Economy & Market

Accelerating growth through sales & channel excellence

Published

7 years ago

January 1, 2020

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With the Indian economy seemingly in a protracted slowdown, cement companies need to urgently identify new avenues to accelerate revenue growth. One of the most under-exploited areas of growth potential for cement companies today lies in their sales and channel operations.

Drawing on Kanvic’s extensive experience with leading manufacturing companies, we have identified four of the highest potential areas in sales and channel that can help cement companies rapidly boost revenues. These four areas are:

digitalising order-to-delivery
implementing effective channel management
applying best practices in key account management
shifting to data-driven demand forecasting

Our experience has shown that each of these areas offers substantial scope to realise immediate improvements in sales performance. As a result, cement companies that move fast to design and implement changes in these areas will gain an advantage.

Digitalising order-to-delivery
The order-to-delivery process at many Indian cement companies remains highly manual with company sales executives typically consumed more in order taking and status updates than developing new business. At the same time, these analogue processes negatively impact customer experience as channel partners and institutional clients must dedicate time and resources to handle the administration of ordering.

By digitalising the order-to-delivery process cement companies can streamline the selling process, free up their sales force to generate new business and create a frictionless buying experience for their customers.

However, before embarking on the digitalisation journey companies should first conduct a detailed diagnostic of their current order-to-delivery process. By mapping the key processes at the outset, companies can identify the current breakpoints and then redesign them to create digitally integrated processes that are lean, efficient, and customer friendly.

A key element of digitalising the order-to-delivery process is creating a user-friendly customer interface through which customers can place orders and gain real-time visibility on their order status. One leading manufacturing company was able to transition its customers to 100 per cent online ordering through a new web portal. At the same time, it eliminated the need for telephonic order status updates by providing online tracking through the portal as well as real-time SMS alerts. Further, through the introduction of GPS tracking of the company’s trucks it could provide visibility of the order’s progress from dispatch to delivery.

Thanks to the new digitalised process on-time delivery and customer experience dramatically improved and the company saw a 7 per cent uptick in sales.

Implementing effective channel management
The second high potential area for accelerating sales at Indian cement companies lies in more effective channel management. In particular, our research has uncovered two common gaps in channel management: weak credit control systems and persistent conflict between channel partners. As a result, companies’ cash flows are negatively impacted and channel partners end up expending more energy fighting each other rather than the competition. All of which diverts attention and resources from pursuing sales growth.

Cement companies can overcome the first challenge of weak credit control by implementing standardised processes that clearly define credit terms based on a customers’ value to the firm – rather than the whims of the account manager. These processes should also stipulate clear actions to be taken toward credit recovery. In the case of one company, a further step was taken to fully automate the process of determining credit terms and enforcing their compliance. The combination of these changes resulted in a 30 per cent decrease in the companies’ accounts receivables. Secondly, to address the problem of channel conflict companies can leverage emerging technologies to effectively allocate and enforce territory management. A leading manufacturer based in North India was struggling to enforce territory discipline as it couldn’t spot orders placed through dealers for customers who fell outside their designated territory. However, by geocoding its dealers and related parties into the companies system it could transition to automated territory management.This prevented dealers from entering orders that fell outside their allocated areas.

When implementing new channel management practices, companies should always bear in mind that the buy-in of channel partners is a pre-requisite for their success. It is critical to take on board their concerns as early as possible and clearly communicate the commercial benefits that will accrue to their business.

Applying best practices in key account management
As cement companies’ customers become larger and more organised, having the right customer segmentation and key account management strategy in place is vital to maximising the share of their total cement spends.

In our work with manufacturing companies, we typically find that existing customer segmentations are either outdated or overly simplistic – relying on simple demographic segmentation like size and industry. By contrast, through using advanced segmentation tools that assess customer needs and buying behaviours, it is possible to uncover highly valuable segments with the potential to boost sales and profit if they are appropriately served.

Once the most attractive customer segments have been identified and profiled, these customers can then be transferred to a Key Account Management (KAM) programme with clearly defined processes for handling them.

However, cement companies must be aware that effective Key Account Management requires deep cross-functional collaboration between sales and marketing and areas like production, planning and credit control. To bring about such collaboration one company re-organised its sales and marketing structure to create a dedicated KAM team with a clear mandate to liaise across departments to serve the needs of key accounts. Thanks to the successful implementation the company saw its share of spend from existing customers increase more than 20 per cent after transitioning to key accounts.

Shifting to data-driven demand forecasting
The fourth and final area where cement companies can increase sales is through tapping into the emerging potential of data-driven demand forecasting. Through greater accuracy in demand forecasting based on new machine learning techniques, companies can improve the accuracy of their production planning, reduce inventory costs, and stimulate sales by having their product at the right location at the right time.

The first step in moving to data-driven demand forecasting is collecting and analysing trends in historical demand based on time-series sales data. This enables measurement of trends in seasonality and the identification of irregularities. After the trend factors are identified, an appropriate machine learning model can be selected to build the demand forecasting tool. The model is then trained on the historical data to test its predictive accuracy. Once the model is trained, the new forecasting tool can be run alongside existing methods for a trial period to benchmark its performance. Then when its superior accuracy is established, the company can be confident to completely switch to the new approach.

One leading Indian manufacturer that recently implemented such a data-driven demand forecasting tool was able to increase sales by 10 per cent by more accurately syncing production and distribution with market demand.

By taking action on these four high potential areas, Indian cement companies can accelerate sales in the current slowdown and set themselves up for faster growth in the next upturn.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Shiv Sharma is an associate principal at Kanvic Consulting based in Delhi.

blurb
By digitalising the order-to-delivery process, cement companies can streamline the selling process, free up their sales force to generate new business and create a buying experience for their customers.

Economy & Market

Leonard Unveils Dual-Head Robotic Arm for Hazardous Industrial Demolition

Published

1 week ago

October 30, 2026

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Leonard unveils Descender Duo, a dual-head robotic demolition arm designed to improve industrial safety and reduce shutdown time by up to 50 per cent.

Industrial robotics and refractory services specialist Leonard has launched Descender Duo, a dual-head robotic demolition arm designed to improve safety, accelerate maintenance and reduce shutdown times in hazardous industrial environments. The system made its debut at Lisahally Power Station in Northern Ireland, removing 25 tonnes of slag material within hours.

Developed for the cement, metals, waste-to-energy and petrochemical industries, Descender Duo enables remote-controlled refractory demolition, anchor cutting and welding, and refractory spraying inside boilers, calciners and silos. Its vertical-access design eliminates the need for personnel to enter confined, high-risk spaces during these operations.

Weighing less than two tonnes, the pre-assembled system requires an access opening of just 1.2 m². Supported by an external overhead hoist, it uses electrically operated hydraulic stabilising legs to secure itself inside vessels. The robotic arm offers 360-degree rotation and is suited to vessels approximately 9 m in diameter, with its operating reach extendable through strategically positioned access points.

Equipped with two independently controlled robotic heads, Descender Duo can perform identical or different tasks simultaneously, including refractory demolition, anchor cutting and spraying. Its remote-control system incorporates live camera feeds, allowing operators to monitor operations without entering hazardous environments.

According to Leonard, the technology can deliver time savings of up to 50 per cent compared with manual methods. Its ability to operate at temperatures exceeding 100°C allows maintenance to begin as early as 24 hours after burner shutdown. An all-electric power supply further supports cleaner and more cost-efficient operations.

First Deployment Demonstrates Shutdown Efficiency

The system was first deployed at Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor’s (BWSC) Lisahally Power Station in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The facility generates electricity from grade C waste wood, supplying approximately 40,000 homes and businesses.

Leonard and BWSC collaborated to develop a customised solution for the plant’s 26-metre furnace, where extensive external pipework created significant access challenges.

Mark Leonard, Managing Director, Leonard, said, “It required new thinking and rather than step away from the problem we were committed to solving it for the customer, with the customer. We’re relentless in our approach to tackling complex challenges, head-on. We took our years of cement plant experience, coupled with our working knowledge of the BWSC plant, and designed, engineered and tested a completely new vertical solution within just seven weeks from that initial conversation with the customer. That solution was the Descender Duo as we know it today.”

Traditionally, the furnace required a cooling period of up to 36 hours before preparatory work could begin, followed by manual slag removal using rope-access personnel. With Descender Duo, work commenced just 24 hours after shutdown, reducing downtime by up to one day.

The deployment removed 25 tonnes of slag within hours, eliminated the need for at least six workers to enter the hazardous furnace interior and saved 26 hours in the shutdown programme.

“The effectiveness exceeded expectation,” said Martin Doran, Plant Manager at Lisahally Power Station.

“When the Descender Duo concept was first discussed, we had to spend some time with the team from Leonard looking at how it was going to be moved into the furnace. Every site is different and that presented its own challenges, but nothing that the team couldn’t overcome. Once it was installed we were hugely impressed by its efficiency.”

Expanding Industrial Robotics Applications

Descender Duo joins Leonard’s existing portfolio of robotic maintenance solutions, including the Axis horizontal-access arm, Nano confined-space access arm, Charger cement mill media recharging system and Calibre cement mill media grading system.

Headquartered in Northern Ireland, Leonard provides robotic refractory demolition, installation, inspection and industrial maintenance services across the cement, metals, energy, biomass, glass and civil engineering sectors.

Formerly known as G Leonard, the company has more than 35 years of industry experience and operates across Europe, North America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific.

The latest innovation reinforces Leonard’s focus on replacing hazardous manual processes with robotic systems that improve workforce safety, enhance operational efficiency and minimise industrial downtime.

Concrete

Martin Engineering Appoints Ashwini Khunte as India General Manager

Published

1 week ago

October 30, 2026

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Martin Engineering names Ashwini Khunte India General Manager to strengthen operations and drive growth across key bulk material handling sectors.

Pune

Martin Engineering, a global provider of bulk material handling solutions, has appointed Ashwini Khunte as General Manager of its India business, strengthening its leadership as the company expands its presence across the country’s cement, mining, steel, power and infrastructure sectors.

Khunte brings more than a decade of experience with Martin Engineering, having joined its Indian operations in 2013 as a Design Engineer, shortly after the company established its presence in the country in 2012.

A mechanical engineer by qualification, she spent her initial five years developing bulk material handling solutions in collaboration with the company’s operations team. During this period, she gained extensive experience addressing operational challenges in the steel, cement and coal industries. She subsequently moved into project engineering, managing major engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) projects from initial enquiry to commissioning. Her responsibilities later expanded to overseeing Martin Engineering’s conveyor product portfolio in India, involving customer engagement, technical presentations and site visits across heavy industries.

In 2024, Khunte was promoted to Head of Sales & Marketing for the company’s Europe, Middle East, Africa and India (EMEAI) region. The position broadened her international market exposure and strengthened her strategic and commercial leadership capabilities.

Commenting on her appointment, Ashwini Khunte, General Manager, Martin Engineering India, said: “India represents a tremendous opportunity for Martin Engineering. The country’s continued investment in cement, mining, steel, power and infrastructure is creating increasing demand for safer, cleaner and more productive bulk material handling, and that’s exactly what we do. My priority will be to build on the strong foundations already established in India, while continuing to develop our people, strengthen customer relationships and bring practical solutions to the challenges faced by our industry.”

Robert Whetstone, Area Vice President – EMEAI, Martin Engineering, highlighted Khunte’s technical expertise, market understanding and leadership experience.

“Ashwini brings an exceptional combination of technical understanding, customer knowledge and commercial leadership. She has grown as Martin Engineering has grown, and has consistently demonstrated outstanding capability to transform her expertise into practical solutions. Her knowledge of the Indian market, together with her international experience, makes her ideally suited to lead our India business through its next stage of growth for years to come.”

Since establishing its Indian business in 2012, Martin Engineering has expanded its local workforce, manufacturing capabilities and dealership network. The company supplies conveyor products, transfer point solutions, material flow aids, training and technical support to bulk material handling industries. Khunte’s appointment positions the company to further strengthen customer relationships and expand its solutions portfolio in India’s growing industrial and infrastructure markets.

Concrete

Fornnax Wins AIRIA’s Special Export Award for Rubber Machinery in 2025-26

Published

3 weeks ago

October 19, 2026

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Fornnax Technology Pvt. Ltd. has been honoured with the Special Export Award – Rubber Machinery for 2025–26 by the All-India Rubber Industries Association (AIRIA), in recognition of its highest exports of tyre recycling plants to the European region.

With more than a decade of experience in India’s tyre recycling industry, Fornnax has contributed to the development of advanced recycling technologies and infrastructure. The company currently holds a 90% market share in India’s domestic tyre recycling sector, while exports account for 30% of its business, spanning markets such as Europe, Australia and the GCC.

The award marks another milestone for Fornnax, whose tyre recycling lines and advanced shredding technologies are supporting the growth of the circular economy in India and international markets.

Commenting on the recognition, Mr. Jignesh Kundaria, Founder and Director of Fornnax, said:

“This honour from AIRIA is a reflection of an incredible journey we have undertaken over the years. When we started Fornnax, there was no established recycling industry in India to follow. We chose to build for the future instead. Today, when you see India’s tyre recycling sector, it has already transformed into a dynamic, high-growth industry and we are extremely proud to have played our part in building it.”

Unlike standalone equipment suppliers, Fornnax focuses on developing complete, high-capacity recycling infrastructure. Its integrated systems combine multiple stages of shredding and size reduction to enable efficient, continuous operations. This system-level engineering approach helps recycling operators improve throughput, equipment reliability and operational consistency.

The recognition reinforces Fornnax’s commitment to developing engineering technologies that contribute to a more efficient and circular recycling ecosystem.

Looking ahead, the company aims to expand its international presence while continuing to develop advanced shredding and recycling solutions to address the growing volumes and evolving requirements of the global recycling industry.

For more information, visit: www.fornnax.com