenecks in cement grinding capacity, such materials can enhance throughputs
• Low specific electrical energy consumption during cement grinding
• Reduce “Pack set” problem and improve powder flowability

Quality improvers:
• Opportunity for further clinker factor reduction
• Solution for delayed cement setting or strength development issues at early or later ages.

Others: materials which are used for specific special cements with niche properties as discussed in the subsequent pages.
When cement additives are used as grinding aids or quality improvers, in general the additives reduce the inter-particle forces; reduce coating over grinding media and mill internals. Due to creation of like charges on cement particles, there is decreased agglomeration, much improved flowability, higher generation of fines better dispersion of particles in separator feed and reduction of mill filling level (decrease of residence time). However, in VRM grinding; actions need to be taken to have stable bed formation on the table.
It has been reported in literature and also substantiated by a number of detailed evaluations of different cement additive formulations in market, that the cement additive formulations are a combination of different chemical compounds, typically composed of:

Accelerator/s for the hydration reaction of cements which are dependent on the acceleration effect desired in mortar compressive strengths at early or later ages, the choice of the materials is also dependent on clinker quality and blending components (flyash / slag) or a mix of both.
Water reducer / workability / wet-ability enhancer, which would show impact on the resultant cement mortars and concrete. Some of the compounds (retarders) like polysaccharide derivatives, gluconates etc., show an initial retarding action towards hydration which result in reducing the water requirements for the cements thus act as water reducers, or it could be some appropriate polymeric molecules which show improved wet-ability and reduce water demand. These are selected based on the mineral component and type of cements (PPC/PSC /PCC).
Grinding aids: Compounds that work as Grinding Aid i.e. which would enhance Mill thru-put on one hand as well as would increase the early strengths due to the higher fines generation/ or activation of cement components. These compounds could be like alkanol-amines such as TIPA, DEIPA, TEA etc. or could be compounds like glycols and other poly-ols, depending on whether it is OPC or PPC or PSC or PCC manufacture.

Mechanism of action — Step By Step—

Reduce Agglomeration, Cement particles get electrostatically charged during grinding, stick together, form “flocs”, block mill efficiency, waste energy. Grinding aid molecules adsorb onto particle surfaces, neutralise charge, prevent re-agglomeration.
Improve Powder Flowability, Adsorbed molecules create a lubricating layer, particles slide past each other easier, better mill throughput, less “dead zone” buildup.
Also reduces caking on mill liners, diaphragms, and separator screens, less downtime for cleaning.
Enhance Grinding Efficiency (Finer Product Faster), By preventing agglomeration, particles stay dispersed more surface area exposed to grinding media, finer grind achieved with same energy input, Or: same fineness achieved with less energy, huge savings.
Example:
• Without aid ? 3500 cm²/g Blaine needs 40 kWh/ton
• With use of optimum grinding aid same fineness at 32 kWh/ton 20 per cent energy savings
Reduce Pack Set and Silo Caking Grinding aids (GA) inhibit hydration of free lime (CaO) during storage prevents premature hardening or “pack set” in silos. especially critical in humid climates or with high free lime clinker.
It may be stated here that Overdosing of GA can cause: – Foaming in mill (especially with glycols) reduces grinding efficiency, retardation of cement setting (especially with amines/acids), odor issues (in indoor mills) – Corrosion of mill components (if acidic aids used improperly)
The best practice to optimise use of GA is Start with 0.02 per cent to 0.05 per cent dosage test fineness, flow, and set time adjust up/down. Due to static charge of particles, the sample may stick to the sides of sampler pipe and so sampling need to be properly done.
Depending on type of cements i.e. OPC, PPC, PSC, PCC, the grinding aids combinations need to be optimised, a typical Poly carboxylate ether also could be a part of the combo grinding aids

Cement additives for niche properties of the cement in concrete.
The cement additives can also be tailor made to create specific niche properties in cements, OPC, PPC, PSC and PCC to create premium or special brands. The special niche properties of the cement being its additional USP of such cement products, and are useful for customers to build a durable concrete structure with increased service life.

Such properties could be:
• Additives for improved concrete performance of cements, high early strength in PPC/PSC/PCC, much reduced water demand in cement, cements with improved slump retentivity in concrete, self-compacting, self levelling in concrete, cements with improved adhesion property of the cement mortar
• Water repellence / water proofing, permeability resistance in mortars and concrete.
• Biocidal cement
• Photo catalytic cements
• Cements with negligible ASR reactions etc.

Additives for cements for improved concrete performance
High early strengths: Use of accelerators. These are chemical compounds which enhance the degree of hydration of cement. These can include setting or hardening accelerators depending on whether their action occurs in the plastic or hardened state respectively. Thus, the setting accelerators reduce the setting time, whereas the hardening accelerators increase the early age strengths. The setting accelerators act during the initial minutes of the cement hydration, whereas the hardening accelerators act mainly during the initial days of hydration.
Chloride salts are the best in class. However, use of chloride salts as hardening accelerators are strongly discouraged for their action in promoting the corrosion of rebar, thus, chloride-free accelerators are preferred. The hardening accelerators could be combinations of compounds like nitrate, nitrite and thiocyanate salts of alkali or alkaline earth metals or thiosulphate, formate, and alkanol amines depending on the cement types.
However, especially in blended cements (PPC/PSC/PCC the increased early strengths invariably decrease the 28 day strengths. These aspects lead to creating combo additives along with organic polymers to achieve improved early strengths as well as either same or marginally improved 28 days strengths with reduced clinker factor in the blended cement, special OPC with reduced admixture requirements. With use of appropriate combination of inorganic and organic additives we could create an OPC with substantially reduced water demand or improved slump retentivity. Use of such an OPC would show exceptional concrete performance in high grade concretes as it would exhibit lower admixture requirements in High Grade Concretes.
PPC with OPC like properties: With the above concept we could have a PPC, having higher percentage flyash, with a combo cement additive which would have with concrete performance similar to OPC in say M40/M50 concrete. Such a PPC would produce a high-strength PPC concrete (= 60 MPa @ 28d) + improved workability, durability and sustainability.
Another interesting aspect could also be of using ultrafine fine flyash /ultrafine slags as additions in OPC/PPC/PSC for achieving lower clinker factor as well as to achieve improved later age strengths with or without a combo cement additive.
The initial adhesion property at sites of especially PPC/PSC/PCC based mortars can be improved through use of appropriate organic polymers addition during the manufacture of these cements. Such cements would have a better adhesion property for plastering/brick bonding etc., as it has much lower rebound loss of their mortars in such applications.
It is needless to mention here that with use of additives, we could also have cement with viscosity modifying cement additives, for self-compaction and self-leveling concrete performance.
Use of Phosphogypsum retards the setting time of cements, we can use additive different additive combos to overcome retardation and improve the 1 day strengths of the cements and concretes.

About the author:
Shreesh Khadilkar, Consultant & Advisor, Former Director Quality & Product Development, ACC, a seasoned consultant and advisor, brings over 37 years of experience in cement manufacturing, having held leadership roles in R&D and product development at ACC Ltd. With deep expertise in innovative cement concepts, he is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and improving the performance of cement plants globally.