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M Singhi – Person of the Year: JK Cement – fastest growing cement co

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Anil Agrawal, Additional Secretary urges the Cement industry to innovate and decarbonise.

Friday, 17th December, 2021, New Delhi: JK Cement, Ultratech & Shree Cement swept the 5th Indian Cement Review Awards 2021 at The Lalit, Delhi, on 17th December 2021 among the large category (over Rs 5000 cr operating revenue) amidst an august gathering of captains of industry, bankers, fund managers, bureaucrats, technocrats and media.

In his opening address, Mr. Pratap Padode, Founder and President, FIRST Construction Council, said, “The National Infrastructure Pipeline is looking at doubling the annual investment into infrastructure. Between 2014 and 2019, the investment into infrastructure has doubled from Rs 5 trillion in 2014 to Rs 10 trillion in 2019 on an annual basis and going forward the plan is to invest an average of Rs 20 trillion per annum in order to meet the NIP target of spending Rs 111 trillion in five years. Infrastructure projects, which did not need as much, are being done on a much larger scale and are being executed at greater speed.”

On receiving the award for the Person of the Year, an emotional Mr. Mahendra Singhi, MD & Group CEO, Dalmia Cement, after thanking the jury of Indian Cement Review and the FIRST Construction Council, the Guest of Honour, Anil Agrawal and his mentor Puneet Dalmia, asserted, “The Indian cement industry is poised to go from grey to green in the time to come. It is ready to support not only itself but other sectors, too. It is time to think afresh, to reshape and repurpose our business. The Indian cement sector is known as the most energy efficient and sustainable one in the world. Now it is time to move toward a net zero economy. I am sure that we would be the flag bearers in this effort across the globe.”

Expressing his delight Shri Agarwal exhorted the cement industry to embrace innovation.
Highlighting the strides that entrepreneurial India is taking, he informed, “We have 80 start-ups, which were valued at over $250 billion as against the market value of all CII companies at $800 billion, and FICCI companies at $400 billion. They have spurred their valuation due to the power of innovation, which is what will similarly revalue cement companies, if they make the moves to further innovation in their industry.”

During and earlier fireside chat both Singhi and Rajnish Kapur, COO, JK Cement parlayed over the challenges of sustainability and decarbonisation. Experts from the industry advocated decarbonisation strategies in view of PM Modi’s commitment to be net zero by 2070.

The evening concluded with cocktails and dinner, and a heartfelt appreciation from the industry stakeholders on the efforts put in by the FIRST Construction Council in recognising and applauding the progress of the Indian cement industry.

Winners

Fastest Growing Cement Company (Large Category over Rs 5000 cr)
1. JK Cement
2. Ultratech
3. Shree Cement

Fastest Growing Cement Company (Medium Category between Rs 2000 cr and Rs 5000 cr)
1. JK Lakshmi Cement
2. Birla Corporation
3. Heidelberg Cement India Limited
4. Orient Cement

Largest & Most profitable Cement Company in India
1. UltraTech

Fastest Growing Cement Company (Small Category less than Rs 2000 cr)
1. NCL Industries
2. Sagar Cements
3. Anjani Portland
Lifetime Achievement
1. Mr Suresh Deolalkar, Consultant

Person of the Year
1. Mr. Mahendra Singhi, Group CEO, Dalmia Cement

The esteemed Jury Advisory Panel included:

  • Mr. Ashok Dembla , Managing Director, KHD Humboldt Wedag
  • Mr. Ashwani Pahuja, Chief Sustainability Officer & Executive Director, Dalmia Cement (Bharat)
  • Dr. Bibekananda Mohapatra, Director General, National Council for Cement and Building Materials
  • Dr. JD Bapat , Adviser and Development Professional
  • Mr. KN Rao, Former Director, ACC
  • Mr. Nitin Vyas, CEO, BEUMER Group
  • Mr. Madhav Vemuri, Director and Entrepreneur, Aideas Engineering
  • Mr. Rahul Deshmukh, Managing Director, Aluminium, Fives India Engineering & Projects Pvt. Ltd.
  • Mr. Pratap Kumar Ghosh, Managing Director, Ercom Engineers Pvt Ltd
  • Mr. Goverdhandas Daga, Director, Secmec Consultants
  • Mr. DD Wanjale, Managing Director, GEBR. Pfeiffer (India)

Economy & Market

Hindalco Buys US Speciality Alumina Firm for $125 Million

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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.

 

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Concrete

Shree Cement reports 2025 financial year results

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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.

Image source:https://newsmantra.in/

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Concrete

Rekha Onteddu to become director at Sagar Cements

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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.

Image source:https://sagarcements.in/

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