Concrete

Ambuja to invest Rs 310 cr to expand Ropar Unit in Punjab

Published

5 years ago

October 19, 2021

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Ambuja Cements Limited, one of the top cement making companies in the country, plans to expand the production capacity of its Ropar plant in Punjab with an estimated investment of Rs 310 crore over the next two years.

Ambuja Cements, a part of the global building materials conglomerate Holcim, is expanding its Cement Grinding Unit by 1.5 MTPA at Ropar. The expansion is expected to be completed by June 2023. Post this expansion, the total capacity of the Cement Grinding Unit at Ropar will increase to 4.5 MTPA from 3 MTPA now.

This expansion will help the Company maintain its share and competitiveness in the Northern markets in India. The Ropar brownfield expansion is part of the Company?? strategy to increase its total cement capacity to 50 MTPA in the mid-term.

The upcoming unit will have state-of-art technology with Vertical Roller Mill for cement grinding and will produce fly ash-based cement. Ambuja is aligned with its parent Holcim?? Net Zero plan and sustainability strategy and it is progressing on its Sustainable Development Plan 2030, with a sharper focus on climate and energy, building a circular economy, conserving resources and nature, and driving meaningful change in the lives of communities.

The fresh investment is also made in anticipation of a growing demand for cement triggered by the steady growth in India?? urbanisation leading to more investment in public infrastructure and housing.

??e are optimistic about the growth in demand for cement in India. The expansion of our Ropar unit along with more investment in the coming years will help us unlock fresh opportunities by debottlenecking existing capacities and creating new ones across the country. We expect our expansion plans to add around 15 MTPA capacity in the mid-term taking our total cement capacity to 50 MTPA,??said Neeraj Akhoury, MD and CEO, Ambuja Cements.

Ambuja will also be commissioning new capacity in Marwar, Rajasthan that will enhance clinker capacity by 3 MTPA and help increase cement sales by 5 MTPA, thereby contributing to long term strategy of capacity expansion. This Greenfield integrated plant is being set-up with a total investment of Rs 2,350 crores.

Ambuja Cement, and its main subsidiary ACC, have now come together to create more shareholder value and have a strong presence in India with strategically located plants. Its integrated plants and grinding units are present in more than 11 states covering more than 32 districts across India.

Concrete

Cement Prices to Stay Flat in Q2 FY27 as Costs Squeeze Margins

HDFC Securities warns monsoon slowdown and higher fuel costs

Published

1 hour ago

July 17, 2026

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HDFC Securities has said the cement industry is unlikely to register a sequential increase in prices in Q2 FY27 as monsoon-related demand moderation coincides with rising fuel and packaging costs that will squeeze margins. The brokerage observed that price gains remained modest, with increases of two to three per cent quarter-on-quarter across regions, and noted subdued offtake in May with improvement in June as a delayed monsoon supported construction activity. The brokerage added that modest pricing gains so far have been insufficient to offset the input cost escalation.

The report stated that input cost pressures intensified in Q1 FY27 owing to the West Asia conflict, which pushed up coal and pet coke prices and is expected to keep fuel costs elevated, with a likely peak in Q2 FY27. It assessed that total variable costs, including packing, could rise by around Rs 150 per t quarter-on-quarter and that lower offtake and seasonal operating deleverage could further raise operating expenditure by about Rs 50 per t quarter-on-quarter.

Overall, cement prices were estimated to remain flat in Q2 FY27 as monsoon-led demand weakness offsets limited upside in realisation, and rising fuel costs alongside seasonal deleverage were expected to compress industry margins by over Rs 100 per t quarter-on-quarter to below Rs 880 per t. The brokerage indicated that the combined impact of energy inflation and higher packing expenditure would be the principal drivers of margin contraction in the near term. HDFC Securities projected a recovery in margins in H2 FY27 should the West Asia turmoil subside and energy and packing costs cool off.

The brokerage expressed optimism on long-term demand fundamentals and said improving realisation together with an anticipated cost cool-off should support a margin rebound from H2 FY27 onward, underpinning favourable industry prospects over the medium term. Its outlook rests on monsoon normalisation and a decline in imported fuel prices in the second half of the fiscal year.

Concrete

Dalmia Bharat Begins Rs 31 Bn Green Cement Unit in Kadapa

New Andhra Pradesh plant to add 9.6 MTPA cement capacity by FY28

Published

1 day ago

July 16, 2026

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Dalmia Bharat Limited recently laid the foundation stone for its second manufacturing unit at Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh. The company will invest Rs 31 billion in developing the next-generation integrated cement manufacturing facility.

The foundation-laying ceremony was attended by Nara Lokesh, Andhra Pradesh Minister for Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, Real-Time Governance and Human Resources Development, along with Puneet Dalmia, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dalmia Bharat, senior government officials and company representatives.

Scheduled to be commissioned by the third quarter of FY28, the Kadapa unit will become Dalmia Bharat’s largest integrated manufacturing facility in southern India. It will have a clinker production capacity of 6.1 million tonnes per annum and a cement manufacturing capacity of 9.6 million tonnes per annum.

The facility is designed to produce what the company describes as one of the world’s greenest cements. It is also expected to generate approximately 1,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities while supporting local MSMEs, transporters, contractors and service providers.

Lokesh said the investment reflected Dalmia Bharat’s confidence in Andhra Pradesh and aligned with the state’s objective of promoting sustainable industrialisation, job creation and technology-led economic growth.

Puneet Dalmia said the project represented the company’s long-term vision of developing low-carbon cement manufacturing assets. He added that the facility would establish new benchmarks in operational efficiency and sustainability while supporting India’s infrastructure and environmental goals.

Dalmia Bharat will also expand its regional community development programmes in education, healthcare, skill development and welfare through its DIKSHa and Gram Parivartan initiatives.

The company currently has an installed cement manufacturing capacity of 54.7 million tonnes across 19 manufacturing units in 12 states. It is also the first cement company globally to commit to the RE100, EP100 and EV100 initiatives.

Concrete

Nuvoco Inaugurates Limla Cement Plant in Surat

Acquisition boosts Western India cement capacity

Published

2 days ago

July 15, 2026

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Nuvoco Vistas Corporation Limited inaugurated the Limla Cement Plant in Surat, Gujarat, marking a key milestone in its acquisition and revival of Vadraj Cement Limited.

The company completed the acquisition of Vadraj, which had been undergoing a corporate insolvency resolution process, by discharging a consideration of Rs 18 billion (bn) in June 2025. Vadraj’s asset base includes a clinker unit at Kutch and a grinding unit at Limla, along with high quality captive limestone reserves and a captive jetty at Kutch that enhance logistics efficiency.

Since taking over the assets, Nuvoco has undertaken revival, refurbishment and expansion across both sites, culminating in the opening of the Limla facility. The grinding unit at Limla achieved project completion ahead of schedule with the commissioning of two million tonnes per annum (mn t per annum) grinding capacity, further expanding the company’s scale and market reach.

Upon full operationalisation of the Vadraj assets, nearly 40 per cent of Nuvoco’s total cement capacity will be accounted for by plants in the North and West regions, supporting improved access to high growth markets. The plant is expected to support a phased volume ramp up in Gujarat and to serve adjoining markets in western Maharashtra while releasing northern capacities for other markets.

It will produce a complete portfolio of cement products including Ordinary Portland Cement, Portland Slag Cement, Portland Pozzolana Cement and Portland Composite Cement, and will offer the Duraguard range including the premium Duraguard Microfibre. The transaction is set to create synergies with Nuvoco’s existing manufacturing facilities at Nimbol and Chittorgarh, strengthening logistics optimisation and market access across key regions.

Nuvoco reported total income of Rs 113.62 billion (bn) in FY 2025-26 and stated it is on track to consolidate total cement capacity to 35 million tonnes per annum (mn t per annum) by FY2028. The company operates across cement, ready-mix concrete and modern building materials segments and highlighted a pan-India ready-mix presence alongside contributions to major infrastructure projects. Corporate communications contact details were provided by the company.