Concrete

We thought to introduce an innovative packing in the industry

Published

5 years ago

July 1, 2021

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1. What has been your experience in marketing Bharathi as a brand? What are the challenges?

It was challenging to launch new brand in 2009. Whereas, we have so many established players like multi-nationals, national players, local players & regional players in the market. Since we are coming as a new producer, we have thought of bringing a best consumer accepted product and packing. We have taken 3 important steps to launch this viz. Technology, Superior Quality and Innovative packing.

2. Explain the role played by packaging of cement in brand building. How in your case you have packaged the product? Tell us your experience on different kind of packaging.

During 1980?? cement was sold as a commodity and various companies??were using jute bags initially. After some time, cement packing was partially converted with HDPE bags. There was lot of pilferage in Jute bags. While in HDPE bags pilferage has reduced to some extent.

We thought to introduce an innovative packing in the industry and we have found that PPL bags are used for cement packing in other countries. We decided to pack our cement in PPL, where we used this point as one of our branding slogan. Our branding slogan is ?? times better Bharathi Cement??-

1. German technology

2. Robotic quality control

3. Tamper Proof Packing.

Not only PPL bags, some parts of markets in Tamilnadu, Kerala and Maharashtra use Paper bags also. The Paper bag has also given an impression to customer as better type of packing and it is also tamper proof bags. At present PPL and Paper bags are very well accepted in many markets as a tamper proof packing.

3. As a part of backward integration Bharathi Cement has gone ahead with setting up a production unit for bag manufacturing, what is the philosophy? Do you supply any quantity to other cement companies?

Since we could not get PPL bags in India, we have gone to Austria to set up 6 crores PPL bags manufacturing unit of Star Linger technology. With this we are able to consume 50% to 60% of production for our captive units and balance to other cement companies also.

4. Provide us some information on PP laminated bags and its superiority. Is the unit able to satisfy your entire requirement of bags? What is the superiority of PP laminated bags? Explain in details.

PPL bags have Less pilferage, it cannot be adulterated, once opened it cannot be re-packed / stitched. Bags are tuned to box type which cannot be adulterated and they look striking.

5. One important factor of brand building is advertisement, what medium of advertisement you would suggest? What is the future trend? How do you compare different mediums of advertisement?

Some of the mediums of advertisement are Print, electronic, digital, outdoor like hoardings, wall paintings etc. All these different media will help in brand building. One of the cheapest mode is wall painting. In future, digital branding will prove as most effective communication as it has the ability to spread through various digital channels such as online ads, search engines social media, websites and online activations. So from time to time as per the needs of market we need to adopt different mediums of advertisement.

6. While journey to brand building is fairly long, you need to work with the ad agency with more openness and give them reasonable length of time to do new things? Please comment.

Yes, when you are building best brand, we need to have a reputed AD agency and we can openly implement based on customer feedbacks like long term perspective, network, logistics distribution system etc. Primary role of an Ad agency is the creation of an advertising and marketing plan specific to product and brand. Ad agencies work with our business objectives. They pull all this together to provide a creative and compelling campaign intended to engage the attention of potential customers and get them to buy our product. Ad agency employs its creative team to work on our brand art works and other designs and also produces TVC??. Initially we engaged South Indian Film Star Mr. Suriya as our brand ambassador to popularise product in the market and we produced many films with him which were telecasted accordingly.

As a reputed brand, we have implemented all these factors from inception itself and continue to follow till date.

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About M. Ravinder Reddy, he has over 34 years of experience in cement industry, holds B.com (Hons.) and MBA (Marketing) degree. During his tenure 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. He has 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.

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

7 days 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.