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Precast to accelerate the growth trajectory

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It would be interesting to see how the industry will adapt itself to the move towards precast. One needs to carefully explore the possibility of the adaptation of precast into an existing project. The bigger question here is whether the migration in the design approach is possible or not.

The pandemic that shook the world in no time has disrupted business across segments. Cement, infrastructure, construction all came to a grinding halt. Most of the sector players will have numbers highlighting the severe depression created by the pandemic in their balance sheets. However, there are segments with these sectors that would have greater opportunities smiling at them when the country returns to the business as usual. One such segment, the experts say is the precast. Precast concrete which is one of the most sought after segment in construction because of the various benefits, is expected to pick up momentum. Till now, this segment has had slow growth. Owing to the new derived situation (demand dip, labour shortage, cost-effective ways to run business) put together will lead to construction segment increasing its dependency on precast.

The precast being dynamic – offers increased durability, increased load-bearing capacity especially when the concrete is pre-stressed with cable reinforcement, safer and faster as the casting is done offsite and is cured in a precisely controlled environment. It has the capacity for volume delivery as well. Above all, precast bring down the cost significantly in construction in comparison to the conventional standard concrete. Taking all these into consideration, it is natural for the construction industry to lean towards precast concrete.

Anil Banchhor, Managing Director & CEO, RDC Concrete (India), elaborated on the opportunities emerging for precast concrete. He said, "In the precast segment, post-Covid-19, the opportunity is more because precast requires fewer workers. Many companies would move towards precast construction. The precast industry is slowly maturing, and the growth though was slow. Some residential buildings, especially the low-cost housing, is shifting to precast. Apart from this, there is a lot of scopes for hospitals as the government will be spending a lot in hospital infrastructure. Also, commercial buildings will start moving to precast like hotels, offices etc. will move to precast. This opportunity is better for precast industries."

Devendra Pandey, an industry expert, pointed out, "Demand of concrete would be dependent on so many factors beyond our control currently. But our ability to support the change in technology would impact a shift in the customer bases. Overall concrete Demand will remain proportionately similar, but there will be a shift from the current customer segments towards the precast segment. The percentage of precast supply will definitely increase."

Global market
According to a study published in mid-2019 by ReportLinker, a market research solution company,"The precast Concrete market worldwide is projected to grow by $47.8 billion, guided by a compounded growth of 5.4 per cent. And the projection is the precast market would touch $54.1 billion by 2025. With a healthy forecast and leveraging on the emerging opportunity in floors and roofs, the said numbers appeared to be attainable. Floors and roofs segment expected to clock a 6.4 per cent growth. The shifting dynamics will support growth by adding significant momentum to the global growth of precast concrete."

The report also gave a breakup of the contribution of regional market to this projected growth in precast."The US will maintain a 4.7 per cent growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over $1.9 billion to the region’s size and clout in the next five to six years. Over $5.3 billion worth of projected demand in the region will come from other emerging Eastern European markets. In Japan, floors and roofs will reach a market size of $3.2 billion by the close of the analysis period. As the world’s second-largest economy and the new game-changer in global markets, China exhibits the potential to grow at 7.8 per cent over the next couple of years and add approximately $12.6 billion. Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East."

India market
India also was upbeat with investment flowing into the country with an optimistic outlook for 2020-2021. One such investment was the announcement of Rs 700 crore investment by the South US-based design and technical construction company Katerra. This investment, the company made in India to set by its second facility near Hyderabad. According to the officials of Katerra, the said facility will manufacture 8 million sq ft of prefabricated building components and fittings every year with robotic assembly line production. The plant was initially expected to be complete by March 2020.

Precast in India, currently, has only specific types of projects. Precast wasn’t a major defining driver in the construction segment till now, but, it would be in the future says, industry players. If the construction sector adopts precast concrete at a faster pace, then it is going to be successful in averting some post-lockdown impacts. There are low-cost housing projects that have already been using precast technology. With the use of precast, the floor casting cycle time can be reduced to 3-5 days, which is remarkable. The benefit of time reduction would enable faster adaptation of precast concrete and increase the Demand in the future.

Pandey continued on the challenging the precast segment would need to address post covid 19 by saying, "This is an interesting challenge. One needs to carefully explore the possibility of the adaptation of precast into an existing project. The bigger question here is whether the migration in the design approach is possible or not. It would be difficult for the real estate players and owners to make that decision to migrate into precast in an ongoing project. Existing projects may transition first by starting to use precast wall segments, manholes made out of precast concrete, precast staircases, and so on. Even in existing building design, more precast products can be used compared to the percentage earlier. I feel it would be easier for new projects into precast technology and the change is definitely coming. There is also the possibility of composite construction becoming popular compared to the traditional reinforced concrete format, which is designed using structural steel and concrete together."

Trends in precast
Many of the companies in the recent past have created a portfolio of value-added concrete products that are helpful for the construction industry in terms of technology adaptation towards this changing dimension.

Post-tension slabs: These are currently used in buildings, metro construction, bridges on national highways and cities. There is a lot of post-tension work going on.

However, this segment will emerge and mature. The customer requirement will also change accordingly. Faster curing and early development of strength of concrete will become crucial. There could be more Demand for self-curing concrete so that stocking of elements can be reduced. In short, the technical requirements of the precast project itself will start changing. That will require technically efficient producers who will be able to supply the needs in a timely manner.

Prashant Jha, Chief RMX, Nuvoco Vistas Corp, further elaborated on the trends that are witnessed in the segment.

Large-panel systems: The designation "large-panel system" refers to multistory structures composed of large wall and floor concrete panels connected in the vertical and horizontal directions so that the wall panels enclose appropriate spaces for the rooms within a building. These panels form a box-like structure. Both vertical and horizontal panels resist gravity load. Wall panels are usually one story high. Horizontal floor and roof panels span either as one-way or two-way slabs. When adequately joined together, these horizontal elements act as diaphragms that transfer the lateral loads to the walls.

Frame systems: Precast frames can be constructed using either linear elements or spatial beam-column sub-assemblages. Precast beam-column sub-assemblages have the advantage that the connecting faces between the sub-assemblages can be placed away from the critical frame regions; however, linear elements are generally preferred because of the difficulties associated with forming, handling, and erecting spatial elements.

Slab-column systems with shear walls: These systems rely on shear walls to sustain lateral load effects, whereas the slab-column structure resists mainly gravity loads. There are two main systems in this category: lift-slab system with walls, and prestressed slab-column system.

Modular system: In the case of smaller single units, this system is helpful. Some of the advantages are; a) Entire unit is cast in a factory and installed at site b) Suitable for toilet blocks or individual rooms c) Monolithic casting guarantees waterproofing at junctions.

Way forward
In the last Union Budget 2020, the government has announced infrastructure projects to the tune of Rs 103 trillion. Besides, the government also provided about Rs 1.70 trillion for transport infrastructure and highways construction. This allocation is expected to strengthen the demand for rural housing and infrastructure gradually. The emphasis given to infrastructure development, 100 new airports and a focus on roads will go a long way to revive concrete Demand.

However, the current infra projects will continue, but at a slow pace initial two to three months, primarily because of the shortage of migrant workforce. Every company would look at completing the projects as fast as possible to tide over the lost time. Most of the infra companies have labour camps attached, however, whether the migrant workers will stay or go back to their villages after lockdown determines the pace of the undergoing infra projects.

Pandey signed off by saying,"We can expect a slow start and a very steep rise in the Demand that is one view, while the other view is a little conservative. Looking at the slower pace of the market, it’s a bit hard to project at the moment. We remain cautious and observant. We are ready to serve the industry and the nation as the needs emerge."

However, there could be delays in rolling out the projects, completion of projects under implementation, with demand taking a long time to pick up. As per the latest report released by the rating agency Crisil in the first week of May says "there would be a delay of 12 months or more in the completion of Bharatmala phase 1." However, the report leaves an optimistic note that roads and highways would rebound faster despite sharp losses in the first quarter of FY21.

– RENJINI LIZA VARGHESE

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Concrete

We consistently push the boundaries of technology

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Swapnil Jadhav, Director, SIDSA Environmental, discusses transforming waste into valuable resources through cutting-edge technology and innovative process solutions.

SIDSA Environmental brings decades of experience and expertise to the important niche of waste treatment and process technologies. As a global leader that is at the forefront of sustainable waste management, the company excels in recycling, waste-to-energy solutions and alternative fuel production. In this conversation, Swapnil Jadhav, Director, SIDSA Environmental, shares insights into their advanced shredding technology, its role in RDF production for the cement industry and emerging trends in waste-to-energy solutions.

Can you give us an overview of SIDSA Environmental’s role in waste treatment and process technologies?
SIDSA is a leading innovator in the field of waste treatment and process technologies, dedicated to delivering sustainable solutions that address the growing challenges of waste management.
SIDSA is a more than 52-year-old organisation with worldwide presence and has successfully realised over 1100 projects.
Our expertise is in the engineering and development of cutting-edge systems that enable the conversion of waste materials into valuable resources. This includes recycling technologies, waste-to-energy (W2E) systems, and advanced methods for producing alternative fuels such as refuse derived fuel (RDF). The organisation prioritises environmental stewardship by integrating energy-efficient processes and technologies, supporting industrial sectors—including the cement industry—in reducing their carbon footprint. Through our comprehensive approach, we aim to promote a circular economy where waste is no longer a burden but a resource to be harnessed.

How does SIDSA Environmental’s shredding technology contribute to the cement industry, especially in the production of RDF?
SIDSA’s shredding technology is pivotal in transforming diverse waste streams into high-quality RDF. Cement kilns require fuel with specific calorific values and uniform composition to ensure efficient combustion and operational stability, and this is where our shredding systems excel. In India, we are segment leaders with more than 30 projects including over 50 equipment of varied capacity successfully realised. Some of the solutions were supplied as complete turnkey plants for high capacity AFR processing. Our esteemed client list comprises reputed cement manufacturers and chemical industries. Our technology processes various types of waste—such as plastics, textiles and industrial residues—breaking them down into consistent particles suitable for energy recovery.

Key features include:

  • High efficiency: Ensures optimal throughput for large volumes of waste.
  • Adaptability: Handles mixed and heterogeneous waste streams, including contaminated or complex materials.
  • Reliability: Reduces the likelihood of operational disruptions in RDF production. By standardising RDF properties, our shredding technology enables cement plants to achieve greater energy efficiency while adhering to environmental regulations.

What are the key benefits of using alternative fuels like RDF in cement kilns?
The adoption of RDF and other alternative fuels offers significant advantages across environmental, economic and social dimensions:

  • Environmental benefits: Cement kilns using RDF emit fewer greenhouse gases compared to those reliant on fossil fuels like coal or petroleum coke. RDF also helps mitigate the issue of overflowing landfills by diverting waste toward energy recovery.
  • Economic savings: Alternative fuels are often more cost-effective than traditional energy sources, allowing cement plants to reduce operational expenses.
  • Sustainability and resource efficiency: RDF facilitates the circular economy by repurposing waste materials into energy, conserving finite natural resources.
  • Operational flexibility: Cement kilns designed to use RDF can seamlessly switch between different fuel types, enhancing adaptability to market conditions.

What innovations have been introduced in waste-to-energy (W2E) and recycling solutions?
SIDSA’s machinery is meticulously engineered to handle the complex requirements of processing hazardous and bulky waste.

This includes:

  • Robust construction: Our equipment is designed to manage heavy loads and challenging waste streams, such as industrial debris, tires and large furniture.
  • Advanced safety features: Intelligent sensors and automated controls ensure safe operation when dealing with potentially harmful materials, such as chemical waste.
  • Compliance with standards: Machinery is built to adhere to international environmental and safety regulations, guaranteeing reliability under stringent conditions.
  • Modular design: Allows for customisation and scalability to meet the unique needs of various waste management facilities.

How does your organisation customised solutions help cement plants improve sustainability and efficiency?
We consistently push the boundaries of technology to enhance waste management outcomes.
General innovations and new product development focus on:

  • Energy-efficient shredders: These machines consume less power while maintaining high throughput, contributing to lower operational costs.
  • AI-powered sorting systems: Utilise advanced algorithms to automate waste classification, increasing material recovery rates and minimising errors.
  • Advanced gasification technologies: Convert waste into syngas (a clean energy source) while minimising emissions and residue.
  • Closed-loop recycling solutions: Enable the extraction and repurposing of materials from waste streams, maximising resource use while reducing environmental impact.

What future trends do you foresee in waste management and alternative fuel usage in the cement sector?
Looking ahead, several trends are likely to shape the future of waste management and alternative fuels in the cement industry:

  • AI integration: AI-driven technologies will enhance waste sorting and optimise RDF production, enabling greater efficiency.
  • Bio-based fuels: Increased use of biofuels derived from organic waste as a renewable and low-carbon energy source.
  • Collaborative approaches: Strengthened partnerships between governments, private industries and technology providers will facilitate large-scale implementation of sustainable practices.
  • Circular economy expansion: The cement sector will increasingly adopt closed-loop systems, reducing waste and maximising resource reuse.
  • Regulatory evolution: More stringent environmental laws and incentives for using alternative fuels will accelerate the transition toward sustainable energy solutions.

(Communication by the management of the company)

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Concrete

FORNNAX Technology lays foundation for a 23-acre facility in Gujarat

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FORNNAX Technology, a leading manufacturer of recycling equipment in India, has marked a major milestone with the Groundbreaking (Bhoomi Pujan) ceremony for its expansive 23-acre manufacturing facility in Gujarat. Specialising in high-capacity shredders and granulators, FORNNAX is strategically positioning itself as a global leader in the recycling industry. The new plant aims to produce 250 machinery units annually by 2030, making it one of the largest manufacturing facilities in the world.
The foundation stone for this ambitious project was laid by Jignesh Kundaria, CEO and Director, alongside Kaushik Kundaria, Director. The ceremony was attended by key leadership members and company staff, signifying a new chapter for FORNNAX as it meets the growing demand for reliable recycling solutions. Speaking on the occasion, Jignesh Kundaria stated, “This marks a historic moment for the recycling sector. Our high-quality equipment will address various waste categories, including tyre, municipal solid waste (msw), cables, e-waste, aluminium, and ferrous metals. this facility will strengthen our global presence while contributing to India’s Net Zero emissions goal by 2070.”
FORNNAX is actively expanding its footprint in critical markets such as Australia, Europe and the GCC, forging stronger sales and service partnerships. The facility will house an advanced Production Department to ensure seamless manufacturing.

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Concrete

Decarbonisation is a focus for our R&D effort

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Dyanesh Wanjale, Managing Director, Gebr. Pfeiffer discusses the need to innovate grinding technologies to make the manufacturing process more efficient and less fuel consuming.

Gebr. Pfeiffer stands at the forefront of grinding technology, delivering energy-efficient and customised solutions for cement manufacturers worldwide. From pioneering vertical roller mills to integrating AI-driven optimisation, the company is committed to enhancing efficiency and sustainability. In this interview, we explore how their cutting-edge technology is shaping the future of cement production.

Can you tell us about the grinding technology your company offers and its role in the cement industry?
We are pioneers in grinding technology, with our company being based in Germany and having a rich history of over 160 years, a milestone we will celebrate in 2024. We are widely recognised as one of the most efficient grinding technology suppliers globally. Our MBR mills are designed with energy efficiency at their core, and for the past five years, we have been focused on continuous improvements in power consumption and reducing the CO2 footprint. Innovation is an ongoing process for us, as we strive to enhance efficiency while supporting the cement industry’s sustainability goals. Our technology plays a critical role in helping manufacturers reduce their environmental impact while improving productivity.

The use of alternative fuels and raw materials (AFR) is an ever-evolving area in cement production. How does your technology adapt to these changes?
Our vertical roller mills are specifically designed to adapt to the use of alternative fuels and raw materials. These mills are energy-efficient, which is a key advantage when working with AFR since alternative fuels often generate less energy. By consuming less power, our technology helps bridge this gap effectively. Our solutions ensure that the use of AFR does not compromise the operational efficiency or productivity of cement plants. This adaptability positions our technology as a vital asset in the industry’s journey toward sustainability.

What are some of the challenges your company faces, both in the Indian and global cement industries?
One of the major challenges we face is the demand for expedited deliveries. While customers often take time to decide on placing orders, once the decision is made, they expect quick deliveries. However, our industry deals with heavy and highly customised machinery that cannot be produced off the shelf. Each piece of equipment is made-to-order based on the client’s unique requirements, which inherently requires time for manufacturing.
Another significant challenge comes from competition with Chinese suppliers. While the Indian cement industry traditionally favoured our technology over Chinese alternatives, a few customers have started exploring Chinese vertical roller mills. This is concerning because our German technology offers unmatched quality and longevity. For example, our mills are designed to last over 30 years, providing a long-term solution for customers. In contrast, Chinese equipment often does not offer the same durability or reliability. Despite the cost pressures, we firmly believe that our technology provides superior value in the long run.

You mentioned that your machinery is made-to-order. Can you elaborate on how you customise equipment to meet the specific requirements of different cement plants?
Absolutely. Every piece of machinery we produce is tailored to the specific needs of the customer. While we have standard mill sizes to cater to different capacity requirements, the components and configurations are customised based on the client’s operational parameters and budget. This process ensures that our solutions deliver optimal performance and cost efficiency. Since these are heavy and expensive items, maintaining an inventory of pre-made equipment is neither practical nor economical. By adopting a made-to-order approach, we ensure that our customers receive machinery that precisely meets their needs.

The cement industry is focusing not only on increasing production but also on decarbonising operations. How does your company contribute to this dual objective, and how do you see this evolving in the future?
Decarbonisation is a key focus for our research and development efforts. We are continuously working on innovative solutions to reduce CO2 emissions and improve overall sustainability. For example, we have significantly reduced water consumption in our processes, which was previously used extensively for stabilisation. Additionally, we are leveraging artificial intelligence to optimise mill operations. AI enables us to monitor the process in real-time, analyse feedback, and make adjustments to achieve optimal results within the given parameters.
Our commitment to innovation ensures that we are not only helping the industry decarbonise but also making operations more efficient. As the cement industry moves toward stricter sustainability goals, we are confident that our technology will play a pivotal role in achieving them.

Can you provide more details about the use of digitalisation and artificial intelligence in your processes? How does this improve your operations and benefit your customers?
Digitalisation and AI are integral to our operations, enabling us to offer advanced monitoring and optimisation solutions. We have developed three distinct models that allow customers to monitor mill performance through their computer systems. Additionally, our technology enables real-time feedback from our German headquarters to the customer. This feedback highlights any inefficiencies, such as when a parameter is outside the optimal range,
and provides actionable recommendations to address them.
By continuously monitoring every parameter in real time, our AI-driven systems ensure that mills operate at peak efficiency. This not only enhances production but also minimises downtime. I am proud to say that our mills have the lowest shutdown rates compared to other manufacturers. This reliability, combined with the insights provided by our digital solutions, ensures that customers achieve consistent and efficient operations. It’s a game-changer for reducing costs and enhancing overall productivity.

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