Economy & Market

A Value added Product

Published

10 years ago

July 4, 2016

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Traditionally, less importance has been given to mortars as compared to concrete. However, as construction activity is steadily on the rise, the time has come to take a fresh look at making use of technology for making plaster.
The construction industry uses naturally occurring materials along with manufactured items like steel and cement. However, with rapid strides in urbanisation, naturally occurring materials are depleting fast and the industry is seriously thinking of replacing these naturally occurring materials with manmade materials. Various kind of mortars use sand as one of the important ingredients along with cement. In the years to come, this specific application of cement will undergo a sea change, in the way in which it is produced and applied. Let?s take a look at the dry mix plaster mortar business from the manufacturer?s perspective.

In Europe, after the Second World War, Germany was devastated? it turned to the dry mix mortar concept for reconstruction, and greatly benefited. This concept got a boost, thanks to the invention of dispersible polymers by Dr Wacker Alexander in 1957. This invention made available polymers in powder form. It became the backbone of value-added dry mix mortars, and Germany is now considered to be the capital for such mortars globally.

Before we examine the application of this mortar in the Indian context, let us first understand the nature of this mix. Generally, mortars are used in masonry for joining stones, bricks, blocks etc., and plasters are used for rendering on the outside and inside of walls. The differences between mortar and plaster lie in the capacity of plasters to take better finish, which depend to a very large extent on the type of sand used in the mix and the ratio of sand to cement.

For plasters, we use finer sand. However, the term ?mortar? is also used loosely to refer to both plasters and mortar. So far, the practice in our country has been to mix sand and cement at a site manually, either on the ground or in a tray to get plaster mortar. There have been certain issues in the practice followed ?primarily, the mixing not being proper, ingredients not getting dispersed uniformly and excessive usage of water. Today good quality sand is not available for making plaster mortar, due to environmental restrictions. The use of construction chemicals in making plaster mortar is on the rise. However, applying the mortar on walls or concrete is yet another problem. Application largely depends on the skill of the mason, the surface on which plaster is applied, etc. Generally, outside plaster is done in one or two coats, depending on the thickness of the plaster.

In areas like Mumbai and surroundings, where the rainfall is high, the quality of external plaster has to be extremely good. There are different grades of mortar that can be used for plastering of structural members such as in CM 1:2, 1:4, 1:6, 1:8, etc. The number indicates the ratio of cement to sand in volumetric proportion. In the case of plaster, the skills of a mason are more important than the product itself. The cement and sand mix ratio should be 1:6 (1 cement: 6 sand) for internal plastering of bricks and 1:4 for external plastering. Never do a plastering beyond 12 or 15 mm thickness on a brick wall. Avoid plastering beyond 6 mm thickness on concrete in one go. The hacking should be done on the smooth surface like ceilings and columns before plastering work.

Today, factory-made mortar is costlier by about 30 per cent than site-made mortar. However, factory-made mortar is far superior in quality than site-mixed mortar. In the issues to come, we shall cover more details on factory-made plaster mortar.

Concrete

Wonder Cement appoints Mahesh Singh as VP Corporate Brand Communication

Published

3 days ago

October 9, 2026

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Singh brings 20+ years of brand and marketing experience, and will lead integrated corporate brand communication initiatives at Wonder Cement

New Delhi

Wonder Cement, a leading cement manufacturer, has appointed Mahesh Singh as Vice President – Corporate Brand Communication. In his new role, he will oversee corporate brand strategy and communication, including digital and performance marketing, public relations, trade, events, exhibitions, sports and experiential marketing.

Singh brings over two decades of experience across marketing and communications, with roles spanning the automotive industry, agencies and entrepreneurship. He spent more than a decade with Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, working across integrated communication, media, digital, retail and consumer engagement. His stint also included helping build the company’s digital marketing capabilities.

He moved to dentsu X India as Vice President – Strategy & Planning, working across categories such as automotive, auto components, electric vehicles, FMCG, consumer electronics, BFSI, apparel and brand consulting. His responsibilities included media and marketing strategy, product launches, content, performance marketing and consumer activations.

Singh subsequently took an entrepreneurial route with Radiant Brands before joining Shriram Ltd (SPR Autotech) as Head – Marketing & Communications. There, his remit included brand and corporate strategy, communications, PR and ORM, retail identity, loyalty programmes and events.

At Wonder Cement, Singh will be responsible for bringing together the company’s corporate brand communication initiatives across digital, performance marketing, PR, trade, sports and experiential platforms. The role will focus on creating an integrated approach to communication across consumers, trade partners and other key stakeholders.

The appointment brings to Wonder Cement a marketer whose career has spanned the brand, agency and entrepreneurial sides of the communications ecosystem.

Wonder Cement, part of the RK Group, is a cement manufacturer with roots in Rajasthan and a focus on quality, trust and transparency. The company has grown to six manufacturing plants, and a cement capacity of 21.5 MTPA. With more than 2,000 employees and a network of over 5,000 dealers, its operations span manufacturing, distribution and customer engagement, with a focus on consistent product quality and efficient execution.

Concrete

JSW Cement commissions additional 1 MTPA grinding unit at Nagaur

Published

4 days ago

October 8, 2026

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With this commissioning, JSW Cement’s total cement grinding capacity has increased to 25.10 MTPA,
Mumbai

JSW Cement, one of India’s leading green cement producers and part of the diversified JSW Group, today announced the successful commissioning of an additional 1.00 MTPA cement grinding unit at Nagaur, Rajasthan. The commissioning marks another significant milestone in the Company’s growth strategy.

With this commissioning, JSW Cement’s total cement grinding capacity has increased to 25.10 MTPA, while its total clinker manufacturing capacity, including clinker capacity at its joint venture, JSW Cement FZC, stands at 9.74 MTPA.

JSW Cement had commenced operations in North India in March 2026 with the Nagaur Integrated Plant, comprising a 3.30 MTPA clinkerisation unit and 2.50 MTPA cement grinding unit. With the commissioning of the additional 1.00 MTPA cement grinding unit, the plant’s total cement grinding capacity has increased to 3.50 MTPA, enhancing the company’s ability to cater to the growing cement demand across Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the National Capital Region (NCR). The expansion has been funded through a strategic mix of equity and long-term debt.

During the quarter ended 30th September 2026, JSW Cement has also commissioned the Alternate Fuel Handling System and the Waste Heat Recovery system (WHRS) at the Nagaur Integrated Plant.

Nilesh Narwekar, CEO, JSW Cement, said: “The commissioning of additional 1.00 MTPA grinding capacity at Nagaur is a key strategic priority for us and will accelerate JSW Cement’s expansion into North India. We look forward to servicing the growing needs of the region and contributing to the economic growth of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the NCR area. I am delighted to share that the company has commissioned this grinding unit within the expected timeline, showcasing our project execution capabilities. Further, the Alternate Fuel Handling System and the Waste Heat Recovery system (WHRS) are expected to substantially reduce our production costs going forward.”

Concrete

UltraTech becomes first Indian cement firm to cross 2 GW green energy

Published

5 days ago

October 7, 2026

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UltraTech Cement has crossed 2 GW of captive green energy capacity, with renewables and waste heat recovery meeting 48 per cent of its power needs.

Mumbai

UltraTech Cement Limited has surpassed 2 GW of installed green energy capacity for captive use, becoming the first cement company in India to achieve the milestone. The Aditya Birla Group company commissioned 116.55 MW of wind capacity at its Inter-State Transmission System-connected wind-solar hybrid project in Barmer, Rajasthan, along with 10 MW of Waste Heat Recovery System capacity at Sarlanagar Cement Works in Karnataka.

With these additions, UltraTech’s cumulative installed green energy capacity has reached 2,024 MW. This includes 1,580 MW of renewable energy capacity and 444 MW of waste heat recovery capacity, together meeting around 48 per cent of the company’s current power requirements.

The company said the milestone reflects the progress of its long-term energy transition strategy. In FY27 so far, nearly one-third of UltraTech’s 76 manufacturing units in India have maintained green energy utilisation above 50 per cent of their electricity requirements, while five units have crossed 95 per cent.

K C Jhanwar, Managing Director, UltraTech Cement Limited, said, “Crossing the 2 GW green energy milestone is the result of a strategy we have pursued consistently over the past decade. Cement is an energy-intensive, hard-to-abate sector, and showing that reliability and growth can go hand in hand with a rapid shift to green energy sets a benchmark for the industry. With nearly half of our power needs now met through green energy, we are significantly less exposed to fossil fuel supply constraints and power price volatility. As we scale up renewables, waste heat recovery and battery storage across our operations, we are building an energy foundation for stable, long-term growth.”

UltraTech commissioned 430 MW of green energy capacity in FY26 and continues to expand its renewable energy and waste heat recovery portfolio.

The company is also progressively integrating Battery Energy Storage Systems across its operations to improve renewable energy utilisation and supply reliability.

In 2025, UltraTech operationalised what it described as India’s first on-site hybrid round-the-clock renewable energy project at Sewagram Cement Works in Gujarat. The project combines solar, wind and battery storage.

As part of its decarbonisation strategy, UltraTech said it has not invested in new captive thermal power capacity for either greenfield projects or brownfield expansions at its integrated units for more than a decade.

The company said its expanding green energy portfolio is helping reduce dependence on conventional grid electricity and fossil fuel-based power, while lowering exposure to fluctuations in coal and electricity prices.

UltraTech aims to increase green energy’s share in its total power mix to 85 per cent by 2030. As a member of RE100, it has also committed to meeting 100 per cent of its electricity requirement through renewable sources by 2050.

UltraTech Cement, the cement flagship of the Aditya Birla Group, has a total grey cement capacity of 210.1 MTPA and white cement and putty capacity of 3.5 MTPA. The company is also a signatory to the GCCA Climate Ambition 2050 and has committed to the GCCA Net Zero Concrete roadmap.