Concrete

New cement association on the anvil

Published

5 years ago

July 1, 2021

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Cement and Steel producers are once again under the ire of government as union minister Nitin Gadkari indicated a brewing cartel in the two industries. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has assured the Builders??Association of India (BAI) that he would look into their demand for a regulatory authority for the cement and steel sectors. He said the Central government is serious about curbing instances of cartelisation.

Expressing concern, Gadkari said he felt there is cartelisation in these industries. The minister made the comments while virtually interacting with the members and office-bearers of the BAI in the month of January 2021.

??e have taken serious note of it [cartelisation] and I have discussed this with the Prime Minister. Most steel companies own iron ore mines and with no increase in labour and power charges, why should there be an increase in steel prices? It is very difficult to understand,??the minister said.

Big players in the steel and cement industry are conspiring together to jack up prices, he said. The steel prices have risen by 55 per cent in the last six months, even though the cost of key inputs like raw materials and power remained the same.

“It will be difficult to achieve Prime Minister Modi?? dream of making India a $5 trillion economy if the steel and cement prices keep rising,” Gadkari had said. Cartel is a collection of companies in the same industry that collude together to control the price of a product/service.

This comes a month after the Competition Commission of India (CCI) conducted searches in the offices of major cement producers to find the evidence of price collusion.

Background

In 2019, country’s anti-trust body started examining complaints of cartelisation in the cement industry. Following this, in December 2020, it raided top five cement companies, including UltraTech Cement offices and two subsidiaries of LafargeHolcim, world?? largest cement maker.

It conducted the searches simultaneously in multiple offices across the country and seized electronic and physical data, pieces of equipment and material. The agency had also hired private IT experts to decode the data it collected from the seize.

By December 2020, the industry had hiked cement prices by 23 percent, whereas steel prices rose by whooping 45 percent since January 2020. In January 2020, the price of one cement bag (50 kg) was Rs 349, in December 2020, real estate developers were buying the same bag at Rs 430.

On the other hand, during the same period, the price of steel surged from Rs 40,000 to Rs 58,000. Gadkari had made similar comments then too, saying these two industries keep taking unfair advantage of government’s initiatives to help them. He had said, “I decided to make all roads concrete. I wanted to encourage the cement industry. But they are only taking (unfair) advantage of the situation and making cartels. So, I am now allowing bitumen for road construction.??/p>

A month after the investigation, Gadkari has brought the matter into the limelight once again. Cement and steel factories exploit people by levying higher rates while there is no noticeable hike in either power or labor costs. This is a clear indication of a cartel in both the industries, union minister Nitin Gadkari said. All the players in the industry have their own iron ore mines and do not have to face any hikes in labour or power rates, he added.

Speaking to the Builders Association of India of Western Region, he wondered why the industry is hiking prices when prices of other input factors have been constant. He indicated government has infra projects worth more than Rs 100 crore in the pipeline and their sustenance would be difficult if both the industries keep this up.

To deal with the situation, the government is mulling over setting a regulator for cement and steel industry. Earlier, Gadkari had written to the PM seeking his intervention on price collusion in the two industries.

Concrete

NBCC Wins Rs 550m IOB Office Project In Raipur

PMC Contract Covers Design, Execution And Handover

Published

7 days ago

January 20, 2026

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State-owned construction major NBCC India Ltd has secured a new domestic work order worth around Rs 550.2 million from Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) in the normal course of business, according to a regulatory filing.

The project involves planning, designing, execution and handover of IOB’s new Regional Office building at Raipur. The contract has been awarded under NBCC’s project management consultancy (PMC) operations and excludes GST.

NBCC said the order further strengthens its construction and infrastructure portfolio. The company clarified that the contract is not a related party transaction and that neither its promoter nor promoter group has any interest in the awarding entity.

The development has been duly disclosed to the stock exchanges as part of NBCC’s standard compliance requirements.

Concrete

Nuvoco Q3 EBITDA Jumps As Cement Sales Hit Record

Premium products and cost control lift profitability

Published

1 week ago

January 19, 2026

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Nuvoco Vistas Corp. Ltd reported a strong financial performance for the quarter ended 31 December 2025 (Q3 FY26), driven by record cement sales, higher premium product volumes and improved operational efficiencies.

The company achieved its highest-ever third-quarter consolidated cement sales volume of 5 million tonnes, registering growth of 7 per cent year-on-year. Consolidated revenue from operations rose 12 per cent to Rs 27.01 billion during the quarter. EBITDA increased sharply by 50 per cent YoY to Rs 3.86 billion, supported by improved pricing and cost management.

Premium products continued to be a key growth driver, sustaining a historic high contribution of 44 per cent for the second consecutive quarter. The strong momentum reflects rising brand traction for the Nuvoco Concreto and Nuvoco Duraguard ranges, which are increasingly recognised as trusted choices in building materials.

In the ready-mix concrete segment, Nuvoco witnessed healthy demand traction across its Concreto product portfolio. The company launched Concreto Tri Shield, a specialised offering delivering three-layer durability and a 50 per cent increase in structural lifespan. In the modern building materials category, the firm introduced Nuvoco Zero M Unnati App, a digital loyalty platform aimed at improving influencer engagement, transparency and channel growth.

Despite heavy rainfall affecting parts of the quarter, the company maintained improved performance supported by strong premiumisation and operational discipline. Capacity expansion projects in the East, along with ongoing execution at the Vadraj Cement facilities, remain on track. The operationalisation of the clinker unit and grinding capacity, planned in phases starting Q3 FY27, is expected to lift total cement capacity to around 35 million tonnes per annum, reinforcing Nuvoco’s position as India’s fifth-largest cement group.

Commenting on the results, Managing Director Mr Jayakumar Krishnaswamy said Q3 marked strong recovery and momentum despite economic challenges. He highlighted double-digit volume growth, premium-led expansion and a 50 per cent rise in EBITDA. The company also recorded its lowest blended fuel cost in 17 quarters at Rs 1.41 per Mcal. Refurbishment and project execution at the Vadraj Cement Plant are progressing steadily, which, along with strategic capacity additions and cost efficiencies, is expected to strengthen Nuvoco’s long-term competitive advantage.

Concrete

Cement Industry Backs Co-Processing to Tackle Global Waste

Industry bodies recently urged policy support for cement co-processing as waste solution

Published

2 weeks ago

January 15, 2026

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Leading industry bodies, including the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), European Composites Industry Association, International Solid Waste Association – Africa, Mission Possible Partnership and the Global Waste-to-Energy Research and Technology Council, have issued a joint statement highlighting the cement industry’s potential role in addressing the growing global challenge of non-recyclable and non-reusable waste. The organisations have called for stronger policy support to unlock the full potential of cement industry co-processing as a safe, effective and sustainable waste management solution.

Co-processing enables both energy recovery and material recycling by using suitable waste to replace fossil fuels in cement kilns, while simultaneously recycling residual ash into the cement itself. This integrated approach delivers a zero-waste solution, reduces landfill dependence and complements conventional recycling by addressing waste streams that cannot be recycled or are contaminated.

Already recognised across regions including Europe, India, Latin America and North America, co-processing operates under strict regulatory and technical frameworks to ensure high standards of safety, emissions control and transparency.

Commenting on the initiative, Thomas Guillot, Chief Executive of the GCCA, said co-processing offers a circular, community-friendly waste solution but requires effective regulatory frameworks and supportive public policy to scale further. He noted that while some cement kilns already substitute over 90 per cent of their fuel with waste, many regions still lack established practices.

The joint statement urges governments and institutions to formally recognise co-processing within waste policy frameworks, support waste collection and pre-treatment, streamline permitting, count recycled material towards national recycling targets, and provide fiscal incentives that reflect environmental benefits. It also calls for stronger public–private partnerships and international knowledge sharing.

With global waste generation estimated at over 11 billion tonnes annually and uncontrolled municipal waste projected to rise sharply by 2050, the signatories believe co-processing represents a practical and scalable response. With appropriate policy backing, it can help divert waste from landfills, reduce fossil fuel use in cement manufacturing and transform waste into a valuable societal resource.