Concrete

Crowds pour into World of Concrete 2013

Published

5 years ago

October 14, 2021

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After the slowdown in the economy, the World of Concrete 2013 received a huge response as the crowds poured in large numbers which clearly signified that recession is over.

After a long, harsh downturn, concrete contractors and suppliers are looking up as they face a "huge pent-up demand," said Portland Cement Association chief economist Ed Sullivan, who spoke Feb. 5 at the World of Concrete in Las Vegas. "The pendulum had swung too far, but it’s going to swing back," Sullivan said. "Household debt-to-income ratio is at its lowest rate since the early 1980s." The weeklong international conference and trade show each year serves as a bellwether for the upcoming construction season. This year’s concrete show saw just under 55,000 visitors, a 5.3 per cent increase since 2012, according to Hanley Wood, Show Manager. Net exhibit space also grew to 605,000 sq ft, an 8 per cent annual increase.

In October, the World of Concrete franchise will expand with a new show in Hyderabad, India. The four-day WOC India will be produced in partnership with the Indian Concrete Institute. WOC has previously held shows in Mexico.

Housing Starts Up

A boost in residential construction has economists optimistic about concrete use in the months and years ahead. An 8.1 per cent yearly growth in U.S. cement consumption is expected in 2013, driven by 954,000 new housing starts-or nearly 30 per cent more than in 2012, PCA noted.

Although the first half of 2013 is expected to see a tepid economic growth, things should gain steam in the second half of the year. PCA projects an 8.3 per cent cement consumption increase for 2014 followed by an up to 9.2 per cent annual gain between 2015 and 2017.

"The average contractor has reset himself to a new norm, and now he’s ready to move forward," said Don Ahern, president of Ahern Rentals, whose manufacturing unit exhibited its Xtreme brand of telescopic handlers and modular jobsite cubes. "The credit crunch is starting to un-crunch."

Yet the downturn’s lingering effects still hovered over the Las Vegas Convention Center. Familiar vendors were missing, while small booths and empty spaces still pockmarked the show floor. "It was a tough, long recession," But it’s clearly over now, and good times are ahead of us," said Ahern.

Concrete

UltraTech Cement FY26 PAT Crosses Rs 80 bn

Company reports record sales, profit and 200 MTPA capacity milestone

Published

1 day 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

2 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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Concrete

Andhra Offers Discom Licences To Private Firms Outside Power Sector

Policy allows firms over 300 MW to seek distribution licences

Published

3 days ago

April 27, 2026

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The Andhra Pradesh government will allow private firms that require more than 300 megawatt (MW) of power to apply for distribution licences, making the state the first to extend such licences beyond the power sector. The policy targets information technology, pharmaceuticals, steel and data centres and aims to reduce reliance on state utilities as demand rises for artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Approved applicants will be able to procure electricity directly from generators through power purchase agreements, a change officials said will create more competitive tariffs and reduce supply risk. Licence holders will use the Andhra Pradesh Transmission Company (APTRANSCO) network on payment of charges and will not need a separate distribution network initially.

Licences will be granted under the Electricity Act, 2003 framework, with the Central and State electricity regulators retaining authority over terms and approvals. The recent Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025 sought to lower entry barriers, enable network sharing and encourage competition, while the state commission will set floor and ceiling tariffs where multiple discoms operate.

Industry players and original equipment manufacturers welcomed the policy, saying competitive supply is vital for large data centre investments. Major projects and partnerships such as those involving Adani and Google, Brookfield and Reliance, and Meta and Sify Technologies are expected to benefit as capacity expands in the state.

Analysts noted India’s data centre capacity is forecast to reach 10 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 and cited International Energy Agency estimates that global data centre electricity consumption could approach 945 terawatt hours by the same year. A one GW data centre needs an equivalent power allocation and one point five times the water, which authorities equated to 150 billion litres (150 bn litres).

Advisers warned that distribution licences will require close regulation and monitoring to prevent misuse and to ensure tariffs and supply obligations are met. Officials said the policy aims to balance investor requirements with regulatory oversight and could serve as a model for other states.