Concrete

Organised retailer

Published

6 years ago

March 5, 2021

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Shankara Building Products is a leading organised retailer of home improvement and building products in India, operating under the brand name ??hankara Buildpro?? It runs 100+ stores spread across Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Puducherry. It started in 1995, and is headquartered in Bengaluru. It is listed on NSE and BSE with a turnover of Rs 2,640 crore.

It sells over 30,000+ SKUs across the entire home construction and renovation lifecycle through its retail stores. The products are spread across categories of construction materials, plumbing and sanitary ware, flooring, electrical, interior-exterior finishing and Irrigation. It has a tie up with leading brands across categories. The products are also available its website: Buildpro Store.

The list of customers include homeowners as well as professional customers like architects, interior designers, contractors, developers, plumbers, electricians, tile layers, masons, carpenters, painters, etc. as well as small enterprises. The customers are spread across tier 1, 2 and 3 locations.

In addition to the retail segment, it has two other legacy business segments ??enterprise and channel. In the enterprise segment, it caters to requirements of large end-users, contractors and OEMs. In the channel segment, it caters to dealers and other retailers through its branch network. The common theme across all segments is the customer-centric approach to business.

Back-end operations

The back-end operations provide support to its front-end business segments. It has its own steel processing facilities, which help to provide customised, in-time solutions. It has its own supply chain capabilities with owned warehousing and vehicles to provide efficient and speedy delivery to the customers. Its presence across the value chain of processing, channel, enterprise, retail, and supply chain gives it a lot of strength and unique advantages.

Processing unit

It has a processing unit for steel pipes and tubes (including precision tubes and galvanized pipes), color coated roofing sheets, galvanised strips and cold rolled strips. The units are 12 in number and are located near key demand centres. These are Hyderabad (3), Bengaluru (4), Hubli, Chennai, Coimbatore, Pune and Vijaywada. It has an installed capacity of approximately 325,000 tonne per annum.

The processing units carry key certifications like ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2015, OHSAS 18001:2007 and BIS. The product specifications adhere to international standards and the facilities are approved by a number of prestigious clients. It processes a number of steel based products based on the requirements of our customers.

Pipes and tubes

The company produces CRCA, GI, GP and HR pipes and tubes. It is equipped with advanced mills for precision quality products in tube processing. In CRCA, it processes materials conforming to IS 3074 and automotive requirements (HSLA) series materials. In HR, it has certifications conforming to standards viz. IS 1239; IS 1161; IS 3601 and IS 4923.

Roofing Sheets

The company makes a wide range of roofing, cladding and rainwater systems. The products are designed to provide flexibility to suit any construction need, be it home, office, business or factory. It provides attractive colours and the products are made from high quality raw materials to ensure low maintenance and resistance to extremities of weather. Over and above the products are environmentally friendly and fireproof.

Supply chain

Efficient storage and movement of goods are critical to business operations. The company has over +6 lakh sq ft of warehousing space, a large part of it is owned by them. It has +75-owned trucks to ensure efficient movement of goods. In addition, it has a large number of independent vehicles wholly aligned to serve the logistics needs. It keeps building the supply chain infrastructure to ensure a strong foundation to scale the business.

The enterprise hub of Shankara

In addition to sales from retail stores, the products are sold directly to enterprises for their end users. In this segment, it caters to the requirements of large end users, contractors, and OEMs. The enterprise segment is closely linked with its processing units. This helps to serve the bespoke requirements of customers depending on specifications, quality and delivery timelines. It also offers kit based, cut-to-size, ready-to-use products as well for customers. The range of products include frames for airports, metro stations and malls, city skywalks, airport tubular structures, and road dividers.

Concrete

Jammu Division Begins First Cement Rail Traffic to Anantnag

Cement Loading From Kathua for Anantnag to Begin on September 14

Published

3 days ago

September 21, 2026

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Jammu Railway Division has placed an indent for the first movement of cement by rail within the division, linking Shaheed Captain Sunil Kumar Choudhary Kathua Railway Station with Anantnag Railway Station. Loading for the consignment is scheduled to begin on September 14.

Concrete

Hard Worker Wins Three Honours at Kyoorius Design Awards

Ramco Cements’ brand secures Grand Prix and two Blue Elephant honours.

Published

3 days ago

September 21, 2026

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The Ramco Cements Limited’s construction chemicals brand, Hard Worker, has won three honours at the Kyoorius Design Awards 2026, including the Grand Prix – Grey Elephant in the Design in Action category.

The brand also secured two Blue Elephant honours, one for Design in Action and another for Packaging, recognising the design approach behind its brand identity and packaging.

Launched in 2025, Hard Worker entered the construction chemicals segment with the brand promise, “Hard-working products for hardworking people.” Its visual identity uses animals and birds to represent product benefits. The camel represents the water-retention capability of Hard Worker Eco Plaster, while the cheetah represents the speed and performance of Hard Worker Block Fix.

The visual language has been extended across packaging, retail, communication, literature, digital platforms and other brand touchpoints. Hard Worker uses bold colours, distinctive animal illustrations and simple visual storytelling to communicate product benefits across markets and audiences, including construction workers and applicators.

“For Hard Worker, design was never an afterthought. It was fundamental to how we wanted to build the brand. In a category that is largely functional, we wanted to create a brand that people could recognise, understand and remember instantly. The Kyoorius recognition is a wonderful validation of this design-led approach,” said Mr. AV Dharmakrishnan, CEO, The Ramco Cements Limited.

Mr. Balaji K. Moorthy, Executive Director – Marketing, Ramco Cements said “In a category where communication has traditionally been product-led and functional, we wanted Hard Worker to stand apart by making design an integral part of the brand experience. From the distinctive animal-led packaging to our communication across consumer and trade touchpoints, every element was designed to make the brand more memorable and the product benefits easier to understand.”

Within its first 12 months, Hard Worker crossed Rs 3.5 bn in sales. The latest recognition follows six honours secured by the brand’s campaign at the Kyoorius Creative Awards earlier in 2026, including the Grey Elephant Grand Prix for its Eco Plaster film.

The Kyoorius Design Awards recognise outstanding design work in India’s visual communications sector across multiple categories and platforms. The 2026 awards were announced on 12 September in Goa.

The Ramco Cements Limited is part of the Ramco Group and operates across cement and allied building-material solutions. Hard Worker is its construction chemicals brand, offering solutions across key construction applications.

Concrete

Cement Firms to Invest Rs. 130 bn in Green Energy by FY28

Cement companies plan to expand clean energy capacity to 6 GW by FY28

Published

1 week ago

September 17, 2026

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India’s major cement companies are set to raise their clean energy capacity to 6 GW by March 2028 from around 4 GW at the end of March 2026, according to ratings agency ICRA. The planned expansion is expected to involve investments of Rs. 130 bn over the next two years.

The additional capacity could generate annual savings of Rs. 62 bn to Rs. 67 bn, resulting in an estimated payback period of 1.8 to 2.2 years. Cement is an emission-intensive industry, and leading producers have established net-zero roadmaps covering the next 15 to 20 years.

The calcination process accounts for 57 to 60 per cent of the sector’s total emissions, while fuel combustion contributes 27 to 30 per cent and electricity consumption accounts for 10 to 13 per cent. ICRA said the figures highlighted the need for a broad decarbonisation strategy involving green power, blended cement, alternative fuels and improvements in clinker efficiency.

Green energy is considered one of the most commercially attractive decarbonisation options because it can reduce emissions while lowering operating costs. Every 5 per cent increase in green power replacement can reduce power and fuel costs by Rs. 15 to Rs. 16 per tonne. A 25 per cent replacement level could therefore save Rs. 75 to Rs. 80 per tonne and expand operating margins by 140 to 160 basis points.

Cement producers are also assessing carbon capture, utilisation and storage, although high implementation costs, energy requirements and limited transport and storage infrastructure are expected to slow commercial adoption. The government has proposed Rs. 200 bn over five years to support deployment across key sectors. Meanwhile, companies are targeting thermal substitution rates of 10 to 15 per cent over the next three to five years, compared with the current industry level of around 6 per cent.