Connect with us

Concrete

Concrete: Potential to grow

Published

7 years ago

on

Shares

No wonder, India’s concrete industry is a vital part of our economy, directly and indirectly. India has a lot of potential for development in the infrastructure and construction sector and the concrete sector is expected to largely benefit from it.

The beauty of cement is that it is always converted into value added products, and standalone use of cement is very rare. The first major value addition of cement is concrete, which is a heterogeneous mixture of different components where cement plays role of a gum. Sand and stone chips are a few other important ingredients of concrete. Sand sources across globe are depleting fast and therefore engineering community had to find an alternative and it is manufactured sand.

Ready-mix concrete is just an extension of concrete. Globally, the ready-mix concrete market is anticipated to register a CAGR of 8 per cent during the period 2017-2023. The manufacturing of ready-mix concrete and delivering it through a transit mixer allows the integration of precise concrete in construction, thus making it strong, sturdy and long lasting.

Considering the global scenario, the Asia Pacific region is estimated to acquire the major share in the global market and is predicted to retain its dominance in the long run. It is due to the rising number of latest infrastructural projects especially in economies like Singapore, India, Thailand, and China. With the rapid urbanisation and industrialisation in these areas, the market is anticipated to flourish. Moreover, the ever-increasing population, favourable government policies, high availability of skilled workforce and cheap resources, and low labour and operational costs are contributing to the market growth.

The advent of new infrastructure construction projects is also estimated to generate an inflated demand for the ready-mix concrete market. In this region, China has accounted for the lion’s share, owing to the refurbishment and expansion of old structures like railway terminals, and airports, along with the implementation of novel infrastructural projects. India is also considered as a driving cause for the market owing to the development of smart cities.

The worldwide cement production is 4.1 billion metric tonnes (2018). Assuming 75 per cent of cement is used in concrete, we can imagine the quantum of concrete produced considering typically 300 kg of cement is consumed per cubic meter.

Concrete products are often the most sustainable and have the potential for a very long service life, but because concrete is used in large quantities, its use does have a global impact.

It is interesting to know, though ready-mix concrete was patented in the year 1903, it really took off somewhere around 1960s. It gained momentum with fast-track projects where investments done were the key issue and time to complete the projects was critical. There have been many advantages of using ready-mix concrete.

Quality of concrete produced at plant is much superior to what is produced at site. There is strict control over the testing of materials, process parameters and continuous monitoring of key practices during the manufacture. Speed in the construction practices followed in ready-mix concrete plant is followed continuously by having mechanised operations. The output obtained from a site mix concrete plant using an 8/12 mixer is 4 to 5 metric cubes per hour, which is 30-60 metric cubes per hour in a ready mix concrete plant. The other advantage, cement is saved and the dust caused is reduced as ready mix concrete makes use of bulk cement instead of bags of cement. There is saving of cement on account of use of cementious materials like fly ash and slag. The other major benefit is the engineer at site is able to concentrate on engineering jobs than paying attention to material procurement and material management. There is less dependency on human labour, which leads to less of errors.

The major disadvantage of ready mixed concrete is the traffic congestions during the movement of transit of concrete can result in setting of concrete. This will hence require addition of admixtures to delay the setting period. In our country, we have additional tax on ready-mix concrete which when produced manually at site is not levied. One of the major cost components in ready-mix concrete is the transport cost, which is close to 30-35 per cent of the realisation, which is quite significant. Today ready mix business faces many challenges. The major one is shortage of sand and aggregates. The other is fulfilment of environment regulations. The citizens becoming more aware of their rights sometimes lead to conflict of interest. All of sudden the concrete producer gets a closure notice.

Precast
Precast is corollary to ready-mix concrete (For more details on precast, read Devendra Kumar Pandey’s interview in this issue). It is difficult to imagine precast factory without using a batching plant to produce concrete. The list of products coming under precast is pretty long starting from normal covers, lamp poles, railway sleepers, ready to use fence, doors and window frames, decorative facades, stair case, water tanks, toilets etc. The number of metro railway projects undergoing are using many precast shapes in the job. Precast products are factory made shapes and then transported to the locations whereas cast in situ concrete shapes are cast at locations in one monolith piece.

Precast shapes are cast in small shapes and then bolted together. It is a technology used for producing large number of pieces repeatedly. Therefore it is often used for mass housing projects. Typically in mass housing, a factory is set up close to a site, and different sections of house are produced and then assembled at location. In case if cast shapes have to be transported to a distance then precast may not turn out to be a cost-effective option. This enhances the speed of construction. Same is the case of railway sleepers. The Department of Railways have set up sleeper factories at various locations where rail tracks are being laid. Sometime special equipment are required for erection of precast shapes at site and which may be little expensive. Joining different precast shapes is another vulnerable area in precast construction. In case if cast shapes have to be transported to a distance then precast may not turn out to be a cost effective option.

In short, concrete provides us immense opportunities and imagination to make effective use of the man-made material.

VIKAS DAMLE

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Concrete

Cement Margins Seen Rising 12–18 per cent in FY26

Healthy demand and GST cut to boost cement profits per tonne.

Published

13 hours ago

on

September 29, 2025

By

Shares
Cement companies’ operating profit for fiscal year 2026 (FY26) is projected to grow by 12–18 per cent, reaching Rs 900–950 per metric tonne (MT), supported by robust demand, improved realisations, and stable input costs, according to ratings agency Icra.
In FY25, operating profit before interest, depreciation, tax and amortisation (OPBIDTA) stood at Rs 806 per MT, declining 16 per cent year-on-year due to weak realisations amid an extended monsoon and subdued government capital expenditure during the general elections.
Icra’s sample covers ACC, Ambuja Cements, JK Cements, JK Lakshmi Cement, The Ramco Cements, UltraTech Cement, Dalmia Bharat, Birla Corporation, Shree Cement, Sagar Cements, and Heidelberg Cement India, which together account for 74 per cent of industry capacity.
The recent GST cut on cement is expected to lower rural housing construction costs by 0.8–1.0 per cent, boosting volumes and supporting additional capacity. Average cement realisations are expected to rise 3–5 per cent in FY26.
Cement volumes increased by 8.5 per cent in the first five months of FY26, driven by strong demand from housing and infrastructure projects, despite early monsoons in some regions. During this period, cement prices rose 7.4 per cent year-on-year, particularly in northern and eastern markets. Input costs, especially for pet coke and freight, remain sensitive to global crude price movements and geopolitical factors.
Anupama Reddy, vice-president and co-group head of corporate ratings at Icra, said: “With the GST rate cut from 28 per cent to 18 per cent expected to be passed on to consumers, the average retail price of cement, currently Rs 350–360 per bag, will offer savings of Rs 26–28 per bag. Driven by strong demand, capacity additions may rise to 41–43 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) in FY26 from 31 MMTPA in FY25, with the eastern region leading the growth in grinding capacity.”

Continue Reading

Concrete

Adani’s Strategic Emergence in India’s Cement Landscape

Published

2 weeks ago

on

September 16, 2025

By

Shares

Milind Khangan, Marketing Head, Vertex Market Research, sheds light on Adani’s rapid cement consolidation under its ‘One Business, One Company’ strategy while positioning it to rival UltraTech, and thus, shaping a potential duopoly in India’s booming cement market.

India is the second-largest cement-producing country in the world, following China. This expansion is being driven by tremendous public investment in the housing and infrastructure sectors. The industry is accelerating, with a boost from schemes such as PM Gati Shakti, Bharatmala, and the Vande Bharat corridors. An upsurge in affordable housing under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) further supports this expansion. In May 2025, local cement production increased about 9 per cent from last year to about 40 million metric tonnes for the month. The combined cement capacity in India was recorded at 670 million metric tonnes in the 2025 fiscal year, according to the Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA). For the financial year 2026, this is set to grow by another 9 per cent.
In spite of the growing demand, the Indian cement industry is highly competitive. UltraTech Cement (Aditya Birla Group) is still the market leader with domestic installed capacity of more than 186 MTPA as on 2025. It is targeted to achieve 200 MTPA. Adani Cement recently became a major player and is now India’s second-largest cement company. It did this through aggressive consolidation, operational synergies, and scale efficiencies. Indian players in the cement industry are increasingly valuing operational efficiency and sustainability. Some of the strategies with high impact are alternative fuels and materials (AFR) adoption, green cement expansion, and digital technology investments to offset changing regulatory pressure and increasing energy prices.

Building Adani Cement brand
Vertex Market Research explains that the Adani Group is executing a comprehensive reorganisation and consolidation of its cement business under the ‘One Business, One Company’ strategy. The plan is to integrate its diversified holdings into one consolidated corporate entity named Adani Cement. The focus is on operating integration, governance streamlining, and cost reduction in its expanding cement business.
Integration roadmap and key milestones:

  • September 2022: The consolidation process started with the $6.4 billion buyout of Holcim’s majority stakes in Ambuja Cements and ACC, with Ambuja becoming the focal point of the consolidation.
  • December 2023: Bought Sanghi Industries to strengthen the firm’s presence in western India.
  • August 2024: Added Penna Cement to the portfolio, improving penetration of the southern market of India.
  • April 2025: Further holding addition in Orient Cement to 46.66 per cent by purchasing the same from CK Birla Group, becoming the promoter with control.
  • Ambuja Cements amalgamated with Adani Cement: This was sanctioned by the NCLT on 18th July 2025 with effect from April 1, 2024. This amalgamation brings in limestone reserves and fresh assets into Ambuja.
  • Subject to Sanghi and Penna merger with Ambuja: Board approvals in December 2024 with the aim to finish between September to December 2025.
  • Ambuja-ACC future integration: The latter is being contemplated as the final step towards consolidation.
  • Orient Cement: It would serve as a principal manufacturing facility following the merger.

Scale, capacity expansion and market position
In financial year-2025, Adani Cement, including Ambuja, surpassed 100 MTPA. This makes it one of the world’s top ten cement companies. Along with ACC’s operations, it is now firmly placed as India’s second-largest cement company. In FY25, the Adani group’s sales volume per annum clocked 65 million metric tonnes. Adani Group claims that it now supplies close to 30 per cent of the cement consumed in India’s homes and infrastructure as of June 2025.
The organisation is pursuing aggressive brownfield expansion:

  • By FY 2026: Reach 118 MTPA
  • By FY 2028: Target 140 MTPA

These goals will be driven by commissioning new clinker and grinding units at key sites, with civil and mechanical works underway.
As of 2024, Adani Cement had its market share pegged at around 14 to 15 per cent, with an ambition to scale this up to 20 per cent by FY?2028, emerging as a potent competitor to UltraTech’s 192?MTPA capacity (186 domestic and overseas).

Strategic advantages and competitive benefits
The consolidation simplifies decision-making by reducing legal entities, centralising oversight, and removing redundant functions. This drives compliance efficiency and transparent reporting. Using procurement power for raw materials and energy lowers costs per ton. Integrated logistics with Adani Ports and freight infrastructure has resulted in an estimated 6 per cent savings in logistics. The group aims for additional savings of INR 500 to 550 per tonne by FY 2028 by integrating green energy, using alternative fuel resources, and improving sourcing methods.

Market coverage and brand consistency
Brand integration under one strategy will provide uniform product quality and easier distribution networks. Integration with Orient Cement’s dealer base, 60 per cent of which already distributes Ambuja/ACC products, enhances outreach and responsiveness.
By having captive limestone reserves at Lakhpat (approximately 275 million tonnes) and proposed new manufacturing facilities in Raigad, Maharashtra, Adani Cement derives cost advantage, raw material security, and long-term operational robustness.

Strategic implications and risks
Consolidation at Adani Cement makes it not just a capacity leader but also an operationally agile competitor with the ability to reap digital and sustainability benefits. Its vertically integrated platform enables cost leadership, market responsiveness, and scalability.

Challenges potentially include:

  • Integration challenges across systems, corporate cultures, and plant operations
  • Regulatory sanctions for pending mergers and new capacity additions
  • Environmental clearances in environmentally sensitive areas and debt management with input price volatility

When materialised, this revolution would create a formidable Adani–UltraTech duopoly, redefining Indian cement on the basis of scale, innovation, and sustainability. India’s leading four cement players such as Adani (ACC and Ambuja), Dalmia Cement, Shree Cement, and UltraTech are expected to dominate the cement market.

Conclusion
Adani’s aggressive consolidation under the ‘One Business, One Company’ strategy signals a decisive shift in the Indian cement industry, positioning the group as a formidable challenger to UltraTech and setting the stage for a potential duopoly that could dominate the sector for years to come. By unifying operations, leveraging economies of scale, and securing vertical integration—from raw material reserves to distribution networks—Adani Cement is building both capacity and resilience, with clear advantages in cost efficiency, market reach, and sustainability. While integration complexities, regulatory hurdles, and environmental approvals remain key challenges, the scale and strategic alignment of this consolidation promise to redefine competition, pricing dynamics, and operational benchmarks in one of the world’s fastest-growing cement markets.

About the author:
Milind Khangan is the Marketing Head at Vertex Market Research and comes with over five years of experience in market research, lead generation and team management.

Continue Reading

Concrete

Precision in Motion: A Deep Dive into PowerBuild’s Core Gear Series

Published

1 month ago

on

August 16, 2025

By

Shares

PowerBuild’s flagship Series M, C, F, and K geared motors deliver robust, efficient, and versatile power transmission solutions for industries worldwide.

Products – M, C, F, K: At the heart of every high-performance industrial system lies the need for robust, reliable, and efficient power transmission. PowerBuild answers this need with its flagship geared motor series: M, C, F, and K. Each series is meticulously engineered to serve specific operational demands while maintaining the universal promise of durability, efficiency, and performance.
Series M – Helical Inline Geared Motors: Compact and powerful, the Series M delivers exceptional drive solutions for a broad range of applications. With power handling up to 160kW and torque capacity reaching 20,000 Nm, it is the trusted solution for industries requiring quiet operation, high efficiency, and space-saving design. Series M is available with multiple mounting and motor options, making it a versatile choice for manufacturers and OEMs globally.
Series C – Right Angled Heli-Worm Geared Motors: Combining the benefits of helical and worm gearing, the Series C is designed for right-angled power transmission. With gear ratios of up to 16,000:1 and torque capacities of up to 10,000 Nm, this series is optimal for applications demanding precision in compact spaces. Industries looking for a smooth, low-noise operation with maximum torque efficiency rely on Series C for dependable performance.
Series F – Parallel Shaft Mounted Geared Motors: Built for endurance in the most demanding environments, Series F is widely adopted in steel plants, hoists, cranes, and heavy-duty conveyors. Offering torque up to 10,000 Nm and high gear ratios up to 20,000:1, this product features an integral torque arm and diverse output configurations to meet industry-specific challenges head-on.
Series K – Right Angle Helical Bevel Geared Motors: For industries seeking high efficiency and torque-heavy performance, Series K is the answer. This right-angled geared motor series delivers torque up to 50,000 Nm, making it a preferred choice in core infrastructure sectors such as cement, power, mining, and material handling. Its flexibility in mounting and broad motor options offer engineers’ freedom in design and reliability in execution.
Together, these four series reflect PowerBuild’s commitment to excellence in mechanical power transmission. From compact inline designs to robust right-angle drives, each geared motor is a result of decades of engineering innovation, customer-focused design, and field-tested reliability. Whether the requirement is speed control, torque multiplication, or space efficiency, Radicon’s Series M, C, F, and K stand as trusted powerhouses for global industries.

Continue Reading

Trending News