Concrete

Significant growth in the offing

Published

8 years ago

January 9, 2019

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Mohammed Ismail, DGM Process, Bharathi Cement, speaks on the challeneges faced by refractories in India.

As a global player, what are the efficiency improvements that you observed in your products after the adaptation of refractory?
The use of refractories help in many ways in the cement industries, first and foremost it gives good life, it helps avoid unscheduled stoppages of the plant etc. So the selection of the refractory is very important to maximise the benefits. That is where we give more importance and in our plant we have been using magnesia bricks in the kiln (rich alumina content). Preheated area is one of the critical areas and that is were we have used refractories and that helped us to achieve temperatures at 1100 degree centigrade. The high alumina content that are used helped us achieve this temperature levels. It has given us a good life of 5-6 years.

The adaptations we are basically dependant on the imports. How do you see the domestic supply shaping up?
Domestic supply, especially we have been habituated to high alumina content bricks. Refractories can be divided into two parts- one is bricks, and another is monolithic castable. If we take the use of bricks, we have been using basic bricks.As basic bricks have high CCS (Cold Crushing Strength) will be higher, and it sustain in very high temperature. Along with the selection of the fuels or alternative fuels, the type of refractory to be used has also been selected. To cite an example, we use high intensive temperature producing coke as a fuel. Basic brinks are one and the same as the alumina bricks which are produced by moulding only. When installed in our kilns, the temperature can go up to around 1,500-1,600 degree centigrade. At the same time, the flame temperature will be higher than these temperatures levels. So to withstand this, we have introduced refractory.

Second part is what we call as the monolithic castable. Apart from the kiln, these are being used. We are having multi-stream – double stream preheated systems. Triple stream preheated, with six stages with a height of around 180 m. This is divided into six stages. The hot metal move from top to bottom and the cold moves from bottom to top, thus the heat exchange takes place.

As a global player you have seen the adaptation in many countries and then in India. What do you think are the challenges faced in India?
When we depend on imports the major challenge is the lead time is very hig, which is anywhere between four to six months. But if domestic supply is available then the materials can be procured within two to three weeks. Unfortunately, we are still majorly depend on imports in refractories. We are yet to see quality suppliers in the domestic market. Knowing the quality, the cement players still prefer importing.

For refractories, steel is one of the major consumers followed by chemical industry, Cement probably is a small faction. What is the demand growth for next 2-3 years?
There is high demand expected for cement as a segment is expected with the infrastructure growth push from the government. There is more concentration on developing alternative fuels also in the offing. These alternative fuels are having a very high impact on the refractory also. And cement would be one segment that can implement the alternative fuels adaptation.So there is space for significant for refractory in India.

– liza V

Concrete

JSW Cement Commissions 1 MTPA Unit in Rajasthan

Rajasthan grinding capacity rises to 3.50 MTPA after commissioning

Published

3 days ago

October 9, 2026

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JSW Cement has commissioned an additional 1 MTPA cement grinding unit in Nagaur, Rajasthan, taking the company’s total cement grinding capacity to 25.1 MTPA. The commissioning was announced on Tuesday, October 6.

The company said the new unit had increased the total cement grinding capacity at its Rajasthan plant to 3.50 MTPA. The expansion adds to JSW Cement’s production infrastructure as it continues to build capacity across its operating network.

The company’s total clinker manufacturing capacity, including capacity at its joint venture JSW Cement FZC, stands at 9.74 MTPA. Clinker is an intermediate material used in cement production, and its availability supports the company’s grinding operations.

JSW Cement is also pursuing a proposed merger of its listed subsidiary Shiva Cement with the company. The scheme, approved by the boards of the respective companies, involves issuing five fully paid-up JSW Cement equity shares for every 41 shares held by Shiva Cement shareholders other than JSW Cement.

The arrangement remains subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals. JSW Cement currently holds 66.23 per cent of Shiva Cement’s paid-up equity share capital, and the shares held by JSW Cement in the subsidiary will be cancelled under the proposal without any issue of JSW Cement shares against that holding.

The scheme has an appointed date of April 1, 2026, and the company has indicated that completion could take 12 to 14 months, depending on the receipt of approvals. These include clearances from stock exchanges, the Securities and Exchange Board of India, the National Company Law Tribunal and other applicable authorities, along with approvals from shareholders and creditors where required. JSW Cement shares closed at Rs. 113.15 on the BSE, up Rs. 2.05, or 1.85 per cent.

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 in Rajasthan

The Nagaur expansion takes JSW Cement’s total grinding capacity to 25.10 MTPA.

Published

4 days ago

October 8, 2026

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JSW Cement has commissioned an additional 1 million tonne per annum (MTPA) cement grinding unit at its Nagaur Integrated Plant in Rajasthan. The commissioning takes the company’s total cement grinding capacity to 25.10 MTPA.

JSW Cement’s total clinker manufacturing capacity, including its joint venture JSW Cement FZC, now stands at 9.74 MTPA.

The company began operations in North India in March 2026 with the Nagaur Integrated Plant, comprising a 3.30 MTPA clinkerisation unit and a 2.50 MTPA cement grinding unit. With the latest expansion, the plant’s total grinding capacity has increased to 3.50 MTPA.

The additional capacity will cater to cement demand across Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the National Capital Region (NCR). The expansion has been funded through a combination of equity and long-term debt.

During the quarter ended September 30, 2026, JSW Cement also commissioned an Alternate Fuel Handling System and a Waste Heat Recovery System (WHRS) at the Nagaur plant.

Nilesh Narwekar, CEO, JSW Cement, said the additional grinding capacity was a strategic priority for the company’s expansion in North India. He added that the Alternate Fuel Handling System and WHRS were expected to reduce production costs.