Technology

Innovation at work

Published

8 years ago

January 31, 2018

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Innovation is driving advancement of technologies and growth of the cement packaging segment globally. India must be able to take part and reap benefits from them.
While innovation is changing the way every work is done in every field of activity, cement packaging cannot be too different. Though there is hardly any change in the material consumed for manufacturing cement packaging, the new technologies and processes are making them high on productivity, safer, quicker to fill, load and re-load, leak-proof and amenable to automation, when compared to yester years when it was dangerous, hazardous and labour-intensive.
Bags are a common way of distribution in the industry, accounting for about 60 per cent of the product shipped to consumers/users. This also holds true for other developing countries, according to industry sources, which put the figure at 45 per cent on an average. Bulk packaging though is yet to catch up on a large scale in India, it is being patronised by some major cement manufacturers and bulk consumers.
Though there are several manufacturers of cement packaging bags in the country, most of the highly advanced automated machinery and systems are being imported from countries like Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the US, Taiwan, etc.
Innovation has been the key for sustained growth of global players like Windm?ller & H?lscher during the recent years, particularly when it has introduced hot air to seal the moisture-proof sacks that used to be closed with adhesives earlier, thereby reducing production costs and technical process limitations. Another global player, FLSmidth offers complete automation solutions by integrating various product types with that of fully automated packing plants, automating even loading and unloading activities.
Packing plants have not only become part of cement production lines, but also grinding stations or cement terminals. A single packing line produces up to 15 to 50 million bags per year based on the material used and the process adopted. That way, packing plants have evolved into complex, fully automated operations, driven by innovation in the recent years.Options
There are three options for cements sacks: Paper, woven and film. "Paper sacks are a comparatively cost-effective form of packaging made from a renewable source," says spokesperson of Windm?ller & H?lscher, which claims to be the market leader in the field of paper sack systems, with over 90 per cent share globally.
Woven polypropylene (PP)/plastic sacks are very lightweight and tear-resistant, which is particularly useful if the sacks are to be used in tougher environments. So, many Indian companies have embraced the option till the regulatory intervention, citing higher loss of cement in wrong handling. But they face a challenge – necessary deaeration of product.
A natural side effect of packing cementitious material into a polypropylene bag is trapped air. In order to make PP packaging a viable option for cement, this air needed to be managed back out of the process to achieve a uniform and stable
pack, which is a crucial ingredient for efficient palletisation. Achieving this, while maintaining the intended waterproof credentials of polypropylene and maintaining process speed is no mean task. However, this has been enabled by the latest technologies.
Film valve sacks, on the other hand, provide excellent moisture protection, and advertising on them is more effective as they hold print well, a factor which is key, particularly in the field of premium packaging.
"Valve sacks have the important benefit of being able to be filled on nozzle packers, which ensure a high filling output. Valve sack concepts are available in all three major materials (paper, pp-woven, PE-film). Important factors regarding filling speed and automated handling are deaeration performance and form stability," says W&H.
Packaging in cement production has to fulfil multiple needs like moisture protection, extended shelf-life, clean appearance and good handling, says W&H, while explaining the prerequisites for a cement bag. "Better stackability, pilfer-resistance, anti-counterfeit solution and better aesthetics are some of the reasons why the hot air sealed woven sacks have been preferred in the Indian market," added the W&H spokesperson. Besides, less flying of packaged product also helps cement users save cost. These benefits also help cement companies create a better brand image in the market-domestic or export.Store appearance
Look and feel of packaging, which was till recently confined to consumer goods packaging, is becoming an important parameter while selecting the medium of packaging even for the cement industry. Their importance is gaining prominence when it comes to product placement and communication to the end-customer, particularly about the sustainability angle of the product and/or its special strengths and features. As such, sacks need to present all marketing messages in an attractive way.
"Currently additional packaging features like carrying handle or easy opening feel an increasing market demand as those features present an added value regarding sack handling for the end-user," says W&H.
W&H is also seeing acceptance in India of high-end Biaxially-Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) laminated hot air sealed block bottom bags, which are much more expensive than the conventional sewn bags, and are amenable for printing very high quality photographic images. New automatic range
Automation is catching up with packaging processes of cement industry, of late. The technique of making an apparatus, a process, or a system operate automatically as it is described is being opted for by the industry for taking advantage of its well-known attributes – increased productivity, more efficient use of materials, better product quality, improved safety and reduced factory lead times. The packaging automation has extended to loading of closed top and open top trucks or containers by now.
"In India, hot air sealed block bottom bags are the most used for high automation production. The benefit for bag producers is lower manpower requirement for producing as these bags are produced with high speeds and advance automation," says the W&H spokesperson.
AD PROTEX valve bags produced on CONVERTEX platform by W&H ideally combine minimum raw material usage, adhesive-free sack production and unequalled functionality of their box-shaped design. As a result, they are made in a particularly economical way, but can also be filled and palletized similarly as the conventional pasted valve bags. "Our new production line for cement valve packaging ensures the production of paper sacks which fulfil the requirements for automated high speed filling," the company said.
Packaging for dry powdered materials like cement has changed little in the last 40 years leaving the end user to cope with the problems associated with the industry standard paper valve sack. As a result problems such as dust, spillage and a relatively high wastage return rate caused by the ingress of water brought about by poor storage conditions have largely remained unchallenged.
However, domestic packaging manufacturer, Arodo has introduced it brand of vacuum bagging system that produces fully deaerated plastic packs that don’t feature perforations of any kind, addressing the concerns of cement manufacturers and their customers. It is projected as a waterproof and tamper-proof cement pack.
"The absence of perforations allows each individual pack to be stored or placed in the most arduous of weather conditions without risk of spoiling the product through water ingress," says Vikas Marwaha, Director, Arodo India Pvt Ltd. These packs have been placed outside and completely underwater for weeks before retrieving and using the product as if it had been freshly packed, Marwaha claims.
Windm?ller & H?lscher has developed CONVERTEX, which heat seals woven PP cross bottom bags and thus eliminates the need of glue for this type of bags. "During the last 10 years the output of the bottomer was more than doubled: from 60 bags per minute to 140 in the last model. This speed represents the technological leadership in this type of equipment," W&H said, stating that today, CONVERTEX forms the backbone of its extensive portfolio of the woven PP business.
High-quality PP tapes with tenacity up to 7 g/den and indexed micro-perforation provide the technological tools to be able to produce e.g. cement bags with a weight of 65 grams instead of the current global market standard of 80 grams. Drop tests with the LS Bags are done – with the result that LS bags easily excel conventional bags, W&H claims.
The AD proFilm MP sack, launched in 2015, is unusual in the sense that it uses hot air to seal the sacks. This means that it does not require adhesives, which can be the source of significant production costs and technical process limitations. It is manufactured on the AD PLASTIC 2 valve bottomer.
When the company was developing the new AD proFilm MP film valve sack, it chose to focus on two key factors: high moisture protection (MP = moisture-proof), and extending the product’s shelf life. It achieved these through the use of its innovative Breathing Chamber Technology – a ventilation chamber along the longitudinal seam of the sack. "This technology means that effective ventilation and high moisture protection are no longer mutually exclusive", explains Uwe K?hn, Head of Processing Products at W&H.
In a presentation made on June 21, 2017, Francesco Ferrandico, President-FLSmidth Ventomatic Cement Packaging said that the company’s automation systems range extends beyond filling of sacks to loading into trucks – open or closed. "FLSmidth Ventomatic provides the key product types and integrates them for fully automated packing plants," Ferrandico said while explaining about different packaging processes that include electronic rotary and inline packers; empty bag applicators; palletizing systems; loaders for closed trucks/containers; and loaders for open top trucks.
FLSmidth claims that its loaders for closed trucks/containers were the first full automatic pallet loading system in the market. Truck/container loaders significantly increase safety level and productivity and they do not use forklifts and relevant operators, it said. Its electronic rotary and inline packer’s equipment for filling bulk cement from silos into bags have an output from 60 tons/h up to 250 tons/h.
Depending on level of automation, packing plants consist of 2 – 8 packing lines, and at full automation, reduces required manpower per shift from 12 to 2 when going from complete manual to automation packing, but with the same output, FLSmidth added.Cementing growth
W&H has seen a huge growth in consumption of hot air sealed woven sacks in Indian market with several plants running already and more on order. It has also seen a trend in the market of use of high-end Biaxially-Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) laminated hot air sealed Block Bottom bags. "These bags are much more expensive than the conventional sewn bags, but are finding good acceptance in the Indian market. These bags can be printed with very high quality photographic images," W&H spokesperson said. We also expect increase in consumption of multiwall paper bags in the Indian market. The reasons are very interesting, innovations like high strength paper and water soluble paper done by paper industries.
As packaging industry’s growth is tied to the Indian economy and demand for cement and cement products, growth in these two elements are of critical importance for sustainability and growth of packaging industry in the country. Though the current trends in cement demand do not augur well for the packaging industry, the Union Budget released recently have some good news to bask under.
During the first eight months of FY2018 (2017-18), cement production witnessed a marginal growth of 0.6 per cent at 190.0 million MT compared to 188.8 million MT during the same period the previous year, leading rating agency ICRA said, citing various factors like weak real-estate activity, sand shortage and issues related to implementation of GST as reasons. Based on the current trend, it projected that cement demand is likely to report a modest demand growth of around 2 percent in FY2018.
In a pre-budget (January 31, 2018) analysis, Sabyasachi Majumdar, Senior Vice President & Group Head, ICRA Ratings, said "Going forward, the demand growth is likely to be driven by a pick-up in the housing segment – primarily affordable and rural housing, and infrastructure segment – primarily road and irrigation projects. However, new project announcements from the private sector continue to remain weak and revival of public-private partnership is crucial to improve the pace of infrastructure development."
"ICRA expects the capacity overhang and moderate demand growth to continue to keep the industry’s capacity utilisation level between 60-65 per cent over the medium term," Majumdar added.
However, the Union Budget 2018-19 released on February 1, 2018, has some good news for the cement industry. The move to boost the capital outlay of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (housing scheme) -Urban (PMAY-U) five-fold to Rs 31,500 crore, will aid some recovery in the otherwise muted urban-housing demand, which accounts for 30 per cent of cement demand, said leading rating firm, CRISIL in a post-budget report. Besides, increase in outlays for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and Railways by 11 per and 22 per cent respectively are expected to impact cement demand positively.
However, CRISIL had added a word of caution, when it said, "Healthy budget outlay for cement-intensive infrastructure segments like roadways, irrigation and railways should cement growth (infrastructure share estimated at 20 per cent). However, achievement of budgeted outlay to be key monitorable as some shortfall was observed in the previous fiscal."
There is a marginal negative stroke for the sector from the budget in the form of social welfare surcharge of 10 per cent on customs duty, which replaces the earlier 3 per cent education cess on custom duty of all imports. This will particularly affect the advanced packaging equipment imports.Looking ahead
Innovations are driving advancement of technologies and growth of the cement packaging segment globally over the recent years. India being one of the major producers of cement has to make inroads into the top echelons of the sector by increasing spending on research and development and entering into joint ventures with major global manufacturers to lower our import dependency in the long run.
Major cement manufacturers like UltraTech Cement, ACC, India Cement and Ambuja have to take the lead in this initiative. This is an imperative when all the major manufacturers have to take advantage of latest technologies and improve their global competitiveness. Full automation may come in handy in this regard by boosting productivity and quality. Reduction of manpower may not be as important for India as it is for many other countries. Labour being cheaper in the country, the companies have to weigh the social impact of full automation in comparison with social benefit of utilising the cheap manpower, if other parameters like quality and productivity are not affected.
Adoption of advanced technologies also means guarding against health hazards for employees and stakeholders, which will lead to attraction and retention of talent, a critical resource for success of any business. It will also lead to optimisation of costs and leads to higher competitiveness, which are essential for the prosperity of companies and the country.– BS SRINIVASALU REDDY
Factors to be considered for best packaging
The factors one should consider while searching for the best packaging production are:

Sack geometry
Sack converting
Sack design
Appearance
Stack design

Each aspect can be more or less important depending on the region and market the customer is looking for. Furthermore, different applications, availability of the respective materials, or even regional differences, sometimes with historical root causes may influence the decision. The supplier must be able to provide machines for the production of each sack type and after installation service.
Windm?ller & H?lscherCritical success factors in India
The following are the critical success factors (CSFs) that determine the future of a company or business, particularly for a player in the packaging equipment industry in India:

Technology
Price
Delivery
Performance standards
Cost of equipment, and
Low running cost
Possible upgrades to the product and
Aftersales/installation service
Compiled from different sources

Growth through productivity: FLSmidth CARICATECHTM automatic truck loader

Innovative development for loading all type of bags on all kind of trucks
Bag layers are picked up by a fork with a special roller way (no vacuum system required) while maintaining the traditional loading from the top Addresses trend of productivity improvements through automation in developing markets
CARICATECHTM replaces existing loading equipment without major process changes or rebuilds – targeting upgrades of existing packing lines

Economy & Market

From Vision to Action: Fornnax Global Growth Strategy for 2026

Published

2 weeks ago

January 19, 2026

admin

Jignesh Kundaria, Director & CEO, Fornnax Recycling Technology

As 2026 begins, Fornnax is accelerating its global growth through strategic expansion, large-scale export-led installations, and technology-driven innovation across multiple recycling streams. Backed by manufacturing scale-up and a strong people-first culture, the company aims to lead sustainable, high-capacity recycling solutions worldwide.

As 2026 begins, Fornnax stands at a pivotal stage in its growth journey. Over the past few years, the company has built a strong foundation rooted in engineering excellence, innovation, and a firm commitment to sustainable recycling. The focus ahead is clear: to grow faster, stronger, and on a truly global scale.

“Our 2026 strategy is driven by four key priorities,” explains Mr. Jignesh Kundaria, Director & CEO of Fornnax.

First, Global Expansion

We will strengthen our presence in major markets such as Europe, Australia, and the GCC, while continuing to grow across our existing regions. By aligning with local regulations and customer requirements, we aim to establish ourselves as a trusted global partner for advanced recycling solutions.

A major milestone in this journey will be export-led global installations. In 2026, we will commission Europe’s highest-capacity shredding line, reinforcing our leadership in high-capacity recycling solutions.

Second, Product Innovation and Technology Leadership

Innovation remains at the heart of our vision to become a global leader in recycling technology by 2030. Our focus is on developing solutions that are state-of-the-art, economical, efficient, reliable, and environmentally responsible.

Building on a decade-long legacy in tyre recycling, we have expanded our portfolio into new recycling applications, including municipal solid waste (MSW), e-waste, cable, and aluminium recycling. This diversification has already created strong momentum across the industry, marked by key milestones scheduled to become operational this year, such as:

Installation of India’s largest e-waste and cable recycling line.
Commissioning of a high-capacity MSW RDF recycling line.

“Sustainable growth must be scalable and profitable,” emphasizes Mr. Kundaria. In 2026, Fornnax will complete Phase One of our capacity expansion by establishing the world’s largest shredding equipment manufacturing facility. This 23-acre manufacturing unit, scheduled for completion in July 2026, will significantly enhance our production capability and global delivery capacity.

Alongside this, we will continue to improve efficiency across manufacturing, supply chain, and service operations, while strengthening our service network across India, Australia, and Europe to ensure faster and more reliable customer support.

Finally: People and Culture

“People remain the foundation of Fornnax’s success. We will continue to invest in talent, leadership development, and a culture built on ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement,” states Mr. Kundaria.

With a strong commitment to sustainability in everything we do, our ambition is not only to grow our business, but also to actively support the circular economy and contribute to a cleaner, more sustainable future.

Guided by a shared vision and disciplined execution, 2026 is set to be a defining year for us, driven by innovation across diverse recycling applications, large-scale global installations, and manufacturing excellence.

Concrete

Technology plays a critical role in achieving our goals

Published

1 month ago

December 24, 2025

admin

Arasu Shanmugam, Director and CEO-India, IFGL, discusses the diversification of the refractory sector into the cement industry with sustainable and innovative solutions, including green refractories and advanced technologies like shotcrete.

Tell us about your company, it being India’s first refractory all Indian MNC.
IFGL Refractories has traditionally focused on the steel industry. However, as part of our diversification strategy, we decided to expand into the cement sector a year ago, offering a comprehensive range of solutions. These solutions cover the entire process, from the preheater stage to the cooler. On the product side, we provide a full range, including alumina bricks, monolithics, castables, and basic refractories.
In a remarkably short span of time, we have built the capability to offer complete solutions to the cement industry using our own products. Although the cement segment is new for IFGL, the team handling this business vertical has 30 years of experience in the cement industry. This expertise has been instrumental in establishing a brand-new greenfield project for alumina bricks, which is now operational. Since production began in May, we are fully booked for the next six months, with orders extending until May 2025. This demonstrates the credibility we have quickly established, driven by our team’s experience and the company’s agility, which has been a core strength for us in the steel industry and will now benefit our cement initiatives.
As a 100 per cent Indian-owned multinational company, IFGL stands out in the refractory sector, where most leading players providing cement solutions are foreign-owned. We are listed on the stock exchange and have a global footprint, including plants in the United Kingdom, where we are the largest refractory producer, thanks to our operations with Sheffield Refractories and Monocon. Additionally, we have a plant in the United States that produces state-of-the-art black refractories for critical steel applications, a plant in Germany providing filtering solutions for the foundry sector, and a base in China, ensuring secure access to high-quality raw materials.
China, as a major source of pure raw materials for refractories, is critical to the global supply chain. We have strategically developed our own base there, ensuring both raw material security and technological advancements. For instance, Sheffield Refractories is a leader in cutting-edge shotcreting technology, which is particularly relevant to the cement industry. Since downtime in cement plants incurs costs far greater than refractory expenses, this technology, which enables rapid repairs and quicker return to production, is a game-changer. Leading cement manufacturers in the country have already expressed significant interest in this service, which we plan to launch in March 2025.
With this strong foundation, we are entering the cement industry with confidence and a commitment to delivering innovative and efficient solutions.
Could you share any differences you’ve observed in business operations between regions like Europe, India, and China? How do their functionalities and approaches vary?
When it comes to business functionality, Europe is unfortunately a shrinking market. There is a noticeable lack of enthusiasm, and companies there often face challenges in forming partnerships with vendors. In contrast, India presents an evolving scenario where close partnerships with vendors have become a key trend. About 15 years ago, refractory suppliers were viewed merely as vendors supplying commodities. Today, however, they are integral to the customer’s value creation chain.
We now have a deep understanding of our customers’ process variations and advancements. This integration allows us to align our refractory solutions with their evolving processes, strengthening our role as a value chain partner. This collaborative approach is a major differentiator, and I don’t see it happening anywhere else on the same scale. Additionally, India is the only region globally experiencing significant growth. As a result, international players are increasingly looking at India as a potential market for expansion. Given this, we take pride in being an Indian company for over four decades and aim to contribute to making Aatma Nirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) a reality.
Moving on to the net-zero mission, it’s crucial to discuss our contributions to sustainability in the cement industry. Traditionally, we focused on providing burnt bricks, which require significant fuel consumption during firing and result in higher greenhouse gas emissions, particularly CO2. With the introduction of Sheffield Refractories’ green technology, we are now promoting the use of green refractories in cement production. Increasing the share of green refractories naturally reduces CO2 emissions per ton of clinker produced.
Our honourable Prime Minister has set the goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070. We are committed to being key enablers of this vision by expanding the use of green refractories and providing sustainable solutions to the cement industry, reducing reliance on burnt refractories.

Technology is advancing rapidly. What role does it play in helping you achieve your targets and support the cement industry?
Technology plays a critical role in achieving our goals and supporting the cement industry. As I mentioned earlier, the reduction in specific refractory consumption is driven by two key factors: refining customer processes and enhancing refractory quality. By working closely as partners with our customers, we gain a deeper understanding of their evolving needs, enabling us to continuously innovate. For example, in November 2022, we established a state-of-the-art research centre in India for IFGL, something we didn’t have before.
The primary objective of this centre is to leverage in-house technology to enhance the utilisation of recycled materials in manufacturing our products. By increasing the proportion of recycled materials, we reduce the depletion of natural resources and greenhouse gas emissions. In essence, our focus is on developing sustainable, green refractories while promoting circularity in our business processes. This multi-faceted approach ensures we contribute to environmental sustainability while meeting the industry’s demands.

Of course, this all sounds promising, but there must be challenges you’re facing along the way. Could you elaborate on those?
One challenge we face is related to India’s mineral resources. For instance, there are oxide deposits in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, but unfortunately, they contain a higher percentage of impurities. On the magnesite side, India has deposits in three regions: Salem in Tamil Nadu, Almora in Uttarakhand, and Jammu. However, these magnesite deposits also have impurities. We believe the government should take up research and development initiatives to beneficiate these minerals, which are abundantly available in India, and make them suitable for producing high-end refractories. This task is beyond the capacity of an individual refractories company and requires focused policy intervention. While the government is undertaking several initiatives, beneficiation of minerals like Indian magnesite and Indian oxide needs to become a key area of focus.
Another crucial policy support we require is recognising the importance of refractories in industrial production. The reality is that without refractories, not even a single kilogram of steel or cement can be produced. Despite this, refractories are not included in the list of core industries. We urge the government to designate refractories as a core industry, which would ensure dedicated focus, including R&D allocations for initiatives like raw material beneficiation. At IFGL, we are taking proactive steps to address some of these challenges. For instance, we own Sheffield Refractories, a global leader in shotcrete technology. We are bringing this technology to India, with implementation planned from March onwards. Additionally, our partnership with Marvel Refractories in China enables us to leverage their expertise in providing high-quality refractories for steel and cement industries worldwide.
While we are making significant efforts at our level, policy support from the government—such as recognising refractories as a core industry and fostering research for local raw material beneficiation—would accelerate progress. This combined effort would greatly enhance India’s capability to produce high-end refractories and meet the growing demands of critical industries.

Could you share your opinion on the journey toward achieving net-zero emissions? How do you envision this journey unfolding?
The journey toward net zero is progressing steadily. For instance, even at this conference, we can observe the commitment as a country toward this goal. Achieving net zero involves having a clear starting point, a defined objective, and a pace to progress. I believe we are already moving at an impressive speed toward realising this goal. One example is the significant reduction in energy consumption per ton of clinker, which has halved over the past 7–8 years—a remarkable achievement.
Another critical aspect is the emphasis on circularity in the cement industry. The use of gypsum, which is a byproduct of the fertiliser and chemical industries, as well as fly ash generated by the power industry, has been effectively incorporated into cement production. Additionally, a recent advancement involves the use of calcined clay as an active component in cement. I am particularly encouraged by discussions around incorporating 12 per cent to 15 per cent limestone into the mix without the need for burning, which does not compromise the quality of the final product. These strategies demonstrate the cement industry’s constructive and innovative approach toward achieving net-zero emissions. The pace at which these advancements are being adopted is highly encouraging, and I believe we are on a fast track to reaching this critical milestone.

– Kanika Mathur

Technology

ARAPL Reports 175% EBITDA Growth, Expands Global Robotics Footprint

Affordable Robotic & Automation posts strong Q2 and H1 FY26 results driven by innovation and overseas orders

Published

4 months ago

October 15, 2025

admin

Affordable Robotic & Automation Limited (ARAPL), India’s first listed robotics firm and a pioneer in industrial automation and smart robotic solutions, has reported robust financial results for the second quarter and half year ended September 30, 2025.
The company achieved a 175 per cent year-on-year rise in standalone EBITDA and strong revenue growth across its automation and robotics segments. The Board of Directors approved the unaudited financial results on October 10, 2025.

Key Highlights – Q2 FY2026
• Strong momentum across core automation and robotics divisions
• Secured the first order for the Atlas AC2000, an autonomous truck loading and unloading forklift, from a leading US logistics player
• Rebranded its RaaS product line as Humro (Human + Robot), symbolising collaborative automation between people and machines
• Expanded its Humro range in global warehouse automation markets
• Continued investment in deep-tech innovations, including AI-based route optimisation, autonomy kits, vehicle controllers, and digital twins
Global Milestone: First Atlas AC2000 Order in the US

ARAPL’s US-based subsidiary, ARAPL RaaS (Humro), received its first order for the next-generation Atlas AC2000 autonomous forklift from a leading logistics company. Following successful prototype trials, the client placed an order for two robots valued at Rs 36 million under a three-year lease. The project opens opportunities for scaling up to 15–16 robots per site across 15 US warehouses within two years.
The product addresses an untapped market of 10 million loading docks across 21,000 warehouses in the US, positioning ARAPL for exponential growth.

Financial Performance – Q2 FY2026 (Standalone)
Net Revenue: Rs 25.7587 million, up 37 per cent quarter-on-quarter
EBITDA: Rs 5.9632 million, up 396 per cent QoQ
Profit Before Tax: Rs 4.3808 million, compared to a Rs 360.46 lakh loss in Q1
Profit After Tax: Rs 4.1854 lakh, representing 216 per cent QoQ growth
On a half-year basis, ARAPL reported a 175 per cent rise in EBITDA and returned to profitability with Rs 58.08 lakh PAT, highlighting strong operational efficiency and improved contribution from core businesses.
Consolidated Performance – Q2 FY2026
Net Revenue: Rs 29.566 million, up 57% QoQ
EBITDA: Rs 6.2608 million, up 418 per cent QoQ
Profit After Tax: Rs 4.5672 million, marking a 224 per cent QoQ improvement

Milind Padole, Managing Director, ARAPL said, “Our Q2 results reflect the success of our innovation-led growth strategy and the growing global confidence in ARAPL’s technology. The Atlas AC2000 order marks a defining milestone that validates our engineering strength and accelerates our global expansion. With a healthy order book and continued investment in AI and autonomous systems, ARAPL is positioned to lead the next phase of intelligent industrial transformation.”
Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Pune, Affordable Robotic & Automation Ltd (ARAPL) delivers turnkey robotic and automation solutions across automotive, general manufacturing, and government sectors. Its offerings include robotic welding, automated inspection, assembly automation, automated parking systems, and autonomous driverless forklifts.
ARAPL operates five advanced plants in Pune spanning 350,000 sq ft, supported by over 400 engineers in India and seven team members in the US. The company also maintains facilities in North Carolina and California, and service centres in Faridabad, Mumbai, and San Francisco.