Economy & Market

Cashless Cement

Published

10 years ago

February 28, 2017

admin

One of the most reputed brokerage firms has reported that cement production has dropped by 13.3 per cent in January 2017, and that financial year FY17 may actually see a small degrowth of cement consumption, the first time this would happen in the last 15 years or more! They also add that Apr-Jan 2017 has seen cement growing by a poor 1 per cent.

But the Central Statistics Office (CSO) of the government has come up with shining GDP growth numbers @ 7 per cent, for the 3rd quarter of FY17, and who doesn’t know that the CSO is a very, very honourable and credible organisation. It has also come to light, that while reporting these advance numbers for Q3, the CSO first restated the GDP numbers for Q3 FY16 severely downwards, which of course helped the current numbers look so respectful. It is also reported that apparently the GDP growth numbers for the last quarter would be a disappointing 6.2 per cent, but for this providential need to rewrite downwards the last year’s numbers.

However, we all know that the government numbers are highly dignified and honourable. It has been opined by experts that the informal sector data is not captured in CSO mechanisms, it has been seen that most consumer goods companies reported drop in sales, but the government numbers show a beautiful and unbelievable 10 per cent growth in private consumption expenditure.

But perish the thought of not accepting these statistics even for a moment, simply because everyone knows that the government reports are absolutely correct and honourable. Overall, it does look as if the demonetisation has hardly had any debilitating impact on our economy, the drop in cement output notwithstanding.

Under such circumstances, how does the industry deal with the aftermath of demonetisation, and embrace digitalisation? About 65-70 per cent of all the cement in our country is sold in retail through the retail outlets to small-time masons and contractors and home builder citizens, who have been traditionally buying cement in cash. In my travels through the markets, I have rarely seen any PoS machine in the counters of cement retailers. While the aggregated transactions between the cement dealers/distributors on the one hand, and the cement manufacturers on the other, have always been in cheque, and now more and more through bank transfers, the ‘last mile’transaction with the end-consumer is mostly in cash. The challenge is how to convert these dealings into cashless, and it is therefore interesting to look at how some cement players are working on promoting this conversion.

However, as I said earlier, if moving towards a ‘less’ cash economy was one of the ‘later’ articulated objectives of demonetisation, the disappointment is that there have been hardly any meaningful follow-up measures or policies from the government to incentivise non-cash transactions. In a shocking display of utter lack of coordination, different arms of the government and the semi-government bodies including oil PSUs and banks, are moving in opposite directions by initiating confused Brownian actions, someone trying to hike transaction charges in card transactions, while some others are imposing new charges on cash transactions! The result is there for everyone to see u just as non-cash transactions through cards and e-wallets shot up in the immediate aftermath, data now shows an equally fast decline of cashless transaction volumes and values in February 2017. Culture change doesn’t happen in one fell sweep by a disruptive move, it happens over time through patient and consistent coordination between policy making and public communications, over time.

Concrete

Wonder Cement appoints Mahesh Singh as VP Corporate Brand Communication

Published

6 days ago

October 9, 2026

admin

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

7 days ago

October 8, 2026

admin

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

1 week ago

October 7, 2026

admin

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.