Economy & Market
Gunning for lower downtime
Published
6 years agoon
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adminFor minimising downtime, techniques like gunning and shotcreting are being adopted, instead of using pre-fired bricks in refractories.
Portland cement manufacturing is an energy intensive operation, and a refractory lining that can withstand high temperatures, alkalinity and corrosive conditions is absolutely essential.
Refractories play a critical role in both the rotary kiln lining, and the lining of the high volume static equipment areas that comprise a modern pre-calciner kiln system. The refractory kiln process involves pyro-processing of raw material, and extremely high temperature in rotary kilns. Often the kiln feeds are alkaline in nature, generate corrosive reactants. Hence the importance of refractories with strong resistance to such characteristics and having robust thermal efficiencies in cement manufacturing. ‘After two years of depressed market, currently refractory market has stabilised a bit and it seems that recovery is underway in 2018,’ says Ish Mohan Garg, Managing Director, Calderys.
While iron and steel industry is the major consumer of refractories with 65-75 per cent share, cement is the second major consumer of the equipment with 10-15 per cent share of total refractory consumed, followed by glass, non-ferrous metals, petrochemicals and hydrocarbons, which also involve high temperature processes.
Imports
About 30 per cent of refractories consumed in India is imported, mostly from China. ‘The primary driver for these imports is the abundant availability of raw material there, especially magnesite. To that extent, we cannot wish away the role of China and this is also the reason why refractory companies have set up plants in China,’ says Sameer Nagpal, CEO, Dalmia-OCL. However, the recent raw material crisis in China provides immense opportunity for India to bolster its domestic refractory industry by allowing it to source and secure raw materials from other countries with zero import duty.
But, certain policy anomalies have to be corrected to achieve this, says Garg. ‘Refractory is essentially a "Make in India" business model where we import raw materials and create value-added products in India. But while import duty on raw material is 5 per cent, that on finished product is 2.5 per cent. This import duty has to be increased to encourage domestic manufacturing activity.’
With India becoming the world’s second largest steel and cement producer, it should also be a leading refractory producer to support these industries. ‘Indian companies have the wherewithal to emerge as a globally competitive player and we are actively pursuing this direction. We are looking at acquisitions in Europe that can help us build scale and access latest technologies,’ says Nagpal.
‘Due to its low-cost and highly skilled workforce, India is a competitive market for refractory manufacturing and is also a sourcing base for Americas and Europe,’ Nagpal adds. Dalmia-OCL has a network spread across different countries and exports constitute 15 per cent of its revenue.
However, Garg differs on competitiveness of the Indian refractory industry. ‘Raw materials being 60-70 per cent of the total cost of refractory makes it difficult for Indian refractory industry to become globally competitive, due to sheer dependence of Indian manufacturers on imported raw materials. As a country, our ability to tap into global/ regional market is very much restricted,’ he points out.
Technology
As cement demand picks up and capacity utilisation goes up, cement manufacturers may want to minimise the downtime for replacing refractory lining. ‘This is giving rise to demand for higher performing bricks with higher life and shorter application time. Techniques like gunning and shotcreting using monolithic refractory, which is in powder form and takes shape after being applied, instead of using pre-fired bricks, is also gaining currency,’ says Nagpal.
Dalmia-OCL has formed a joint venture with a leading European refractory company for bringing to India the latest in gunning and shotcreting products, and is setting up the most modern monolithic plant in Katni, Madhya Pradesh.
Also, Indian cement makers use a lot of alternative fuels, which puts tremendous thermochemical pressure on refractory. Hence second or third generation spinels, hybrid refractories are coming up to take care of the increased thermochemical loads. Another trend is the effort towards reduction of thermal losses by introducing energy-saving refractories. New concepts are also coming up on thermal insulation of pyro system.
In the past, the major focus had been on the kiln performance, primarily productivity but with stricter environmental norm there has been major shift on the cement kiln system refractories too. ‘Well known hexavalent chrome problem associated with Mag Chrome refractories has made them unusable in cement kiln. In the kiln burning zone, Mag Chrome bricks have been substituted by wide range of alternate spinel products, e.g. MagAl, Hercenyte and others like zirconia containing magnesia, etc.,’ says Garg of Calderys.
Ammonia injection, once stricter NOx and SOx norms is implemented, would put significantly more stress on the refractory in the cement kiln system. Refractory manufacturers need to gear up for these upcoming regulatory norms.
Cement kilns in India are virtually being used as incinerator, where pharma and municipal wastes are common feed as fuel. This obviously has changed the kiln operating environment. This has resulted in increased coating build in kiln inlet as well as Spurrite ring formation within the kiln. On many occasions, the clinker is dustier compared to the past. ‘These changes obviously have called for refractories with different features. Incorporation of the requisite features has turned out to be much easier in monolithic, primarily castables, compared to bricks. Against this backdrop, castable in kiln inlet, tip casting, bull nose and cooler bench has become a standard practice. With the advent of shotcrete installation process, for identical castable formulations, faster installation extension of refractory life, by repair, has been possible,’ says Garg.
Boost domestic manufacturing
While emphasising the need to boost local refractory manufacturing, Nagpal of Dalmia-OCL suggested reduction of duties on raw material import; enabling mining policies for minor minerals like bauxite, quartzite, magnesite, etc., which are critical refractory raw materials, to reduce dependence on external sources; and support to refractory and ceramics R&D to boost local innovation, for this purpose.
The primary support from government should be on the following three fronts – ‘technology development, developing young talent and sustainability,’ says Garg of Calderys.
On behalf of IRMA, Calderys has set up Centre of Excellence at IIT BHU aimed at technological advances for making industry globally competitive. ‘We need to accelerate such advances in multiple Institute of repute,’ Garg adds.
For decades, the industry has been dumping used refractory in landfills, however, more sustainable way is to extract key raw materials from the same, use it again for refractory. ‘We trust Government should work with user industry to enable reverse supply chain of used refractory,’ says Garg.
-BS SRINIVASALU REDDY
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We have successfully acquired J.J. Jenkins Inc. a respected name in machine manufacturing for
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In addition, we have formed a strategic Joint Venture with Italy’s O.M.G.M. sas, leading to the
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Mr. R K Lohia, Chairman & Managing Director of Lohia Corp Limited, expressed his enthusiasm
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product offerings and provide our customers with even more choices and will enhance our
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Adani acquires Orient Cement at INR 8,100 crore equity value
Published
1 month agoon
October 22, 2024By
adminAcquisition adds 16.6 MTPA capacity (8.5 MTPA operational, 8.1 MTPA Ready to Execute).
Accelerates Ambuja’s journey to achieve 100+ MTPA operational capacity in FY 25
Provides 6 MTPA potential additional capacity in North India, leveraging OCL’s high quality limestone reserves in Rajasthan
EDITOR’S SYNOPSIS
- Ambuja enters into a binding agreement to acquire 46.8% stake in Orient Cement Ltd (OCL). The acquisition helps to move towards target capacity of 140 MTPA by 2028.
- OCL has an existing 5.6 MTPA clinker and 8.5 MTPA cement operational capacity, 95 MW CPP, 10 MW WHRS, 33 MW Renewable Energy spread across the states of Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra. It improves Adani Group’s market share pan-India by 2% in the cement industry.
- OCL has secured a concession from Madhya Pradesh Power Generating Company Ltd (“MPPGCL”) to set up 2.0 MTPA Cement GU within the premises of Satpura Thermal Power Station in Sarni, MP.
- OCL also has a large high quality limestone mining lease in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, providing the potential to set up additional 6 MTPA capacity in North India.
- The acquisition of OCL complements Ambuja’s existing cement footprint, reducing overall lead distances and logistics costs for the cement business and improving market share in our core markets.
- Acquisition will be funded through internal accruals, Ambuja remains debt free.
Ahmedabad, 22 October 2024: Ambuja Cements, the cement and building material company of Adani Cement and part of the diversified Adani Group, today announced the signing of a binding agreement for the acquisition of Orient Cement Ltd (OCL) at an equity value of Rs. 8,100 crore. Ambuja will acquire 46.8% shares of OCL from its current promoters and certain public shareholders. The acquisition will be fully funded through internal accruals.
“This timed acquisition marks another significant step forward in Ambuja Cements’ accelerated growth journey, increasing cement capacity by ~30 MTPA within two years of Ambuja’s acquisition,” said Mr Karan Adani, Director of Ambuja Cements. “By acquiring OCL, Ambuja is poised to reach 100 MTPA cement capacity in FY 25. The acquisition will help to expand Adani Cement’s presence in core markets and improve its pan-India market share by 2%. OCL’s assets are highly efficient, equipped with railway sidings and well supported by captive power plants, renewable energy, WHRS and AFR facilities. OCL’s strategic locations, high-quality limestone reserves and requisite statutory approvals present an opportunity to increase cement capacity in the near term to 16.6 MTPA.”
Mr CK Birla, Chairman of Orient Cement and the CK Birla Group, said, “The CK Birla Group is continuously reallocating capital to sharpen its focus on consumer centric, technology driven and service-based businesses. I take pride in Orient Cement’s impressive track record of building premium brands and maintaining a leading market share in the geographies it operates in. We are confident that the Adani Group, with its strong focus on cement and infrastructure, is the ideal new owner to drive continued growth at Orient Cement for our people and stakeholders”.
Ms Amita Birla, Co-Chairman, CK Birla Group, added, “Orient Cement has a strong market presence, with sustainability initiatives, particularly in renewable energy, being a significant part of its DNA. I am convinced that Ambuja Cements is the right home for all our colleagues at Orient Cement, as well as our customers.”
OCL has 5.6 MTPA clinker capacity and 8.5 MTPA cement capacity along with statutory clearance to increase the clinker capacity by another 6.0 MTPA and cement capacity by another 8.1 MTPA. In addition, OCL also has a limestone mining lease in Chittorgarh for setting up an Integrated Unit (IU) with clinker of 4 MTPA and a split Grinding Unit (GU) of 6 MTPA in North India. OCL has also secured a concession from MPPGCL, Madhya Pradesh for setting up a Grinding Unit within the premises of Satpura Thermal Power Plant. Both these complement the Adani Group’s existing cement footprint. (Refer Annexure – 1 for OCL’s location wise cement capacity and other assets and Annexure – 2 for Adani Cement’s footprint post-acquisition of OCL.)
OCL has recently commissioned a WHRS in Chittapur IU and is in the final stage of commissioning 16 MW solar in Chittapur and 3.7 MW solar in Jalgaon. OCL’s efficient plants, highly motivated teams, strong balance sheet and well-distributed dealer network will be excellent additions to the Adani Group’s existing cement business. OCL’s existing dealers will move to Adani Cement’s market network, creating formidable synergies.
Ambuja plans to optimize OCL’s overall capacity utilization to enhance its cost and competitiveness and improve its operating performance while leveraging the synergies inherent in the existing cement business.
About Ambuja Cements Ltd (ACL)
Ambuja Cements Ltd is one of India’s leading cement companies and a member of the diversified Adani Group – the largest and fastest growing portfolio of diversified sustainable businesses. Ambuja, with its subsidiaries ACC Ltd, Penna Cement Industries Ltd and Sanghi Industries Ltd, has taken the Adani Group’s cement capacity to 88.9 MTPA, with 20 integrated cement manufacturing plants, 20 cement grinding units and 12 bulk terminals across the country. Ambuja has been recognized among ‘India’s Most Trusted Cement Brand’ by TRA Research in its Brand Trust Report, 2024 and among ‘Iconic Brands of India’ by The Economic Times. Ambuja has provided hassle-free, home-building solutions with its unique sustainable development projects and environment-friendly practices since it started operations. The company has many firsts to its credit – a captive port with six terminals that facilitates timely, cost-effective and cleaner shipments of bulk cement to its customers. Its innovative products like Ambuja Cement, Ambuja Plus, Ambuja Compocem and Ambuja Kawach are now listed in the GRIHA product catalogue. These products not only fulfil important customer needs but also help in significantly reducing their carbon footprints. Being a frontrunner in sustainable business practices, Ambuja Cements ranks among ‘India’s Top 50 companies contributing to inclusive growth’ by SKOCH and ‘India’s Top 50 Most Sustainable Companies’ Cross-Industry by BW Businessworld.
For further information on this release, please contact: roy.paul@adani.com
Annexure -1 | Existing Cement Assets of Orient Cement Limited
Plant | Clinker
(MTPA) |
Cement
(MTPA) |
CPP/WHRS/Solar | Railway Siding |
Devapur IU, Telangana | 3.5 | 3.5 | CPP – 50 MW | Yes |
Chittapur IU, Karnataka | 2.1 | 3.0 | CPP – 45 MW
WHRS – 10 MW Solar – 16 MW* |
Yes |
Jalgaon GU, Maharashtra | – | 2.0 | Solar – 13.5 MW+
3.7 MW* |
Yes |
Operational Capacity | 5.6 | 8.5 |
* capacity is in commissioning stage
Annexure – 2 | Footprint of Adani Group – Cement business post OCL Acquisition
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Fornnax Announces a Major Launch With Sr Max Series: Sr-max2500 Primary Shredder a Revolutionary and Game-changer
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The launch was held IFAT India 2024, a most prestigious event in the waste management industry, on October 16th, 2024, at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai.
Fornnax’s successful track record of developing many proven machines for different types of tires, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, which are the most difficult applications has made them a pioneer in the shredding and recycling equipment manufacturing global market over the decade now. The design of the SR-Series machine, a legacy that has prevailed for over a decade, continues to be used in the design of SR-MAX series machines. The advanced SR-MAX2500 shredder features high capacity, modern engineering, and innovative technology.
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Mr Manoj Kumar Sure, JK Cement Head AFR; Mr Manoj Kumar Modha, Director of Millennium Multi Trade Pvt. Ltd.
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