Prashant Jha, Chief Ready-Mix Business,Nuvoco Vistas Corp

Can you elaborate on the learnings for RMC segment from the standstill period of the global pandemic?

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the construction industry. The suspension of construction activities has led to delays in delivery, especially in China, India and Singapore, in the Asia-Pacific region, causing a decline in the demand for ready-mix concrete in construction operations.

There are two sides to every coin and RMC segment has learned from this difficult phase:

• Work with optimum manpower
• Keep limited resource
• Raw materials management
• Use energy in an optimal way
• Risk analysis in terms of sales etc.
• Virtual platform for meetings and training to cut travel costs.

What new innovations has the segment seen in the last two years?

Nuvoco has introduced several innovations in the concrete segment like structural light-weight concrete, called Structural Xlite. Typical concrete has a density of 2,400 kg per cm3, but Xlite has a density of around 800 to 1,600 kg per cm3. We have also developed radiation-proof concrete solutions for cancer hospitals. There are also types of concrete that can tolerate running water and extreme cold temperatures.

To make working with concrete easier with lesser manpower, Nuvoco has developed wet concrete that can just be poured on the site without the need of water. This concrete has retention of up to eight hours, while normal concrete usually has a retention period of four hours. This product addresses the concerns of typically narrowed bylanes with a requirement of small quantities of concrete.

What has been the the improvement in efficiency and overall?

RMC is advantageous for projects with a scarcity of labour, where smaller quantities of concrete or intermittent placing is required. The commonly used ready-mix concrete called Transit Mix prevents issues associated with slump loss or early hardening of concrete.

How do you see the market panning out in the next two years?

The recovery of the construction sector and strong growth opportunities in residential and infrastructure construction projects is expected to boost demand for construction materials. Currently, RMC capacity is close to 45 million cm3. With a boost to infrastructure and government initiatives such as Housing for All, we expect a growth of 7-10% in the next five years.

What is Nuvoco’s roadmap for the next three years?

In the short-term, we will focus on further strengthening our position in the building materials space. We will cater to the demand for cement and building materials which is likely to rebound as the country emerges from the pandemic. We expect the demand to be driven by the state and centre-level government initiatives to boost affordable housing.

We are optimistic about positive business growth in the long term and will continue to strengthen our market share by focusing on strategic interventions and drive to incorporate newer ideas. We will step up our efforts to deliver innovative products to our customers.

Nuvoco will also continue to work towards preserving natural resources and working towards our vision of ‘building a safer, smarter and sustainable world’.