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Cement companies should avoid giving any negative message

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Branding has become the need of an hour today. You need to have the right pricing, right quality, and right message delivered while creating a successful brand. M Ravinder Reddy, Director ??Marketing, Vicat, believes that a lot of hard work is required behind creating a successful brand. He shares his company?? journey of creating cement as a brand.

How has been the journey of cement from commodity to brand?

I am quite satisfied with the journey of cement as a brand so far. If you consider the control days, the situation has changed significantly since 1982 when partial decontrol was introduced. Cement started selling as a brand since then. Initially it was in a radius of around 400 km around the plant. Then in the year 1989, cement became an independent commodity without any controls. It was then when the cement companies started advertisements for branding. The manufacturers went from one location to multiple locations.

Today if you see there is one mother brand and under it, there are a few more sub-brands. Today, cement is almost like any FMCG product. While creating a brand there is a lot of hard work that goes behind. Quality of the product and packing of the finished item is extremely important.

What are the three important attributes of cement as a brand?

  • Today?? customer is extremely sensitive and conscious about weights and measurement. He is aware of his rights. When we have moved from jute bags to laminated bags we must also make sure about what we are delivering to the customer. Today customer does not accept any compromise on quality.

  • The customer wants a consistent quality. Many times we give a quality product but it is not uniform in strength, colour, fineness, etc. There will be variation in the limestone quality but in the process, we must make sure of what comes out of the kiln that is in our hands.

  • The third important aspect is service associated with the product and delivery of the product.

  • When cement producers are trying to establish as a brand they will have to respond to all the three attributes stated above.

What do you think cement companies should avoid while establishing their product as a brand?

Cement companies should avoid giving any negative message. It will always go against the company. The producers should try to create a good image of the product and the company. As I said above, the customer today is very sensitive and fully aware of his rights. We should not try and hoodwink him; we should give him what we promise.

How important is the compressive strength of cement while creating a brand?

No doubt strength is an important property of cement. But today we not only talk of strength. We talk about setting time, water requirement, fly ash, or slag present. Properties that will impart durability to the structure that is being constructed. The industry is going away from strength as a property. Today?? advertisements are revolving around relations, durability, and sustainability.

Is it necessary to attach a personality to cement while creating a brand?

Yes, personality is important. When new cement is launched, we would engage a personality that can give confidence to the buyer. It is necessary for any new product but when the product is already established you can think of a different type of campaign.

I remember at Bharathi cement, we had hired the well-known Telugu actor Surya as a brand ambassador. We came to know before he took up our assignment, he had used our cement for his own construction and was a quite satisfied customer. This gives another dimension to the entire campaign.

Talking about cement as a product, what we produce today is backed by strong technological inputs and is comparable to a product in Europe or the US. When we launched our cement in Sri Lanka, our product was far superior to any local product. Apart from the consumer, we are also associating with engineers and masons who are part of the user chain. Their response to our product is equally important and valuable.

M Ravinder Reddy holds a MBA degree in Marketing and has over 34 years of experience in cement industry. While at Priya cement, he had introduced HDPE packing by replacing Jute packing. He joined Bharathi Cement as a Whole-time Director in September 2008, and he heads the company?? sales and marketing operations of Vicat India. In 2009, he successfully launched the ??harathi Cement??in premium segment. He is recipient of many national and international awards.In addition, he is an elected Chairman of Cement, Clinkers and Asbestos Cement products panel of CAPEXIL and also Vice President of South India Cement Manufacturer?? Association.

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Concrete

Cement Prices To Hold Steady Amid Monsoon Slump

Centrum report says demand weakness will limit hikes

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Centrum, a financial services firm, has reported that cement prices are likely to remain largely unchanged in July as weak demand during the monsoon season constrains pricing power. The report noted that construction activity remained subdued in the first quarter of fiscal year 2027 owing to labour shortages and slower execution of government projects. While June showed some volume recovery driven by delayed monsoons and quarter end sales, dealers are cautious about sustaining any price increases.

The analysis suggested that seasonal slowdown related to monsoon will prolong demand and pricing challenges through the second quarter. Dealers saw most recent attempts at price hikes as protective measures rather than genuine shifts in market fundamentals. They signalled that pockets of demand in select regions could prompt isolated adjustments but that broad based increases were unlikely while construction activity remained weak. Market participants therefore expected a cautious stance on pricing.

The report highlighted that despite intermittent recovery in shipments during June, the underlying demand trajectory remained muted as monsoon hampered site level activity and logistics. Commercial builders and retail dealers both reported constrained order books and slower payment cycles, which in turn reduced room for margin expansion among manufacturers. Analysts noted that unless government project execution accelerates markedly, demand improvement would be gradual. Price setters were thus likely to focus on protecting market shares rather than pursuing aggressive increases.

Market watchers said the near term outlook would be shaped by monsoon progress and fiscal spending patterns, with any acceleration in public works offering the most tangible support. Traders expected that regional variations would persist and that trade flows between surplus and deficit centres would determine local price movements. The report concluded that stakeholders should prepare for a period of subdued pricing until demand signals strengthen.

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Concrete

Cement Prices Set To Stay Under Pressure In July

Monsoon and weak demand keep prices under strain

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A report by Centrum said cement prices are expected to remain largely flat in July as the monsoon and weak demand weigh on the sector. The report said demand during the first quarter of FY27 remained range-bound and below expectations, with dealers across markets pointing to subdued construction activity, labour shortages, elections, heatwaves and slower execution of government projects as key reasons. It noted that some recovery was witnessed in June due to delayed onset of the monsoon and quarter-end volume push.\n\nDealers across most markets do not expect any meaningful price increases in July, the report said, adding that attempts to raise prices in some markets are aimed at defending existing levels rather than achieving significant gains. The sharp correction following the rollback of April hikes has largely played out across most regions, limiting scope for further immediate increases. Seasonal slowdown in construction activity during the monsoon is expected to continue affecting demand and pricing in the coming months.\n\nCentrum indicated that pricing pressure is likely to persist through the second quarter of FY27 as monsoon-related softness continues. Dealers remain cautious about sustainability of any price rise attempts and do not rule out further weakness during the peak monsoon period. The combination of subdued demand and seasonal factors is likely to constrain the industry’s ability to raise prices in the near term. While June saw some improvement in volumes because of delayed rains and quarter-end sales efforts, the broader demand environment remains challenging.\n\nCement companies are therefore expected to focus on maintaining current price levels rather than pursuing aggressive increases as the sector navigates weak demand and seasonal headwinds. The report suggested that unless demand conditions improve significantly, limited scope will exist for meaningful price recovery. Market participants remain watchful for any shifts in execution of infrastructure projects or construction activity that could alter the outlook.

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TARIL Secures Ultra Mega Transformer Order From PGCIL

Order for manufacturing transformers to be delivered in 30 months

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Transformers and Rectifiers (India) Limited has received Notifications of Awards from Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) for multiple contracts to manufacture transformers and undertake associated works. The company submitted the disclosure to BSE and the National Stock Exchange under Regulation 30 of the SEBI Listing Regulations. The submission cited security code 532928 and trading symbol TARIL, and the filings cite the award reference and confirm execution in accordance with the terms and conditions stipulated in the notifications.

The contracts are described as an Ultra Mega Order under the company classification, indicating a value at or above Rs 10 billion (bn) on conversion. The filing identifies the contracts as domestic orders and specifies a scheduled delivery period of 30 months. The scope covers manufacturing of transformers of various ratings together with all associated work. The order size places it in the highest project classification defined in the company’s disclosure.

The disclosure states that the promoter group and group companies have no interest in the awarding entity and that the contracts do not constitute related party transactions. The company noted that the awards will be executed in the normal course of business and not fall within related party transactions. The document reiterates that the company is committed to delivering high quality products and services and has established itself as a leading manufacturer of transformers in the country over time.

Chief Financial Officer Mehul Shah authorised the filing and requested the exchanges to take the information on record, with the company providing the requisite filing reference in its submission. The company indicated that the orders will be executed as per the notifications of awards and the applicable regulatory framework. The original filing is available on the stock exchange portal at the provided link.

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