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Outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Indian sub-continent which forced the government to announce a nationwide lockdown, 25th March 2020 onwards affected the domestic cement production during FY20. Construction activity across the country was halted, which is normally at its peak in the month of March, affected the cement offtake. Production fell by 24.7 percent during March 2020 as compared with the 15.7 percent growth achieved during March 2019.

Capacity
As per Cement Manufacturers Association, India accounts for over 8% of the overall global installed capacity. Region wise, the Southern region comprises of 35% of the total cement capacity followed by the Northern, Eastern, Western and Central region comprising of 20%, 18%, 14% and 13% of the capacity respectively.

Chart 2:

Installed capacity and Capacity Utilization rate of Cement Manufacturers (Unit: Million Tonnes) Installed Capacity of domestic cement manufacturers has increased at a CAGR of 7.1 % during FY16-20. Manufacturers have been able to maintain a capacity utilization rate above 65 % between FY15-19 but prolonged rains in many parts of the country and with the temporary closure of cement plants during the government enforced lockdown has led to the capacity utilization rate to fall from 70 % during FY19 to 61 percent during FY20.

Demand Drivers for the Cement Industry
Cement demand is closely linked to the housing and infrastructure sector. Increasing demand coming from affordable housing and construction work for government infrastructure projects like roads, metros, airports, irrigation etc. should ideally support the demand for cement going forward.

Chart 3:

Key growth drivers for the Cement Industry
National Infrastructure Pipeline:
Of the total projects of the NIP, 42% are under implementation while 19% are under development, 31% are at the conceptual stage and 8% are yet to be classified. The sectors that will be of focus will be roads, railways, power (renewable and conventional), irrigation and urban infrastructure. These sectors together are to account for 79% of the proposed investments in the 6 years period to 2025. Given the government’s thrust on infrastructure creation, it is likely to benefit the cement industry going forward.

Affordable Housing: Under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (PMAY) the centre had introduced the credit link subsidy scheme, in May 2017, which was initially extended till March 31st, 2020 but now has been extended for one more year till March 2021. The credit link subsidy scheme has benefitted 3.3 lakh families till now and aims to benefit another 2.5 lakh to get affordable houses.

Prices of cement

Source: CMIE

Chart 4

Trend in prices
Wholesale and retail prices have increased by 11.7% and 12.5% during FY20. Prices have started correcting Q4FY20 onwards due to revival in demand due to given the restart of major infrastructure projects, new launches, pick-up in the real-estate demand in urban areas and announcement of the NIP.

Financials The overall sales revenue has increased by only 1.3% during FY20 as compared with the 24.4% growth rate achieved during FY19. Overall expenditure has declined by 4.5% which has benefitted the industry largely given the moderation in sales. Selling and distribution, cost of raw materials and fuel/electricity cost encompass around 70% of the total expenses for cement manufacturers.

– Electricity and fuel cost have declined by about 12.7% during FY20 due to the sharp drop in crude oil prices.

– Logistics costs which are the biggest cost for cement industry has also dropped by 7.9% (selling and distribution) as the railways extended the benefit of exemption from busy season surcharge.

– Cost of raw materials too declined by 4.4% given the price of limestone of had also fallen by 9.6% during FY20

Outlook for FY21
Cement production is to fall sharply by 25-30% during FY21 and capacity utilization is to be around 40-45%.This will be the steepest ever fall in production (and capacity utilisation) that the industry has ever witnessed. Production of cement has fallen by 0.8% during FY20 as against the grown of 13.3% during FY19.

Cement manufactures are not expected to make any additions to the existing CAPEX and given the limited demand present there has also been CAPEX deferral announcements.

The nationwide lockdown has come at the time when construction activities is at its peak and it will be followed by the monsoon season where again the construction activity will be impacted thereby affecting entire dynamics of demand-supply for cement.

Towards Recovery Partial Recovery Stressed
Given the weakness in end user demand due to the lack of activity in the housing and infrastructure sector the cement industry is expected to remain in the red zone till October 2020 at least, till the end of the monsoon season. Partial recovery is expected November 2020 onwards and normalisation of operations post January 2021 onwards.

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Concrete

Wonder Cement appoints Mahesh Singh as VP Corporate Brand Communication 

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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. 

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Concrete

JSW Cement commissions additional 1 MTPA grinding unit at Nagaur

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With this commissioning, JSW Cement’s total cement grinding capacity has increased to 25.10 MTPA, 
Mumbai

JSW Cement, one of India’s leading green cement producers and part of the diversified JSW Group, today announced the successful commissioning of an additional 1.00 MTPA cement grinding unit at Nagaur, Rajasthan. The commissioning marks another significant milestone in the Company’s growth strategy.

With this commissioning, JSW Cement’s total cement grinding capacity has increased to 25.10 MTPA, while its total clinker manufacturing capacity, including clinker capacity at its joint venture, JSW Cement FZC, stands at 9.74 MTPA.

JSW Cement had commenced operations in North India in March 2026 with the Nagaur Integrated Plant, comprising a 3.30 MTPA clinkerisation unit and 2.50 MTPA cement grinding unit. With the commissioning of the additional 1.00 MTPA cement grinding unit, the plant’s total cement grinding capacity has increased to 3.50 MTPA, enhancing the company’s ability to cater to the growing cement demand across Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the National Capital Region (NCR). The expansion has been funded through a strategic mix of equity and long-term debt.

During the quarter ended 30th September 2026, JSW Cement has also commissioned the Alternate Fuel Handling System and the Waste Heat Recovery system (WHRS) at the Nagaur Integrated Plant.

Nilesh Narwekar, CEO, JSW Cement, said: “The commissioning of additional 1.00 MTPA grinding capacity at Nagaur is a key strategic priority for us and will accelerate JSW Cement’s expansion into North India. We look forward to servicing the growing needs of the region and contributing to the economic growth of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the NCR area. I am delighted to share that the company has commissioned this grinding unit within the expected timeline, showcasing our project execution capabilities. Further, the Alternate Fuel Handling System and the Waste Heat Recovery system (WHRS) are expected to substantially reduce our production costs going forward.”

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Concrete

UltraTech becomes first Indian cement firm to cross 2 GW green energy

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UltraTech Cement has crossed 2 GW of captive green energy capacity, with renewables and waste heat recovery meeting 48 per cent of its power needs.

Mumbai

UltraTech Cement Limited has surpassed 2 GW of installed green energy capacity for captive use, becoming the first cement company in India to achieve the milestone. The Aditya Birla Group company commissioned 116.55 MW of wind capacity at its Inter-State Transmission System-connected wind-solar hybrid project in Barmer, Rajasthan, along with 10 MW of Waste Heat Recovery System capacity at Sarlanagar Cement Works in Karnataka.

With these additions, UltraTech’s cumulative installed green energy capacity has reached 2,024 MW. This includes 1,580 MW of renewable energy capacity and 444 MW of waste heat recovery capacity, together meeting around 48 per cent of the company’s current power requirements.

The company said the milestone reflects the progress of its long-term energy transition strategy. In FY27 so far, nearly one-third of UltraTech’s 76 manufacturing units in India have maintained green energy utilisation above 50 per cent of their electricity requirements, while five units have crossed 95 per cent.

K C Jhanwar, Managing Director, UltraTech Cement Limited, said, “Crossing the 2 GW green energy milestone is the result of a strategy we have pursued consistently over the past decade. Cement is an energy-intensive, hard-to-abate sector, and showing that reliability and growth can go hand in hand with a rapid shift to green energy sets a benchmark for the industry. With nearly half of our power needs now met through green energy, we are significantly less exposed to fossil fuel supply constraints and power price volatility. As we scale up renewables, waste heat recovery and battery storage across our operations, we are building an energy foundation for stable, long-term growth.”

UltraTech commissioned 430 MW of green energy capacity in FY26 and continues to expand its renewable energy and waste heat recovery portfolio.

The company is also progressively integrating Battery Energy Storage Systems across its operations to improve renewable energy utilisation and supply reliability.

In 2025, UltraTech operationalised what it described as India’s first on-site hybrid round-the-clock renewable energy project at Sewagram Cement Works in Gujarat. The project combines solar, wind and battery storage.

As part of its decarbonisation strategy, UltraTech said it has not invested in new captive thermal power capacity for either greenfield projects or brownfield expansions at its integrated units for more than a decade.

The company said its expanding green energy portfolio is helping reduce dependence on conventional grid electricity and fossil fuel-based power, while lowering exposure to fluctuations in coal and electricity prices.

UltraTech aims to increase green energy’s share in its total power mix to 85 per cent by 2030. As a member of RE100, it has also committed to meeting 100 per cent of its electricity requirement through renewable sources by 2050.

UltraTech Cement, the cement flagship of the Aditya Birla Group, has a total grey cement capacity of 210.1 MTPA and white cement and putty capacity of 3.5 MTPA. The company is also a signatory to the GCCA Climate Ambition 2050 and has committed to the GCCA Net Zero Concrete roadmap.

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