Economy & Market

Ready to Roll

Published

7 years ago

January 2, 2019

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Ready-mix concrete segment is banking on the government’s environmental initiatives to take off from the present level of activity in a big way.

The construction industry has a significant role in the India’s development and it contributes about 8-10 per cent to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country on an average. There are issues like scarcity of labourers, particularly skilled ones, in typical construction sites. In smaller towns, people use site mixes, resulting in cement and dust pollution in the locality. The pollution control agencies becoming stringent and are not allowing one to conduct site mixes enables ready-mix concrete (RMC) units to proliferate, but only in urban areas.

They are yet to make their presence felt in the construction sites in semi-urban and rural areas, where the people are not apprised of the benefits of RMCs yet.

Developing nations like India need to have faster construction with high quality assurance, durability and a pollution-free environment, which can be achieved only with RMC.

Given the government’s thrust towards infrastructure development and housing for all initiatives in the recent years, construction activity is expected to pick up pace in the times to come. Even the low per capital consumption of cement in the country at 180 kg per annum, with concrete accounting for 60 kg, is giving hope that the RMC industry has a lot of scope to expand from the present level. Per capita cement consumption in China is close to 2,000 kg per person per annum.

Capacity
The cumulative current RMC capacity is estimated at 60,000 cu.m/hr, with a relatively comparative spread of commercial and dedicated batching plants across India. RMC demand also has increased at a CAGR of 4-5 per cent," says Atul Desai is ED & CEO of Prism Johnson (RMC India Division). However, owing to inadequate awareness and soft government norms, conversion from site mix is at a very negligible pace especially in small towns and rural areas.

The RMC segment is concentrated in a few urban pockets of the country. Mumbai and Delhi alone constitute close to 45-50 per cent of total consumption in West and North respectively, whereas Bengaluru and Hyderabad put together constitute about 45 per cent of total consumption in South. Going further, tier-II and tier-III cities may catch up soon, and the concentration of capacities is expected to gradually rise in such cities too.

Key demand centres of western and southern regions are the most favourable markets for RMC business. Mumbai, Nagpur from West and Chennai, Hyderabad and Amravati from southern region are among the top ranked cities for RMC business attractiveness.

Mumbai leads the city-wise attractiveness list. Construction of multiple metro rail corridors, coastal road, trans harbour sea link and Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway to name a few projects may boost RMC demand in times to come, says Desai.

Market size
Overall economic slowdown since 2017 impacted commercial and industrial construction, combined with sluggish residential real estate activity and resulted in moderate rise in RMC market at an average of 4-5 per cent to reach an estimated Rs 215 billion (58 million cubic meters) in 2015-16, from Rs 184 billion (50 million cubic meters) in 2012-13. "This growth is anticipated to increase to 6-8 per cent CAGR touching close to Rs 300 billion (81 million cubic meters) by 2020-21. The growth in RMC demand may be primarily attributed to government-infused spending in infrastructure and expected demand from affordable housing," says Desai.

Real estate currently accounts for 60-65 per cent of RMC consumption with residential real estate occupying the majority share of 38-42 per cent. Further, while infrastructure constitutes about 32-35 per cent of RMC demand, industrial and commercial construction constituted about 26-28 per cent of the total RMC consumption in 2016-17.

Growth projections
RMC penetration, measured as the proportion of cement consumed in commercial RMC to total cement consumption in India, is expected to increase to 10 per cent by 2020-21 from the current 7 per cent on the back of healthy demand growth, increased usage in infrastructure projects and penetration of RMC plants in tier-II/ tier-III cities, consistent quality requirements, stringent project timeline, and higher focus on safety and quality norms amongst others, says Desai. RMC penetration in India has gradually risen with increasing acceptability and usage of higher grade of concrete; however, the current levels are very low compared to other developed economies such as USA, Europe and China where it is above 65-70 per cent. The biggest demand drivers for the country’s RMC and batching plant segments will be the government’s large-scale infrastructure and housing for all scheme. These infrastructure projects include the Bharatmala Pariyojana, Sagarmala, the Smart Cities Mission and the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, and affordable housing. The government initiatives on the dedicated freight corridors have also provided opportunities for setting up new RMC plants across the country. With rapid urbanisation, the Indian construction industry has witnessed a major move towards complex architectural structures in commercial buildings, elevated driveways, coastal highways, bullet trains, etc., which may further fuel the demand for high performance concrete.

Organised segment
In fact, this industry is quite fragmented with unorganised segment cornering a major share of the cake. The top five RMC players are holding a market share of close to 35-40 per cent. And rest of the concrete requirement is being fulfilled by local players, said an industry source.

Majority forward integrated players with nation-wide business reach constitute organised segment, which maintains high standards of products, backed by accredited laboratories and research and development.

"Whereas, unorganised players are the local standalone ones, who cater to regional demand with smaller capacities thriving on moderate profitability. Prices are generally lower and product offerings are standard replicated ones. Desired standards and quality are rarely implemented. Safety is a big concern. Grades widely used are replicated and on-the-job training is usually carried out," says Desai.

A lot of regulations and structural changes like implementation of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA), and GST that have happened in the recent past will encourage the industry to continue its growth streak. So, there is going to be much more level-playing field for major players as well. However, Desai feels that proactive measures from the government like setting stringent and well-defined QA/QC and safety norms to discourage site mix, single window clearance for RMCs and designated green zones for RMCS in urban centres would go a long way in increasing the growth of RMCs in future.

– BS SRINIVASALU REDDY

Economy & Market

TSR Will Define Which Cement Companies Win India’s Net-Zero Race

Published

3 days ago

April 27, 2026

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Jignesh Kundaria, Director and CEO, Fornnax Technology

India is simultaneously grappling with two crises: a mounting waste emergency and an urgent need to decarbonise its most carbon-intensive industries. The cement sector, the second-largest in the world and the backbone of the nation’s infrastructure ambitions, sits at the centre of both. It consumes enormous quantities of fossil fuel, and it has the technical capacity to consume something else entirely: the waste our cities cannot get rid of.

According to CPCB and NITI Aayog projections, India generates approximately 62.4 million tonnes of municipal solid waste annually, with that figure expected to reach 165 million tonnes by 2030. Much of this waste is energy-rich and non-recyclable. At the same time, cement kilns operate at material temperatures of approximately 1,450 degrees Celsius, with gas temperatures reaching 2,000 degrees. This high-temperature environment is ideal for co-processing, ensuring the complete thermal destruction of organic compounds without generating toxic residues. The physics are in our favour. The infrastructure is not.

Pre-processing is not the support act for co-processing. It is the main event. Get the particle size wrong, get the moisture wrong, get the calorific value wrong and your kiln thermal stability will suffer the consequences.

The Regulatory Push Is Real

The Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules 2026 mandate that cement plants progressively replace solid fossil fuels with Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF), starting at a 5 per cent baseline and scaling to 15 per cent within six years. NITI Aayog’s 2026 Roadmap for Cement Sector Decarbonisation targets 20 to 25 per cent Thermal Substitution Rate (TSR) by 2030. Beyond compliance, every tonne of coal replaced by RDF generates measurable carbon reductions which is monetisable under India’s emerging Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS). TSR is no longer a sustainability metric. It is a financial lever.

Yet our own field assessments across multiple Indian cement plants reveal a sobering reality: the primary barrier to scaling AFR adoption is not waste availability. It is the fragmented and under-engineered pre-processing ecosystem that sits between the waste and the kiln.

Why Indian Waste Is a Different Engineering Problem

Indian municipal solid waste is not the material that imported shredding equipment was designed for. Our waste streams frequently exceed 40 per cent to 50 per cent moisture content, particularly during monsoon cycles, saturated with abrasive inerts including sand, glass, and stone. Plants relying on imported OEM equipment face months of downtime awaiting proprietary spare parts. Machines built for segregated, low-moisture waste fail quickly and disrupt the entire pre-processing operation in Indian conditions.

The two most common failures we observe are what I call the biting teeth problem and the chewing teeth problem. Plants relying solely on a primary shredder reduce bulk waste to large fractions, but the output remains too coarse for stable kiln combustion. Others attempt to use a secondary shredder as a standalone unit without a primary stage to pre-size the feed, leading to catastrophic mechanical failure. When both stages are present but mismatched in throughput capacity, the system becomes a bottleneck. Achieving the 40 to 70 tonnes per hour required for meaningful coal displacement demands a precisely coordinated two-stage process.

Engineering a Made-in-India Answer

At Fornnax, our response to these challenges is grounded in one principle: Indian waste demands Indian engineering. Our systems are built around feedstock homogeneity, the holy grail of kiln stability. Consistent particle size and predictable calorific value are the foundation of stable kiln combustion. Without them, no TSR target is achievable at scale.

Our SR-MAX2500 Dual Shaft Primary Shredder (Hydraulic Drive) processes raw, baled, or loosely mixed MSW, C&I waste, bulky waste, and plastics, reducing them to approximately 150 mm fractions at throughputs of up to 40 tonnes per hour. The R-MAX 3300 Single Shaft Secondary Shredder (Hydraulic Drive), introduced in 2025, takes that primary output and produces RDF fractions in the 30 to 80 mm range at up to 30 tonnes per hour, specifically optimised for consistent kiln feeding. We have also introduced electric drive configurations under the SR-100 HD series, with capacities between 5 and 40 tonnes per hour, already operational at a leading Indian waste-processing facility.

Looking ahead, Fornnax is expanding its portfolio with the upcoming SR-MAX3600 Hydraulic Drive primary shredder at up to 70 tonnes per hour and the R-MAX2100 Hydraulic drive secondary shredder at up to 20 tonnes per hour, designed specifically for the large-scale throughput that higher TSR ambitions require.

The Investment Case Is Now

The 2070 Net-Zero target is not a distant goal for India’s cement sector. It starts today, with decisions being made on the plant floor.

The SWM Rules 2026 are already in effect, requiring cement plants to replace coal with RDF. Carbon credit markets are opening up, and coal prices are not going to get cheaper. Every tonne of coal a cement plant replaces with waste-derived fuel saves money on one side and generates carbon credit revenue on the other. Pre-processing infrastructure is no longer just a compliance requirement. It is a business investment with a measurable return.

The good news is that nothing is missing. The technology works. The waste is available in every Indian city. The government has provided the policy direction. The only thing standing between where the industry is today and where it needs to be is the commitment to build the right infrastructure.

The cement companies that move now will not just meet the regulations. They will be ahead of every competitor that waits.

About The Author

Jignesh Kundaria is the Director and CEO of Fornnax Technology. Over an experience spanning more than two decades in the recycling industry, he has established himself as one of India’s foremost voices on waste-to-fuel technology and alternative fuel infrastructure.

Concrete

WCA Welcomes SiloConnect as associate corporate member

Published

3 weeks ago

April 13, 2026

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The World Cement Association (WCA) has announced SiloConnect as its newest associate corporate member, expanding its network of technology providers supporting digitalisation in the cement industry. SiloConnect offers smart sensor technology that provides real-time visibility of cement inventory levels at customer silos, enabling producers to monitor stock remotely and plan deliveries more efficiently. The solution helps companies move from reactive to proactive logistics, improving delivery planning, operational efficiency and safety by reducing manual inspections. The technology is already used by major cement producers such as Holcim, Cemex and Heidelberg Materials and is deployed across more than 30 countries worldwide.

Concrete

TotalEnergies and Holcim Launch Floating Solar Plant in Belgium

Published

3 weeks ago

April 13, 2026

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TotalEnergies and Holcim have commissioned a floating solar power plant in Obourg, Belgium, built on a rehabilitated former chalk quarry that has been converted into a lake. The project has a generation capacity of 31 MW and produces around 30 GWh of renewable electricity annually, which will be used to power Holcim’s nearby industrial operations. The project is currently the largest floating solar installation in Europe dedicated entirely to industrial self-consumption. To ensure minimal impact on the surrounding landscape, more than 700 metres of horizontal directional drilling were used to connect the solar installation to the electrical substation. The project reflects ongoing collaboration between the two companies to support industrial decarbonisation through renewable energy solutions and innovative infrastructure development.