The 7th Indian Cement Review Conference was held on 17th December, 2021, at The Lalit, New Delhi, in the presence of representatives of the cement industry.
The Conference revolved around the theme of ‘Decarbonsing the Cement Industry’ with panel discussions focussed on bringing the best trends in sustainability. The Conference started with an inaugural address by Mr Pratap Padode, Founder and President of the FIRST Construction Council. He highlighted alarming statistics about carbon emissions by the cement industry world, and underscored the fact that for climate change, cement needs to decarbonise. He encouraged the attendees to ask relevant questions of the experts and discuss decarbonisation amongst themselves to understand viable solutions for the challenges ahead.
Mr Satish Pandey gave a keynote address on the Current Best Practices and Plants of Tomorrow – Transform India. This was followed by the panel discussion on Paving Way Towards Energy and Sustainability, which was moderated by Mr Vaibhav Agarwal, Research Analyst and Vice President, Institutional Equity Research, PhillipCapital. The panelists included Mr Bibekananda Mohapatra, Director General, NCCBM; Mr Shrinath Savoor, Jt President (Strategy and Business Development), Shree Cement; Dr Sujit Ghosh, Executive Director, Dalmia Cement; Mr Madhusudhan, R Country Head, IKN Engineering; and Mr Subhasis Chattopadhyay, Head – Projects, Birla Corporation.
The key highlights of this discussion included use of supplementary raw materials like fly ash, and bio fuels like biomass and agricultural waste, importance of technology in carbon capture and need to upgrade existing cement plants. The panelists also discussed the importance of climate finance and wider acceptance of blended cement, especially in government-backed projects.
The fireside chat at the conference focussed on environment vs economic growth. It was moderated by Mr Sachin Joshi, Sustainability Consultant, and Head, UNIDO FIC-SID. The panelists for this session were Mr Mahendra Singhi, MD and CEO, Dalmia Cement Bharat; and Mr Rajnish Kapur, COO, JK Cement. This session focussed on the key measures to support the economy and reduce environmental pressure as well as innovations and best practices. Both the experts highlighted the fact that planetary boundaries are changing. Mr Singhi pointed out that India is the only country with online monitoring of carbon emissions.
The experts also stressed on the importance of vision and strategy for an inclusive growth for all stakeholders. This would make everyone think ‘what more can I do’. Economics and sustainability need to be aligned. Clean and green is profitable and sustainable and cement companies need to lead by example.
The second panel discussion for the day started right after the lunch break and covered associated topics of clean-energy future; the role of tech and AI in optimising energy consumption by improving equipment productivity; environmental concerns and carbon costs; sustainable cement packaging; and MSW as a fuel for kiln.
The panel was moderated by Mr Sanchit Makhija, Principal, AT Kearney. The panelists included Mr Manoj Rustogi, Head – Sustainability, JSW Cement; Mr Jeevaraj Pillai, Joint President (Packaging), UFlex; Mr Saurabh Palsania, Executive Director, Dalmia Cement; Mr SK Rathore, President, JK Cement; and Mr Jeyamurugan Kandasamy, Head of Connected Assets Global, Group Digital-Smart Products, FLSmidth.
In his valedictory speech, Mr Sumit Banerjee, Chairman – Editorial Advisory Board, Indian Cement Review, called climate change “a complex and ‘wicked’ problem.” He pointed out, “It is important to understand if cement production is sustainable. Carbon sequestration, synthesising cement, and use of hydrogen as fuel in a kiln are the three possibilities, which exist today that can provide some hope in decarbonsing cement. But these attempts are not serious because the cement industry’s participation in these endeavours is lukewarm. “
Appreciating India’s contribution to decarbonising cement, Mr Mahendra Singhi, MD and CEO, Dalmia Cement (Bharat), said, “The planetary boundaries of decarbonisation are changing. India is the only country with online monitoring of carbon emissions.”
The 7th Indian Cement Review Conference ended on an optimistic note as representatives of cement companies present, expressed their commitment towards decarbonising cement and the concrete steps required to make this possible.
This strategic acquisition marks a significant investment in speciality alumina, a key step by Aditya Birla Group’s metals flagship towards becoming future-ready by scaling its high-value, technology-led materials portfolio.
Hindalco Industries, the world’s largest aluminium company by revenue and the metals flagship of the $28 billion Aditya Birla Group, has announced the acquisition of a 100 per cent equity stake in US-based AluChem Companies—a prominent manufacturer of speciality alumina—for an enterprise value of $125 million. The transaction will be executed through Aditya Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary.
This acquisition represents a pivotal investment in speciality alumina and advances Hindalco’s strategy to expand its high-value, technology-led materials portfolio.
Hindalco’s speciality alumina business, a key pillar of its value-added strategy, has delivered consistent double-digit growth in recent years. It has emerged as a high-growth, high-margin vertical within the company’s portfolio. As speciality alumina finds expanding applications across electric mobility, semiconductors, and precision ceramics, the deal positions Hindalco further up the innovation curve, enabling next-generation alumina solutions and value-accretive growth.
Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of Aditya Birla Group, called the acquisition an important step in their global strategy to build a leadership position in value-added, high-tech materials.
“Our strategic foray into the speciality alumina space will not only accelerate the development of future-ready, sustainable solutions but also open new pathways to pursue high-impact growth opportunities. By integrating advanced technologies into our value chain, we are reinforcing our commitment to self-reliance, import substitution, and building scale in innovation-led businesses.”
Ronald P Zapletal, Founder, AluChem Companies, said the partnership with Hindalco would provide AluChem the ability and capital to scale up faster and build scale in North America.
“AluChem will benefit from their world-class sustainability and safety standards and practices, access to integrated operations and a consistent, reliable raw material supply chain. Their ability to leverage R&D capabilities and a talented workforce adds tremendous value to our innovation pipeline, helping drive market expansion beyond North America.”
An Eye on the Future
The global speciality alumina market is projected to grow significantly, with rising demand for tailored solutions in sectors such as ceramics, electronics, aerospace, and medical applications. Hindalco currently operates 500,000 tonnes of speciality alumina capacity and aims to scale this up to 1 million tonnes by FY2030.
Commenting on the development, Satish Pai, Managing Director, Hindalco Industries, said the deal reinforced their commitment to innovation and global expansion.
“As alumina gains increasing relevance in critical and clean-tech sectors, AluChem’s advanced chemistry capabilities will significantly enhance our ability to serve these fast-evolving markets. Importantly, it deepens our high-value-added portfolio with differentiated products that drive profitability and strengthen our global competitiveness.”
AluChem adds a strong North American presence to Hindalco’s portfolio, with an annual capacity of 60,000 tonnes across three advanced manufacturing facilities in Ohio and Arkansas. The company is a long-standing supplier of ultra-low soda calcined and tabular alumina, materials prized for their thermal and mechanical stability and widely used in precision engineering and high-performance refractories.
Saurabh Khedekar, CEO of the Alumina Business at Hindalco Industries, said the acquisition unlocked immediate synergies, including market access and portfolio diversification.
“Hindalco plans to work with AluChem’s high performance technology solutions and scale up production of ultra-low soda alumina products to drive a larger global market share.”
The transaction is expected to close in the upcoming quarter, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
Shree Cement posted revenue of US$2.38 billion for FY2025, marking a 5.5 per cent decline year-on-year. Operating costs rose 2.9 per cent to US$2.17 billion, resulting in an EBITDA of US$528 million—down 12 per cent from the previous year. Net profit fell 50 per cent to US$141 million. The company reported cement sales of 9.84Mt in Q4 FY2025, a 3.3 per cent increase from 9.53Mt in Q4 FY2024, with premium products making up 16 per cent of total sales.
Sagar Cements has announced the appointment of Rekha Onteddu as a non-executive independent director, effective 30 June 2025. According to People in Business News, Rekha Onteddu is currently serving in a similar capacity at Andhra Cements, the parent company of Sagar Cements.