Concrete

Innovative concretes from UltraTech Cement Limited

Published

5 years ago

October 14, 2021

admin

UltraTech becomes the first commercial supplier of M80 self-compacting concrete in India.

UltraTech Concrete, a division of UltraTech Cement, and India’s largest manufacturer of ready-mix concrete, has introduced a number of specialty concrete products for the design and construction industry. In its series of specialty concrete, the company has launched an innovative M80 self-compacting concrete, the UltraTech Freeflow and M80 High grade concrete, the UltraTech Hypercon. In India, UltraTech Concrete is the first commercial supplier of M80 Self-Compacting Concrete.

UltraTech Freeflow, and UltraTech Hypercon were supplied to IREO’s upcoming and innovative residential project, IREO Skyon in Gurgaon. UltraTech Freeflow enables the structure to look sleek, with a superior finish and higher durability. It also gives architectural freedom in the design and construction of complicated structures. According to the European guidelines, self-compacting concrete does not require vibration for placing and compaction. It flows under its own weight, completely filling formwork and achieving full compaction, even in the presence of congested reinforcement.

The use of UltraTech Freeflow leads to faster construction with reduction in manpower, as placement of concrete is done speedily and no compaction is required. The fact that the compaction is without vibration leads to reduction in noise pollution as well. Additionally, it has a superior surface finish and is easier to place even in heavily reinforced structures. Moreover, UltraTech Freeflow imparts improved durability due to the denser microstructure of concrete and also gives greater freedom in designing complicated structures.

Says Mr Anuj Maheshwari, Technical Head of UltraTech Concrete, "UltraTech Concrete is a pioneer in advanced concrete technology solutions and has proven its leadership in India through the successful commercial implementation of the M80 Self-Compacting Concrete UltraTech Freeflow." Mr. Lalit Goyal, Vice Chairman of IREO, commented on the association with UltraTech, "IREO has always stood for raising the bar on the quality of product delivery in the Indian real estate market, and this innovative concrete technology from our partners at UltraTech is a key landmark in that direction."

UltraTech currently operates over a hundred RMC plants in 35 cities across India that have world class IT systems, quality control and vehicle tracking systems. UltraTech, a part of the Aditya Birla Group, has an unrelenting focus on safety and quality standards. All of its state-of-the-art automatic plants are capable of producing the entire range of concrete spanning UltraTech Concrete Plus, Lite, Duracon, Colourcon, Fibrecon, Thermocon, Hypercon, Pervious, DTcor, Freeflow and Stainless.

Apart from supplying concrete through its commercial plants, UltraTech provides customised solutions to customers through its various operating models. It currently operates RMC units for some of the most prestigious infrastructural projects in India such as Jaipur Metro, Mumbai Monorail, etc.

Concrete

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

HDFC Securities warns monsoon slowdown and higher fuel costs

Published

17 hours ago

July 17, 2026

admin

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

2 days ago

July 16, 2026

admin

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

3 days ago

July 15, 2026

admin

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.