Concrete

Duztec offers efficient spray technology solution

Published

5 years ago

October 19, 2021

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Past few years cement companies have been aggressively targeting at reducing energy consumption. How do you look at this trend? Please explain which cooling technique is energy efficient and why?
The resistivity of cement dust reduces with lower gas temperature. There is always a debate between air dilution and gas cooling with water. Dilution with air entails bigger size downstream equipment like a fan, motor, bag house size, etc. The efficiency of gas cooling with water is fifteen times more efficient than cooling with dilution air. Hence, air dilution is a drain on energy consumption and proper water spray technological solution is required and available, for reducing the gas temperature and thereby its volume.

Most industries today use gas filtration techniques to reduce dust from cement, lime, steel, and other plants. Kindly throw some light on the latest gas filtration techniques for the cement industry.
India has done quite well in addressing the process of dust emissions from the industries, as mandated by the legislature. However, the fugitive dust levels are alarmingly high. The PM2.5 and PM 10 levels are quite high compared to the legislative values, which are affecting human health and well-being. Our technology of producing the required droplet size to encapsulate the dust particle and making it heavy to settle down is our main know-how.

Gas conditioning towers (GCT) are being used in the cement plants to cool down hot gases from kilns. But due to less space in plants, do you see it as a challenge? I
n most modern plants, the GCT is getting phased out due to space constraints. However, the required gas cooling is being done in the Preheater downcomer duct or top cyclone. We have excellent water spray technology for PH downcomer and for TOP cyclone of cement plants.

What are the trends in the cement industry when it comes to selecting the best gas cooling product. Cost is one of the biggest factors. What are the other factors?
Gas cooling by an efficient water spray system is the most efficient cooling method by the laws of physics. Lesser the gas temperature, the gas volumes to be handled are lower, thereby lowering the size of downstream equipment, energy requirements, and the cost of production. Hence, wherever air dilution is taking place in a cement plant, we should look at installing efficient water spray systems. Nowadays, we have spray technology that can handle rejecting water/waste water from cement processes for gas cooling.

How was the demand in the year 2020? Was your business affected too? What were your strategies to survive and compete in the market?
Air Pollution has no holiday. So, our products were in demand and we did manage to grow a bit in 2020. The pandemic made it difficult to offer our services at the customer?? place, which has been our SOP.

Our strategy is to offer tailor-made solutions to our customers??requirements. We have a fluid mechanics laboratory in which the dust characteristics are studied, before the selection of our technology for the best and sustainable results.

How do you foresee business in the year 2021-22? Do you have any strategies for the third wave, if it may hit us soon?
It is the set direction of our sails, which determines the way we want to go. The wind direction does not determine our destination. The pandemic situation may come and go, but we believe in our long term strategy to innovate, focus on customer?? requirements, be agile, adapt to new business norms and be profitable. We have handled the last two waves successfully and are confident about the future business prospects.

Which of your products do you see will be the most popular selling products for the cement market? Why?
Our entire product line for gas cooling, fugitive dust control, odour control, cooling and humidification, mill injection systems. Our product lines are for specific applications which will improve the quality and productivity of our customers??processes.

Cement players are adopting the latest technologies to achieve plant efficiency and cost reduction. Kindly share your views.
Yes, the Indian cement industry is technologically superior compared to many other developed countries. Most of our plants are of capacities over 3000 TPD dry kiln process with 6 stage preheater towers. The latest plant capacities are in the region of 10,000 TPD with 7 stage preheater towers. The energy efficiency is comparable to the best in the business. The specific electrical consumption is also very low compared to the world average.

Kindly share your future roadmap/investments.
We are upbeat about our future plans. We will be expanding our product portfolio as soon as the pandemic is coming to an end. We are also looking to increase our production capacities mainly for export to European countries. We have a goal to double our sales by 2025.

Concrete

Shree Cement Targets Above Industry Volume Growth In FY27

Chairman says firm will favour organic expansion and higher dividends

Published

2 days ago

June 16, 2026

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Shree Cement expects to outpace the industry in the financial year 2026-27 as it pursues organic expansion and pricing discipline following a recent investor conference. The chairman said the company has completed a pricing realignment and recovered volumes lost during that exercise. Management signalled a clear preference for internal investments rather than acquisitions to support growth.

The company reported that capacity additions and demand growth across core markets are expected to underpin stronger volume performance, with a target of growing volumes at around 1.1 times the industry growth rate. Cash levels are likely to decline as capital expenditure progresses and shareholder distributions increase, the chairman indicated. The board has prioritised higher dividends over a buyback as a means of reducing excess cash.

Shree Cement described a market shift towards value and affordability rather than a race to the lowest price, which links demand expansion more closely with pricing. Historically, prices have risen at around three per cent annually over long periods, the company noted, and while prices may increase faster this year because of cost pressures from geopolitical tensions, a material improvement in industry profitability is not anticipated. In North India, the company expects additional capacity to be absorbed as demand grows, estimating a requirement of roughly 10 million (mn) tonne (t) of incremental demand annually.

The next phase of expansion will focus on the north, west, east and northeast regions, with existing projects and planned capacities viewed as sufficient to meet future demand without pursuing acquisitions. Management said it has already regained lost volumes while sustaining higher prices and will continue to monitor regional opportunities, including a possible investment in West Bengal pending clarity on industrial policy. The company, which has a current market capitalisation of Rs 852,948.9 mn, has seen its shares lose more than 20 per cent over the past year.

Concrete

Ramco Cements’ Hard Worker Campaign Wins Seven Awards

Campaign earns honours for direction, editing and cinematography

Published

3 days ago

June 15, 2026

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The Hard Worker campaign by The Ramco Cements has secured seven honours at the Good Ads Matter Awards 2026, adding to its growing list of accolades and reinforcing its standing among the year’s most recognised advertising campaigns.

The awards were presented during the Good Ads Matter Awards Night 2026 held at Mehboob Studios in Mumbai. The campaign received recognition across multiple categories, highlighting excellence in direction, editing, cinematography and storytelling.

Among the honours, the campaign won Silver in the Campaign of the Year – Direction category, while filmmaker Prakash Varma was named Director of the Year for the films Tortoise & Hare and Eco Plaster. Tortoise & Hare also received Silver awards for Best Editing and Best Colour Grading, along with a Bronze award for Best Cinematography. Eco Plaster earned Bronze awards in the Best Direction – Narrative and Best Direction – Humour categories.

Both films extended their award-winning run, with Eco Plaster being recognised for its narrative centred on water conservation through innovative construction solutions, while Tortoise & Hare was honoured for its storytelling and craft execution.

The Hard Worker campaign was built around the idea that hard work deserves recognition and respect. Through culturally rooted and emotionally engaging stories, the campaign has connected with consumers, engineers, masons and the wider construction community across the country.

Commenting on the achievement, A V Dharmakrishnan, CEO of The Ramco Cements Limited, said that the continued recognition across leading creative platforms reflects the company’s commitment to meaningful and authentic communication rooted in the values of the people it serves.

Balaji K Moorthy, Executive Director – Marketing, The Ramco Cements Limited, said the awards recognise the craftsmanship behind the storytelling, from direction and cinematography to editing and narrative execution.

Following recognition at both the Kyoorius Creative Awards and the Good Ads Matter Awards, the Hard Worker campaign continues to demonstrate the impact of purpose-driven storytelling combined with strong creative execution and consumer relevance.

Concrete

Cement Makers Reaffirm Commitment to Sustainable Growth

Published

2 weeks ago

June 5, 2026

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World Environment Day spotlight on innovation and circularity

On World Environment Day, the Indian cement industry reiterated its commitment to supporting India’s climate ambitions through sustainable manufacturing, resource efficiency and the adoption of cleaner technologies.

The Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA) said the sector remains aligned with the Government of India’s Net Zero commitments and is accelerating efforts to reduce its environmental footprint while supporting the country’s infrastructure and development agenda.

Parth Jindal, President, CMA and Managing Director, JSW Cement, said the industry is increasingly adopting cleaner technologies, improving energy efficiency and expanding the use of alternative fuels and raw materials. He also highlighted the growing importance of circular economy practices, where industrial by-products and waste streams from one sector are utilised as resources in another.

“The Indian Cement Industry is aligned to the Government’s commitments on carbon mitigation and is accelerating the adoption of cleaner technologies, resource efficiency and circular economy practices while actively exploring the potential of Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) as a critical pathway for deep decarbonisation,” said Jindal.

He added that coprocessing industrial waste and by-products helps conserve natural resources, reduce disposal requirements and lower the environmental footprint across multiple sectors.

According to Jindal, sustainability is no longer limited to manufacturing processes but is increasingly influencing investment decisions, innovation strategies and long-term growth plans within the industry.

Echoing similar views, Dr Raghavpat Singhania, Vice President, CMA and Managing Director, JK Cement, said sustainable development extends beyond emissions reduction and must also focus on responsible resource utilisation and waste minimisation.

“Sustainability in the built environment cannot be measured by emissions alone. It is equally about how efficiently we use resources, how effectively we minimise waste and how responsibly we create the infrastructure that will serve future generations,” said Singhania.

He noted that the cement industry is advancing its sustainability agenda through greater resource efficiency, increased circularity, technological innovation and continuous improvements in manufacturing practices. As a key contributor to India’s infrastructure development, the sector has a critical role to play in balancing economic growth with environmental responsibility.

On the occasion of World Environment Day, industry leaders reaffirmed their commitment to supporting India’s climate goals while delivering the materials required for resilient, durable and sustainable infrastructure.