Concrete

Ambuja Cements and ACC invests in 4.0 for â€˜Plants of Tomorrowâ€™ programme

Published

5 years ago

October 19, 2021

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Ambuja Cements and ACC have invested in Industry 4.0 under its ??lants of Tomorrow??programme. These initiative aims to make cement manufacturing more efficient through better plant optimisation, higher plant availability and a safer working environment. The Plants of Tomorrow??programme is part of parent company Holcim?? Strategy 2022 ????uilding for Growth?? which was launched globally in July 2019.

It?? a four-year programme that aims to create a global network of over 270 integrated cement plants and grinding stations in more than 50 countries by applying automation technologies and robotics, artificial intelligence, predictive maintenance and digital twin technologies to the entire production processes.

The ??lants of Tomorrow??initiative is simultaneously implemented in other key markets for Holcim in Switzerland, France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Russia.

Neeraj Akhoury, CEO India Holcim and Managing Director and CEO of Ambuja Cements Limited said, ??s an industry leader we are looking at ??lants of Tomorrow??as a big opportunity and responsibility to place India on the map of global cement manufacturing. This path-breaking project will lead to transformative outcomes not just in terms of operational and financial gains but also make cement manufacturing in the country environmentally sustainable and create a safe work environment for our colleagues across all our plants.??/p>

As compared to a conventional cement plant, the ??lants of Tomorrow??certified operation promises 15 to 20 % more operational efficiency, the company said.

Furthermore, the company also has initiated another Plants of Tomorrow initiative, called as PACT – the Performance and Collaboration Tool ??which effectively focuses operational decisions based on data about weekly operations, monthly performances, projects and actions.

Both companies have already implemented tools such as Distributed Control System (DCS), Tool Location System (TLS) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) to increase plant efficiency and uptime. The companies have also introduced Internet of Things (IoT) across the manufacturing value chain by leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning through the project EDGE to facilitate rapid deployment of predictive models and seamless connectivity with plant data sources.

The company stated that the ??lants of Tomorrow??programme also encompasses several initiatives that lead to predictive quality (cement fineness, cement quality) and predictive maintenance (VRM failure, refractory life) and also help optimise energy consumption per ton of cement and enable cost savings.

Concrete

Cement Production Up Eight Point Six Per Cent To 491.4 mn t In FY26

Icra Sees Seven To Eight Per Cent Growth In FY27

Published

15 hours ago

May 4, 2026

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Icra reported that cement production volumes rose by eight point six per cent in the financial year 2026 to 491.4 million (mn) metric tonne (t). March output was 48.4 mn t, up four per cent year on year on a high base.

The agency projected that volumes are expected to grow by seven to eight per cent in the current financial year, supported by sustained demand from the housing and infrastructure sectors. Average cement prices were reported to have remained flat in March at Rs 340 per bag on a month on month basis, while prices for FY26 increased by two per cent to Rs 345 per bag year on year.

Among inputs, coal prices declined by 17 per cent year on year to USD 102 per t in April 2026 while petcoke prices rose sharply by 19 per cent month on month and 22 per cent year on year to around Rs 15,800 per t in April. Petcoke was higher by about five per cent year on year in FY26 and diesel prices were reported to have remained steady. Icra noted that coal, petcoke and diesel are expected to trend higher in FY27 and remain exposed to risks from the ongoing West Asia conflict.

The report emphasised that operating margins for Icra’s sample set of companies are estimated to moderate by 200 to 400 basis points (bps) in FY27 on account of a likely increase in input costs, with further downside risks should crude prices rise owing to geopolitical tensions. However, debt protection metrics are projected to remain comfortable and Icra maintained a stable outlook on the Indian cement sector.

Concrete

UltraTech Cement FY26 PAT Crosses Rs 80 bn

Company reports record sales, profit and 200 MTPA capacity milestone

Published

6 days ago

April 29, 2026

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UltraTech Cement reported record financial performance for Q4 and FY26, supported by strong volumes, higher profitability and improved cost efficiency. Consolidated net sales for Q4 FY26 rose 12 per cent year-on-year to Rs 254.67 billion, while PBIDT increased 20 per cent to Rs 56.88 billion. PAT, excluding exceptional items, grew 21 per cent to Rs 30.11 billion.

For FY26, consolidated net sales stood at Rs 873.84 billion, up 17 per cent from Rs 749.36 billion in FY25. PBIDT rose 32 per cent to Rs 175.98 billion, while PAT increased 36 per cent to Rs 83.05 billion, crossing the Rs 80 billion mark for the first time.

India grey cement volumes reached 42.41 million tonnes in Q4 FY26, up 9.3 per cent year-on-year, with capacity utilisation at 89 per cent. Full-year India grey cement volumes stood at 145 million tonnes. Energy costs declined 3 per cent, aided by a higher green power mix of 43 per cent in Q4.

The company’s domestic grey cement capacity has crossed 200 MTPA, reaching 200.1 MTPA, while global capacity stands at 205.5 MTPA. UltraTech also recommended a special dividend of Rs 2.40 billion per share value basis equivalent to Rs 240.

Concrete

Towards Mega Batching

Optimised batching can drive overall efficiencies in large projects.

Published

7 days ago

April 28, 2026

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India’s pace of infrastructure development is pushing the construction sector to work at a significantly higher scale than previously. Tight deadlines necessitate eliminating concreting delays, especially in large and mega projects, which, in turn, imply installing the right batching plant and ensuring batching is efficient. CW explores these steps as well as the gaps in India’s batching plant market.

Choose well

Large-scale infrastructure and building projects typically involve concrete consumption exceeding 30,000-50,000 cum per annum or demand continuous, high-volume pours within compressed timelines, according to Rahul R Wadhai, DGM – Quality, Tata Projects.

Considering the daily need for concrete, “large-scale concreting involves pouring more than 1,000–2,000 cum per day while mega projects involve more than 3,000 cum per day,” says Satish R Vachhani, Advanced Concrete & Construction Consultant…

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