Concrete

Cementing social upliftment

Published

5 years ago

March 5, 2021

admin

After dilly-dallying for a couple of years after the government?? mandate that proposed to spend two per cent of the profits of specified corporate entities came into effect on April 1, 2014, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has taken firm roots by fiscal 2020. This has also come in handy for their involvement when COVID-19 pandemic hit the country in February 2020, pitching their mite to help the communities in the vicinity of their operations, to fight the virus based disease.

Out of four cement companies, who have provided us data on their CSR contributions, we have seen three of them witnessing their CSR commitments going up over the last three years. Mandated by the government, CSR is a transformational practice by the business corporations in India, for socio-economic upliftment of the poor and the deserving, leading to overall development.

It is not that Indian cement companies have woken up to the mandated CSR, suddenly. For example, Ambuja Cements Ltd, a part of the global conglomerate LafargeHolcim, had set up its own implementation agency, Ambuja Cement Foundation (ACF), in 1993. Even as Dalmia Bharat Foundation (DBF) was set up only 2009 to implement the CSR initiatives of Dalmia Bharat group of industries, the group had been undertaking CSR activities for eight decades now.

HeidelbergCement India, part of a cement multinational, has been engaged in community development projects for the last 30 years, while The Ramco Cements said its CSR initiatives had a long history, much before it was made mandatory.

However, the mandated CSR implementation was delayed by a couple of years due to expectations in the industry

that the mandate will be relaxed by the new government at the Centre that came to power in a few months of the mandate coming into force in 2014. But the expectations were belied.

The government?? CSR mandate has led to various companies taking up the social development projects around their business facilities, creating a ??in-win??for the business as well as various stakeholders.

??he companies are bringing business core competencies and learning to the solution of social issues and problems, and that is resulting in high level of social entrepreneurship and innovations,??says Vinita Singhania, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, JK Lakshmi Cement Limited (JKLC). The CSR mandate has also brought ??roject Management benchmarks??to social and community development projects, which were not there earlier, along with company?? financial commitment to them.

Though many companies were involved in CSR activities for several decades before the CSR law came into effect, there was no structured model of implementation and reporting standards set for these companies.

Budgets

CSR commitments of ACF, HeidelbergCement and Ramco have seen a consistent growth in the last three years. ACF, with a large focus on water, agro-based livelihood, skill and health, has seen its CSR budget going up from Rs 42.25 crore in FY18 (2017-18) to Rs 44 crore next year, which level it had maintained its budget of FY20. On the spending side, it went up from Rs 41.96 crore to Rs 44 crore in FY19 and down to Rs 41,45 crore in FY20, perhaps because of initial precautions and social distancing norms coming into force in the wake of COVID-19, during the last quarter.

Against the mandate of spending 2 per cent of profits for CSR activities, ??mbuja Cement has been dedicating 3-4 per cent of their profits for the last many years,??says Pearl Tiwari, Director and CEO, Ambuja Cement Foundation (ACF).

JK Lakshmi Cement has seen its CSR budgets going up from Rs 89 lakh to Rs 172.04 lakh in three years, while expenditure went up from Rs 130.78 lakh to Rs 181.48 lakh.

The budget of Ramco Cements also went up from Rs 12.56 lakh to Rs 15.60 lakh. Though its real commitment also went up from Rs 10.93 lakh to Rs 14.99 lakh, the FY20 figures lagged that of FY19, which was at Rs 17.97 lakh.

The CSR budget of The KCP Limited went up from Rs 95 lakh for FY18 to Rs 160 lakh in FY19, but in FY20 it has come down to Rs 92.12 lakh and its CSR expenses also mimicked budgeted pattern with Rs 54 lakh, Rs 108.90 lakh and Rs 63.68 lakh respectively.

DBF of Dalmai group, and HeidelbergCement have not provided their yearly data of budgets and expenditure under CSR activities. However, Jamshed N Cooper, Managing Director, HeidelbergCement India says that as per the mandate for CSR ??or FY 2020 translated close to Rs 69.7 million (Rs 6.97 crore) for our Group?? operations in India, against which we spent Rs 72.2 million (Rs 7.22 crore).

Meanwhile, DBF?? Annual Report shows that their total expenditure amounted to over Rs 40 crore in FY18 and FY 19 each,

but it was yet to upload its FY20 annual report on the website by the time ICR was going to the press.

However, the outcome of the CSR interventions may not confine to the budgets provided and spent by the companies as mostly they join hands with several agencies for yielding enhanced benefits for the communities they cater to. ??CF also harnesses the power of partnerships ??etween communities, government and other like-minded corporates and NGOs ??to help solve pressing community problems and to foster prosperity. We are also matching funds from external sources both government and other funds available helping us expand our outreach substantially,??says Tiwari.

Areas of activity

Among the focus areas of activity that could be undertaken under the act, education, healthcare, skills training, environment protection activities like water conservation, tree plantation etc., and rural development and infrastructure figured prominently among the companies, with at least five of the six respondents involved in each of these activities. (See table for more details)

Cement companies such as Ramco, JK Lakshmi, Ambuja, Heidelberg, Dalmia and KCP have responded to our queries on CSR activities. Four companies are involved in livelihood enhancement, while two companies each are involved in gender equality and women empowerment and disaster management and relief. I fact, gender equality and women empowerment can be part of a broader set of livelihood enhancement projects.

Other activities like support to social enterprise projects, hunger and poverty alleviation, community development, promotion of rural and national sports, restoration of buildings and benefit to armed forces also figures in the activities these companies have undertaken.

Education: Almost every company is promoting education in its own way. Ensuring quality of education even in government schools is the priority for Ambuja Cement and HeidelbergCement, while providing infrastructure in government schools is the focus of by JK Lakshmi Cement and Ramco Cement.

??e also run many non-formal education centres for out-of-school children,??says Tiwari of ACF. On the other hand, Cooper of HeidelbergCement India, says, ??e have been involved in improving the infrastructure of schools in rural areas and offering scholarships to meritorious students at Anganwadi centers.??/p>

Besides setting up its own schools at their integrated plant locations, ??amco has adopted government schools for holistic improvement by implementing 5S concept, which has won accolades in many CSR forums,??says AV Dharmakrishnan, CEO, The Ramco Cements. It has also set up a Vocational training centre for rural youth.

JK Lakshmi Cement?? Project Aarambh focuses on bring tribal children back to school in the Pindwara block of Sirohi district in Rajasthan. Since the beginning, numerous tribal children – ??rop-outs and Never-been-to-school??- have been enrolled in various government schools.

Skill development: JK Lakshmi Cement is leading the pack in terms of providing skill development in non-industrial trades like stitching, beautician, embroidery and two-wheeler repairing. ??nder thematic area of livelihoods and skills development, the Company implements various activities for the purpose of creating employability for unemployed youth, women and girls,??says Singhania. JKLC also has ??idya Scholarship??project for the purpose of supporting education of children of masons and petty contractors.

JKLC is also implementing additional income generating projects for women like stitching & embroidery, broom, paper plate/dona, phenyl making, pickle/ papad making, cotton bags, sanitary napkins, by imparting training to over 3,000 young women.

Under skill training programme, ??urrently DBF can train 5,000 youth every year at 11 centres of Dalmia Institute of Knowledge and Skill Harnessing (DIKSHA), spread across the country, and also runs three Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs),??says Vishal Bhardwaj, CEO, Dalmia Bharat Foundation (DBF).

The skill programme implemented through Skill and Entrepreneurship Development Institute (SEDI) centres, ACF is also offering basic computer skills, where knowledge of functional English and soft skills are compulsory components of all training programmes.

Many cement companies are also working in improving livelihoods in the farm and dairy sectors, by training farmers in improved farming techniques and livestock development, supporting farmers through scientific inputs, promotion of sustainable farming practices, as well as through capacity building programmes.

Healthcare: As part of promotion of health, cement manufacturer KCP had set up a sophisticated Hydraulic Operation theatre table, theatre lights, false ceiling and partition and a community health centre at Macherla in Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh. ??n an average 500 – 600 surgeries are conducted yearly in this operation theatre,??says V Madhusudana Rao, Vice President ??Operations (Cement Unit -II), The KCP Limited. KCP also supports Lepra Society for eradication and screening of leprosy, filaria, HIV, T.B., Malaria and awareness camps.

Around its three plants, KCP also conducts mega health camps, where tests like ECG, 2D ECHO, PFT, SUGA, B.P., are conducted for women by lady doctors etc., besides conducting eye surgeries, distribution of free medicines and spectacles to the needy, with the support of reputed and multi-speciality hospitals.

ACF is providing ??omprehensive Healthcare??intervention to address clinical, preventive and promotive aspects of health across communities. The program is led by a cadre of ACF-trained, village-based health workers called Sakhis, ensuring basic health care at the village level, and referring patients for timely medical intervention whenever needed.

Under its healthcare commitment HeidelbergCement organises mobile health check-up camps, multi-specialty health camps and provide support to government hospitals and health centres by way of enhancing their facilities for communities around its plants, while JKLC?? NayaSavera – a family integrated welfare program – focuses on reducing maternal and infant mortality.

Environment protection: Most of the cement companies are involved in water harvesting and conservation. Ambuja?? Water Programme works to enhance water and land resources. The programme promotes rainwater harvesting through indigenous and new technologies, promotes micro irrigation methods and constructs check dams, percolation wells and rooftop rain water harvesting structures.

During the last five years, DBF has created harvesting potential of more than 17 million cubic metres of water annually. ??e also help tribal households enhance their income through horticulture plantations. Furthermore, we promote access to solar energy for domestic and agricultural purposes as well as that to cleaner fuels like biogas and LPG for cooking,??says Bhardwaj.

Rural development & infrastructure: The main focus of many cement companies is building rural roads and making movement easer in remote rural areas. Besides undertaking road repairs, The KCP Ltd has constructed additional class rooms and new buildings for schools, compound walls for schools, flooring in the school premises, veterinary hospital building, ladies dress-changing rooms near Krishna river bank, rural community halls and rest places near its facilities.

DBF is working mainly in remote rural areas, where it also assists the local administrations and communities to fill the existing infrastructural gaps, improving the quality of life of such communities. Ramco has also helped families of 8 CRPF Jawans martyred in Phulwama attack in Jammu and Kashmir with fixed deposit of Rs 5 lakh each. More than 42 Jawans were killed in the gruesome attack.

Challenges

The CSR veterans are in unison in identifying educated unemployment as the biggest concern stalking the country that too when India is growing younger, stating that it should be tackled with and re-skilling and upskilling of youth through CSR activities, particularly in rural areas. ??s the growing pace of technology will generate a new era of employment opportunities as a nation, we would still have to address the aspirations of those who would not be fortunate enough to make it there and would require earning a living. Rural India will be a home for them and the farm sector their source of livelihood,??says Cooper.

Highlighting the need to bridge disparities, Rao says, ??ocio-economic disparity is one of the biggest challenges, main reason being the rural-urban divide among a host of factors, which increase the intensity of this disparity.??/p>

ACF?? Pearl Tiwari?? heart goes out for the lower income group, who don?? even have decent or dignified living conditions, sometimes scraping through life with no basic facilities like healthcare and infrastructure, and such issues needs to be addressed and fulfilled on an urgent basis.

To address challenges on rural front on a priority basis, Cooper suggests, ??ater harvesting, drip irrigation and advanced farming techniques should be made available to the farmers at subsidized and affordable prices. To supplement farmers??income, livestock management needs to be promoted.??Besides women empowerment, CSR activities directed at this front will add towards reinforcing the economy at the ground level, he added.

Bhardwaj says CSR initiatives should address supply chain issues in agriculture by facilitating backward and forward linkages. Helping build e-platforms and institutions like farmers-producers??companies is what these companies should do.

Stating that the Indian healthcare scenario presents a spectrum of contrasting landscapes – At one end of the spectrum are the glitzy steel and glass structures delivering high tech Medicare and on the other end with fragile infrastructure and lack of basic health care facilities in rural areas ??Dharmakrishnan suggests that CSR activities should support primary health centres with medical infrastructure, organise special medical camps in association with speciality hospitals, and support traditional streams of medicine like Siddha and Ayurveda.

Looking ahead

When World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) are forecasting a fall in gross domestic product (GDP or economic activity) of our country due to COVID-19, our CSR veterans are taking a hunch that it will have an impact on the business revenue and profitability of CSR mandated companies for at least a couple of years.

??here are estimates that there would be about 30-35 reduction in the CSR spent this year because of the expenditure that has been incurred on COVID-related activities,??says Bhardwaj of DBF.

However, JK Lakshmi Cement, ACF, DBF and KCP were in the affirmative to the query on whether they will continue to affirm their commitment to CSR activities in these difficult times.

The board of Dalmia Cement Bharat has already resolved to keep their CSR commitments unaffected by COVID. ??ike I mentioned, our contribution for COVID has been more than the 2 per cent mandate,??Bhardwaj of DBF pointed out.

??part from the growing concern for COVID-19, India still needs to focus on water, health and vaccination… We as CSR spenders need to now integrate COVID-19 with our current programmes to maintain balance,??suggests Tiwari of ACF.

KCP reminded us of the saying, ??f there is a will there is a way?? while affirming their commitment to CSR. ??f course, every company will adapt to the situation relevant to the ecosystem it is operating in. COVID-19 has given an opportunity to expedite some of the changes vis-a-vis integration of technology, finding most cost-effective methods of implementation, working closely with stakeholders as resources are getting scarce,??says Rao. There are a few lessons that the pandemic has taught us. For instance, due to imperative of maintaining social distancing, the CSR agencies have already changed the content and methods of dissemination of various development and behavioral-change communications.

HeidelbergCement?? Cooper exudes confidence that the humanity would rise on the other side and the privileged would

come forward to contribute and serve those who served them once, thereby reinstating the balance.

This also holds good for corporate entities. As such, the post-COVID-19 scenario is set to create ??ew Champions of Humanity??and earn the goodwill and loyalty of their stakeholders and society at large, at a time when India faces enormous development challenges. The solution lies in the government, civil society and corporations working together to fulfil the basic requirements of the poor and underprivileged.

– BS SRINIVASALU REDDY

The CSR mandate

Governing law: Section 135 (1) of Companies Act, 2013
Mandate criteria:

a. Every company having net worth of Rs 500 crore or more, or

b. Turnover of Rs 1000 crore or more or

c. Net profit of Rs 5 crore or more, during the immediately preceding financial year

Minimum commitment to CSR: 2 per cent of profits.
Date of commencement: April 1, 2014
Overseeing body: CSR Committee of the Board
Mode of execution: ??roject/ Programme??model
Designated activities: Broad spectrum of activities specified

Benefits of Mandate:

i. Companies bringing business core competencies and learning to resolve social issues and problems

ii. Leading to high level of social entrepreneurship and innovations

iii. Brought ??roject Management benchmarks??to social and community development project-5

Concrete

Refractory demands in our kiln have changed

Published

18 hours ago

February 20, 2026

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Radha Singh, Senior Manager (P&Q), Shree Digvijay Cement, points out why performance, predictability and life-cycle value now matter more than routine replacement in cement kilns.

As Indian cement plants push for higher throughput, increased alternative fuel usage and tighter shutdown cycles, refractory performance in kilns and pyro-processing systems is under growing pressure. In this interview, Radha Singh, Senior Manager (P&Q), Shree Digvijay Cement, shares how refractory demands have evolved on the ground and how smarter digital monitoring is improving kiln stability, uptime and clinker quality.

How have refractory demands changed in your kiln and pyro-processing line over the last five years?
Over the last five years, refractory demands in our kiln and pyro line have changed. Earlier, the focus was mostly on standard grades and routine shutdown-based replacement. But now, because of higher production loads, more alternative fuels and raw materials (AFR) usage and greater temperature variation, the expectation from refractory has increased.
In our own case, the current kiln refractory has already completed around 1.5 years, which itself shows how much more we now rely on materials that can handle thermal shock, alkali attack and coating fluctuations. We have moved towards more stable, high-performance linings so that we don’t have to enter the kiln frequently for repairs.
Overall, the shift has been from just ‘installation and run’ to selecting refractories that give longer life, better coating behaviour and more predictable performance under tougher operating conditions.

What are the biggest refractory challenges in the preheater, calciner and cooler zones?
• Preheater: Coating instability, chloride/sulphur cycles and brick erosion.
• Calciner: AFR firing, thermal shock and alkali infiltration.
• Cooler: Severe abrasion, red-river formation and mechanical stress on linings.
Overall, the biggest challenge is maintaining lining stability under highly variable operating conditions.

How do you evaluate and select refractory partners for long-term performance?
In real plant conditions, we don’t select a refractory partner just by looking at price. First, we see their past performance in similar kilns and whether their material has actually survived our operating conditions. We also check how strong their technical support is during shutdowns, because installation quality matters as much as the material itself.
Another key point is how quickly they respond during breakdowns or hot spots. A good partner should be available on short notice. We also look at their failure analysis capability, whether they can explain why a lining failed and suggest improvements.
On top of this, we review the life they delivered in the last few campaigns, their supply reliability and their willingness to offer plant-specific custom solutions instead of generic grades. Only a partner who supports us throughout the life cycle, which includes selection, installation, monitoring and post-failure analysis, fits our long-term requirement.

Can you share a recent example where better refractory selection improved uptime or clinker quality?
Recently, we upgraded to a high-abrasion basic brick at the kiln outlet. Earlier we had frequent chipping and coating loss. With the new lining, thermal stability improved and the coating became much more stable. As a result, our shutdown interval increased and clinker quality remained more consistent. It had a direct impact on our uptime.

How is increased AFR use affecting refractory behaviour?
Increased AFR use is definitely putting more stress on the refractory. The biggest issue we see daily is the rise in chlorine, alkalis and volatiles, which directly attack the lining, especially in the calciner and kiln inlet. AFR firing is also not as stable as conventional fuel, so we face frequent temperature fluctuations, which cause more thermal shock and small cracks in the lining.
Another real problem is coating instability. Some days the coating builds too fast, other days it suddenly drops, and both conditions impact refractory life. We also notice more dust circulation and buildup inside the calciner whenever the AFR mix changes, which again increases erosion.
Because of these practical issues, we have started relying more on alkali-resistant, low-porosity and better thermal shock–resistant materials to handle the additional stress coming from AFR.

What role does digital monitoring or thermal profiling play in your refractory strategy?
Digital tools like kiln shell scanners, IR imaging and thermal profiling help us detect weakening areas much earlier. This reduces unplanned shutdowns, helps identify hotspots accurately and allows us to replace only the critical sections. Overall, our maintenance has shifted from reactive to predictive, improving lining life significantly.

How do you balance cost, durability and installation speed during refractory shutdowns?
We focus on three points:
• Material quality that suits our thermal profile and chemistry.
• Installation speed, in fast turnarounds, we prefer monolithic.
• Life-cycle cost—the cheapest material is not the most economical. We look at durability, future downtime and total cost of ownership.
This balance ensures reliable performance without unnecessary expenditure.

What refractory or pyro-processing innovations could transform Indian cement operations?
Some promising developments include:
• High-performance, low-porosity and nano-bonded refractories
• Precast modular linings to drastically reduce shutdown time
• AI-driven kiln thermal analytics
• Advanced coating management solutions
• More AFR-compatible refractory mixes

These innovations can significantly improve kiln stability, efficiency and maintenance planning across the industry.

Concrete

Digital supply chain visibility is critical

Published

18 hours ago

February 20, 2026

admin

MSR Kali Prasad, Chief Digital and Information Officer, Shree Cement, discusses how data, discipline and scale are turning Industry 4.0 into everyday business reality.

Over the past five years, digitalisation in Indian cement manufacturing has moved decisively beyond experimentation. Today, it is a strategic lever for cost control, operational resilience and sustainability. In this interview, MSR Kali Prasad, Chief Digital and Information Officer, Shree Cement, explains how integrated digital foundations, advanced analytics and real-time visibility are helping deliver measurable business outcomes.

How has digitalisation moved from pilot projects to core strategy in Indian cement manufacturing over the past five years?
Digitalisation in Indian cement has evolved from isolated pilot initiatives into a core business strategy because outcomes are now measurable, repeatable and scalable. The key shift has been the move away from standalone solutions toward an integrated digital foundation built on standardised processes, governed data and enterprise platforms that can be deployed consistently across plants and functions.
At Shree Cement, this transition has been very pragmatic. The early phase focused on visibility through dashboards, reporting, and digitisation of critical workflows. Over time, this has progressed into enterprise-level analytics and decision support across manufacturing and the supply chain,
with clear outcomes in cost optimisation, margin protection and revenue improvement through enhanced customer experience.
Equally important, digital is no longer the responsibility of a single function. It is embedded into day-to-day operations across planning, production, maintenance, despatch and customer servicing, supported by enterprise systems, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) data platforms, and a structured approach to change management.

Which digital interventions are delivering the highest ROI across mining, production and logistics today?
In a capital- and cost-intensive sector like cement, the highest returns come from digital interventions that directly reduce unit costs or unlock latent capacity without significant capex.
Supply chain and planning (advanced analytics): Tools for demand forecasting, S&OP, network optimisation and scheduling deliver strong returns by lowering logistics costs, improving service levels, and aligning production with demand in a fragmented and regionally diverse market.
Mining (fleet and productivity analytics): Data-led mine planning, fleet analytics, despatch discipline, and idle-time reduction improve fuel efficiency and equipment utilisation, generating meaningful savings in a cost-heavy operation.
Manufacturing (APC and process analytics): Advanced Process Control, mill optimisation, and variability reduction improve thermal and electrical efficiency, stabilise quality and reduce rework and unplanned stoppages.
Customer experience and revenue enablement (digital platforms): Dealer and retailer apps, order visibility and digitally enabled technical services improve ease of doing business and responsiveness. We are also empowering channel partners with transparent, real-time information on schemes, including eligibility, utilisation status and actionable recommendations, which improves channel satisfaction and market execution while supporting revenue growth.
Overall, while Artificial Intelligence (AI) and IIoT are powerful enablers, it is advanced analytics anchored in strong processes that typically delivers the fastest and most reliable ROI.

How is real-time data helping plants shift from reactive maintenance to predictive and prescriptive operations?
Real-time and near real-time data is driving a more proactive and disciplined maintenance culture, beginning with visibility and progressively moving toward prediction and prescription.
At Shree Cement, we have implemented a robust SAP Plant Maintenance framework to standardise maintenance workflows. This is complemented by IIoT-driven condition monitoring, ensuring consistent capture of equipment health indicators such as vibration, temperature, load, operating patterns and alarms.
Real-time visibility enables early detection of abnormal conditions, allowing teams to intervene before failures occur. As data quality improves and failure histories become structured, predictive models can anticipate likely failure modes and recommend timely interventions, improving MTBF and reducing downtime. Over time, these insights will evolve into prescriptive actions, including spares readiness, maintenance scheduling, and operating parameter adjustments, enabling reliability optimisation with minimal disruption.
A critical success factor is adoption. Predictive insights deliver value only when they are embedded into daily workflows, roles and accountability structures. Without this, they remain insights without action.

In a cost-sensitive market like India, how do cement companies balance digital investment with price competitiveness?
In India’s intensely competitive cement market, digital investments must be tightly linked to tangible business outcomes, particularly cost reduction, service improvement, and faster decision-making.
This balance is achieved by prioritising high-impact use cases such as planning efficiency, logistics optimisation, asset reliability, and process stability, all of which typically deliver quick payback. Equally important is building scalable and governed digital foundations that reduce the marginal cost of rolling out new use cases across plants.
Digitally enabled order management, live despatch visibility, and channel partner platforms also improve customer centricity while controlling cost-to-serve, allowing service levels to improve without proportionate increases in headcount or overheads.
In essence, the most effective digital investments do not add cost. They protect margins by reducing variability, improving planning accuracy, and strengthening execution discipline.

How is digitalisation enabling measurable reductions in energy consumption, emissions, and overall carbon footprint?
Digitalisation plays a pivotal role in improving energy efficiency, reducing emissions and lowering overall carbon intensity.
Real-time monitoring and analytics enable near real-time tracking of energy consumption and critical operating parameters, allowing inefficiencies to be identified quickly and corrective actions to be implemented. Centralised data consolidation across plants enables benchmarking, accelerates best-practice adoption, and drives consistent improvements in energy performance.
Improved asset reliability through predictive maintenance reduces unplanned downtime and process instability, directly lowering energy losses. Digital platforms also support more effective planning and control of renewable energy sources and waste heat recovery systems, reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
Most importantly, digitalisation enables sustainability progress to be tracked with greater accuracy and consistency, supporting long-term ESG commitments.

What role does digital supply chain visibility play in managing demand volatility and regional market dynamics in India?
Digital supply chain visibility is critical in India, where demand is highly regional, seasonality is pronounced, and logistics constraints can shift rapidly.
At Shree Cement, planning operates across multiple horizons. Annual planning focuses on capacity, network footprint and medium-term demand. Monthly S&OP aligns demand, production and logistics, while daily scheduling drives execution-level decisions on despatch, sourcing and prioritisation.
As digital maturity increases, this structure is being augmented by central command-and-control capabilities that manage exceptions such as plant constraints, demand spikes, route disruptions and order prioritisation. Planning is also shifting from aggregated averages to granular, cost-to-serve and exception-based decision-making, improving responsiveness, lowering logistics costs and strengthening service reliability.

How prepared is the current workforce for Industry 4.0, and what reskilling strategies are proving most effective?
Workforce preparedness for Industry 4.0 is improving, though the primary challenge lies in scaling capabilities consistently across diverse roles.
The most effective approach is to define capability requirements by role and tailor enablement accordingly. Senior leadership focuses on digital literacy for governance, investment prioritisation, and value tracking. Middle management is enabled to use analytics for execution discipline and adoption. Frontline sales and service teams benefit from
mobile-first tools and KPI-driven workflows, while shop-floor and plant teams focus on data-driven operations, APC usage, maintenance discipline, safety and quality routines.
Personalised, role-based learning paths, supported by on-ground champions and a clear articulation of practical benefits, drive adoption far more effectively than generic training programmes.

Which emerging digital technologies will fundamentally reshape cement manufacturing in the next decade?
AI and GenAI are expected to have the most significant impact, particularly when combined with connected operations and disciplined processes.
Key technologies likely to reshape the sector include GenAI and agentic AI for faster root-cause analysis, knowledge access, and standardisation of best practices; industrial foundation models that learn patterns across large sensor datasets; digital twins that allow simulation of process changes before implementation; and increasingly autonomous control systems that integrate sensors, AI, and APC to maintain stability with minimal manual intervention.
Over time, this will enable more centralised monitoring and management of plant operations, supported by strong processes, training and capability-building.

Concrete

Redefining Efficiency with Digitalisation

Published

18 hours ago

February 20, 2026

admin

Professor Procyon Mukherjee discusses how as the cement industry accelerates its shift towards digitalisation, data-driven technologies are becoming the mainstay of sustainability and control across the value chain.

The cement industry, long perceived as traditional and resistant to change, is undergoing a profound transformation driven by digital technologies. As global infrastructure demand grows alongside increasing pressure to decarbonise and improve productivity, cement manufacturers are adopting data-centric tools to enhance performance across the value chain. Nowhere is this shift more impactful than in grinding, which is the energy-intensive final stage of cement production, and in the materials that make grinding more efficient: grinding media and grinding aids.

The imperative for digitalisation
Cement production accounts for roughly 7 per cent to 8 per cent of global CO2 emissions, largely due to the energy intensity of clinker production and grinding processes. Digital solutions, such as AI-driven process controls and digital twins, are helping plants improve stability, cut fuel use and reduce emissions while maintaining consistent product quality. In one deployment alongside ABB’s process controls at a Heidelberg plant in Czechia, AI tools cut fuel use by 4 per cent and emissions by 2 per cent, while also improving operational stability.
Digitalisation in cement manufacturing encompasses a suite of technologies, broadly termed as Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), AI and machine learning, predictive analytics, cloud-based platforms, advanced process control and digital twins, each playing a role in optimising various stages of production from quarrying to despatch.

Grinding: The crucible of efficiency and cost
Of all the stages in cement production, grinding is among the most energy-intensive, historically consuming large amounts of electricity and representing a significant portion of plant operating costs. As a result, optimising grinding operations has become central to digital transformation strategies.
Modern digital systems are transforming grinding mills from mechanical workhorses into intelligent, interconnected assets. Sensors throughout the mill measure parameters such as mill load, vibration, mill speed, particle size distribution, and power consumption. This real-time data, fed into machine learning and advanced process control (APC) systems, can dynamically adjust operating conditions to maintain optimal throughput and energy usage.
For example, advanced grinding systems now predict inefficient conditions, such as impending mill overload, by continuously analysing acoustic and vibration signatures. The system can then proactively adjust clinker feed rates and grinding media distribution to sustain optimal conditions, reducing energy consumption and improving consistency.

Digital twins: Seeing grinding in the virtual world
One of the most transformative digital tools applied in cement grinding is the digital twin, which a real-time virtual replica of physical equipment and processes. By integrating sensor data and
process models, digital twins enable engineers to simulate process variations and run ‘what-if’
scenarios without disrupting actual production. These simulations support decisions on variables such as grinding media charge, mill speed and classifier settings, allowing optimisation of energy use and product fineness.
Digital twins have been used to optimise kilns and grinding circuits in plants worldwide, reducing unplanned downtime and allowing predictive maintenance to extend the life of expensive grinding assets.

Grinding media and grinding aids in a digital era
While digital technologies improve control and prediction, materials science innovations in grinding media and grinding aids have become equally crucial for achieving performance gains.
Grinding media, which comprise the balls or cylinders inside mills, directly influence the efficiency of clinker comminution. Traditionally composed of high-chrome cast iron or forged steel, grinding media account for nearly a quarter of global grinding media consumption by application, with efficiency improvements translating directly to lower energy intensity.
Recent advancements include ceramic and hybrid media that combine hardness and toughness to reduce wear and energy losses. For example, manufacturers such as Sanxin New Materials in China and Tosoh Corporation in Japan have developed sub-nano and zirconia media with exceptional wear resistance. Other innovations include smart media embedded with sensors to monitor wear, temperature, and impact forces in real time, enabling predictive maintenance and optimal media replacement scheduling. These digitally-enabled media solutions can increase grinding efficiency by as much as 15 per cent.
Complementing grinding media are grinding aids, which are chemical additives that improve mill throughput and reduce energy consumption by altering the surface properties of particles, trapping air, and preventing re-agglomeration. Technology leaders like SIKA AG and GCP Applied Technologies have invested in tailored grinding aids compatible with AI-driven dosing platforms that automatically adjust additive concentrations based on real-time mill conditions. Trials in South America reported throughput improvements nearing 19 per cent when integrating such digital assistive dosing with process control systems.
The integration of grinding media data and digital dosing of grinding aids moves the mill closer to a self-optimising system, where AI not only predicts media wear or energy losses but prescribes optimal interventions through automated dosing and operational adjustments.

Global case studies in digital adoption
Several cement companies around the world exemplify digital transformation in practice.
Heidelberg Materials has deployed digital twin technologies across global plants, achieving up to 15 per cent increases in production efficiency and 20 per cent reductions in energy consumption by leveraging real-time analytics and predictive algorithms.
Holcim’s Siggenthal plant in Switzerland piloted AI controllers that autonomously adjusted kiln operations, boosting throughput while reducing specific energy consumption and emissions.
Cemex, through its AI and predictive maintenance initiatives, improved kiln availability and reduced maintenance costs by predicting failures before they occurred. Global efforts also include AI process optimisation initiatives to reduce energy consumption and environmental impact.

Challenges and the road ahead
Despite these advances, digitalisation in cement grinding faces challenges. Legacy equipment may lack sensor readiness, requiring retrofits and edge-cloud connectivity upgrades. Data governance and integration across plants and systems remains a barrier for many mid-tier producers. Yet, digital transformation statistics show momentum: more than half of cement companies have implemented IoT sensors for equipment monitoring, and digital twin adoption is growing rapidly as part of broader Industry 4.0 strategies.
Furthermore, as digital systems mature, they increasingly support sustainability goals: reduced energy use, optimised media consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions. By embedding intelligence into grinding circuits and material inputs like grinding aids, cement manufacturers can strike a balance between efficiency and environmental stewardship.
Conclusion
Digitalisation is not merely an add-on to cement manufacturing. It is reshaping the competitive and sustainability landscape of an industry often perceived as inertia-bound. With grinding representing a nexus of energy intensity and cost, digital technologies from sensor networks and predictive analytics to digital twins offer new levers of control. When paired with innovations in grinding media and grinding aids, particularly those with embedded digital capabilities, plants can achieve unprecedented gains in efficiency, predictability and performance.
For global cement producers aiming to reduce costs and carbon footprints simultaneously, the future belongs to those who harness digital intelligence not just to monitor operations, but to optimise and evolve them continuously.

About the author:
Professor Procyon Mukherjee, ex-CPO Lafarge-Holcim India, ex-President Hindalco, ex-VP Supply Chain Novelis Europe, has been an industry leader in logistics, procurement, operations and supply chain management. His career spans 38 years starting from Philips, Alcan Inc (Indian Aluminum Company), Hindalco, Novelis and Holcim. He authored the book, ‘The Search for Value in Supply Chains’. He serves now as Visiting Professor in SP Jain Global, SIOM and as the Adjunct Professor at SBUP. He advises leading Global Firms including Consulting firms on SCM and Industrial Leadership and is a subject matter expert in aluminum and cement. An Alumnus of IIM Calcutta and Jadavpur University, he has completed the LH Senior Leadership Programme at IVEY Academy at Western University, Canada.