Economy & Market

Prices to remain range bound in FY19

Published

8 years ago

May 31, 2018

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The cement industry is gasping for higher revenues. The industry, which has already been reeling under price pressures with most of the major players focusing on volume growth, is facing the challenge of rising costs, thus making a case for hiking prices. But many analysts are of the view that the industry has to wait till the unseason – rainy season – is over, even if they want to do so.
Cement prices have remained range bound in the past four years. They are mainly driven by regional capacity, utilization levels and demand within the region. Pricing scenario in FY18 was soft as all-India average realisation did not witness any improvement. Meanwhile, CARE Ratings in its annual review pegged the cement price hover in the range of 5 per cent either way from Rs 317/50 kg bag post GST over FY19 (2018-19), indicating that the price is unlikely to spike from the present standpoint.
"Prices are expected to remain range bound and may fall further with addition of new capacity especially in the Southern region. We expect the all-India prices to remain in the range of Rs. 317 (+/- 5% per bag post GST) during the year," said Madan Sabnavis, Chief Economist, CARE Ratings, in his long term forecast in the report released early May 2018.
On the other hand, input prices rose, particularly petcoke and diesel prices, besides logistics costs. A persistent spike in petcoke and diesel prices remains a major headwind for the industry. "Having surged by ~22-25 per cent in FY18, petcoke prices continued to move northwards till date in FY19. Industry’s power and fuel cost and freight cost together surged by ~Rs200-300/tonne in last one year. We believe cement industry is unlikely to witness any meaningful reduction in fuel prices in FY19E. Hence, realisation improvement is the prime way to support profitability," says Binod Kumar Modi – Senior Analyst – Reliance Securities, in response to a query.
Region-wise, CARE Ratings sees, Western and Eastern regions with favourable demand continue to record higher price for cement. These regions are driven by demand from infrastructure, housing and commercial real estate.
However, Sabnavis says, "Southern region with the highest installed cement capacity in the country (approx. 158MnMT) continued to witness lowest cement prices." Overall capacity utilization in the Southern region has been in the range of 55-57% post-2014. The same could be attributed to lower than expected growth in demand from housing and infrastructure development in the region. Additionally, eastern region witnessed considerable capacity addition, making it self-sufficient, which was previously met by supply from the southern region. The prices in Southern region are expected to remain subdued over the next 12-18 months. The prices would strengthen once capacity utilization moves above 60%.
Coming to the short-term trends, Vivek Maheshwari, Investment Analyst from the leading investment house CLSA, says, "Channel checks indicate that market share remains a focus for players and has impacted cement prices in most regions, with the exception of a few states. As a result, the price hikes of April and May have largely been reversed, with prices back to March levels in several markets."
In April 2018, rising demand resulted in an increase in cement prices in the Ahmedabad and Hyderabad markets by Rs 20/bag and Rs 10/bag respectively in April 2018 on an M-o-M basis. However, rising supplies resulted in prices remaining range-bound in the Kolkata market.
"There are pockets where the industry is trying to raise prices but dealer feedback is that a ‘real’ hike may only be visible post-monsoon," Maheshwari adds. Thus, margin-accretive cement pricing is still eluding this core industry.

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.