Economy & Market

We are digitising the entire value chain

Published

5 years ago

March 1, 2022

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Pankaj Phadnis, National Head – Retail, Infra.Market, speaks about digitisation, automation and omnichannel solutions for cement distribution in India.

What is the business model of Infra.Market?
Infra.Market is a profitable one-stop construction solutions company. With a vision of creating India’s largest multi-product building materials brand, it is transforming the entire supply chain through tech innovation. Our business model is quite unique as we cater to B2B, B2C, as well as B2R models. B2B services to institutional customers whereas B2C caters to direct customers via our stores across locations. With B2R, we mark our presence in various retail stores by ensuring they have the inventory of the best of best brands along with ours. This way, our products and services are penetrated in even the remotest geographical pockets, which makes our model truly unique and innovative.

What is the management tool used to manage customers and partners of your business?
Valued at $2.5 billion, Infra.Market is growing 5x year-on-year through rapid tech-innovation. Coupled with a strong team, customer-driven growth and a robust ecosystem of partners, we are swiftly moving towards our vision of building a category defining position across categories. An end-to-end construction solutions company, Infra.Market takes the entire procurement process online, ensuring quality, organising the vendor base, and bringing transparency in pricing; an industry-first tech platform in India.
We are digitising the entire value chain, right from identifying the prospective customer to the actual delivery of concrete to the end customer. Being tech-first has given us a competitive edge in the industry as we aim to leverage automation and make the end-to-end process seamless for our clients. Our tech-led platforms enable real time reporting and dashboards providing complete visibility around the supply chain thus helping in optimising the entire experience for customers.

Who are the likely customers of Infra.Market?
Making use of the idle capacities lying with manufacturers of construction goods, Infra.Market is a one-stop shop for infrastructure contractors looking for materials near their project sites. We operate in B2B, B2C, as well as B2R universe, which makes us accessible to anyone who requires construction materials to fulfil their needs. However, most of our clients are infrastructure companies, builders, conglomerates, contractors, government institutions, and architects. We leverage technology to provide an enhanced procurement experience throughout the construction ecosystem and largely focus on our private label brands. On the customer side, we aim to address concerns around pricing transparency, unreliable quality, fragmented vendor base, and inefficient logistics. While on the manufacturer’s side, it is ensuring higher capacity utilisation, steady demand, and better customer reach.

How do you store the products and further fulfil your orders?
We are available online as well as offline to meet our customers’ evolving demands. Our product line is quite varied as we offer everything from floor to ceiling, all under one roof. With over 108 SKUs, we have different product categories including walling solutions, tiles, sanitaryware, electricals, and lighting amongst others. Our differentiated model is such that we source inventories and later dispatch the requirement. We also have our mother depots located to serve our franchise stores across locations for hassle-free and timely supply.

What is the logistical plan for Infra.Market?
Logistics plays a critical role in a business like ours where there is a pressing need to ensure the timely delivery of the order for the client. Infra.Market is proud of its robust and technology driven logistics network. We have partnered with companies that leverage technology to fulfil our logistical demands where the order must be supplied to the client from the source. For the products that are to be deployed from our mother depos, we have our own logistical network. For instance, our transit mixers are used for RMC, dumpers for aggregates and sand and small lorries for other products are installed with GPS and other sensors to ensure that it can be tracked right up to the construction site. Besides this, we have also introduced e-ticketing to go paperless in
the future.

As a new mode of cement distribution, what are the challenges your platform faces?
Our product portfolio encompasses a wide range of products encompassing more than 108 SKUs apart from cement, which accounts for 25 per cent and gets facilitated by our principal companies. However, for other products, we have associations with key logistic partners for efficient last mile delivery. With Covid-19, businesses have become more adaptive to develop multi-pronged strategies and manage increased demand that is common with third-party collaboration. We have looked at automation and omnichannel solutions to fulfil the supply as we believe expedited delivery is no longer a luxury, but an industry standard.

How do you determine which brands are working for your platform?
Being a technology-first company, we leverage data to track the historical behaviour of our clients to determine which brands are most preferred by them. We analyse the demand patterns and forecast the industry trends based on historical behaviour. Additionally, we believe in thorough communication with our customers who happen to visit our franchise stores to understand their needs and facilitate well. We also keep a constant check on order fulfilment ratio and determine the nature of orders that we are receiving versus other brands. Besides this, to deepen our connection with clients, we are also tracking them on social and electronic media.

What promotional activities do you conduct to attract more partners and customers?
Being a next-generation company, we drive our efforts constantly towards online activities. The testimony of this is the number of queries we receive via our social media presence, be it Facebook, LinkedIn, or even WhatsApp. We also engage in offline promotional activities, given the nature of the sector, one-on-one conversations make plenty of difference. Our teams work on BTL activities along with connecting to architects, engineers, retailers, etc. to conduct demand generation activities. Additionally, owing to our relentless service and quality, word of mouth has been one of our greatest assets that help us get connected with various clients. We intend to increase our presence across product verticals and look at acquisition opportunities across the construction ecosystem to expand reach.

What is the outlook for Infra.Market?
Infra.Market has had quite a promising journey since inception. Despite Covid-19 restrictions, in the past two years the company has achieved exponential growth and currently has a pan India presence. Coupled with technology and enhanced customer experience, we have been able to build a differentiated offering in the country and are also catering to customers outside of India. Our focus will remain on being a tech-first with an aim to leverage automation and make the end-to-end process seamless for our customers. We are scaling up our digital adoption to create a resilient and robust ecosystem. With our industry-leading capabilities, resilient workforce, and a clear comprehensive strategy we aim to deliver consistent and profitable growth.

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Wonder Cement appoints Mahesh Singh as VP Corporate Brand Communication

Published

4 days ago

October 9, 2026

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Singh brings 20+ years of brand and marketing experience, and will lead integrated corporate brand communication initiatives at Wonder Cement

New Delhi

Wonder Cement, a leading cement manufacturer, has appointed Mahesh Singh as Vice President – Corporate Brand Communication. In his new role, he will oversee corporate brand strategy and communication, including digital and performance marketing, public relations, trade, events, exhibitions, sports and experiential marketing.

Singh brings over two decades of experience across marketing and communications, with roles spanning the automotive industry, agencies and entrepreneurship. He spent more than a decade with Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, working across integrated communication, media, digital, retail and consumer engagement. His stint also included helping build the company’s digital marketing capabilities.

He moved to dentsu X India as Vice President – Strategy & Planning, working across categories such as automotive, auto components, electric vehicles, FMCG, consumer electronics, BFSI, apparel and brand consulting. His responsibilities included media and marketing strategy, product launches, content, performance marketing and consumer activations.

Singh subsequently took an entrepreneurial route with Radiant Brands before joining Shriram Ltd (SPR Autotech) as Head – Marketing & Communications. There, his remit included brand and corporate strategy, communications, PR and ORM, retail identity, loyalty programmes and events.

At Wonder Cement, Singh will be responsible for bringing together the company’s corporate brand communication initiatives across digital, performance marketing, PR, trade, sports and experiential platforms. The role will focus on creating an integrated approach to communication across consumers, trade partners and other key stakeholders.

The appointment brings to Wonder Cement a marketer whose career has spanned the brand, agency and entrepreneurial sides of the communications ecosystem.

Wonder Cement, part of the RK Group, is a cement manufacturer with roots in Rajasthan and a focus on quality, trust and transparency. The company has grown to six manufacturing plants, and a cement capacity of 21.5 MTPA. With more than 2,000 employees and a network of over 5,000 dealers, its operations span manufacturing, distribution and customer engagement, with a focus on consistent product quality and efficient execution.

Concrete

JSW Cement commissions additional 1 MTPA grinding unit at Nagaur

Published

5 days ago

October 8, 2026

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With this commissioning, JSW Cement’s total cement grinding capacity has increased to 25.10 MTPA,
Mumbai

JSW Cement, one of India’s leading green cement producers and part of the diversified JSW Group, today announced the successful commissioning of an additional 1.00 MTPA cement grinding unit at Nagaur, Rajasthan. The commissioning marks another significant milestone in the Company’s growth strategy.

With this commissioning, JSW Cement’s total cement grinding capacity has increased to 25.10 MTPA, while its total clinker manufacturing capacity, including clinker capacity at its joint venture, JSW Cement FZC, stands at 9.74 MTPA.

JSW Cement had commenced operations in North India in March 2026 with the Nagaur Integrated Plant, comprising a 3.30 MTPA clinkerisation unit and 2.50 MTPA cement grinding unit. With the commissioning of the additional 1.00 MTPA cement grinding unit, the plant’s total cement grinding capacity has increased to 3.50 MTPA, enhancing the company’s ability to cater to the growing cement demand across Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the National Capital Region (NCR). The expansion has been funded through a strategic mix of equity and long-term debt.

During the quarter ended 30th September 2026, JSW Cement has also commissioned the Alternate Fuel Handling System and the Waste Heat Recovery system (WHRS) at the Nagaur Integrated Plant.

Nilesh Narwekar, CEO, JSW Cement, said: “The commissioning of additional 1.00 MTPA grinding capacity at Nagaur is a key strategic priority for us and will accelerate JSW Cement’s expansion into North India. We look forward to servicing the growing needs of the region and contributing to the economic growth of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the NCR area. I am delighted to share that the company has commissioned this grinding unit within the expected timeline, showcasing our project execution capabilities. Further, the Alternate Fuel Handling System and the Waste Heat Recovery system (WHRS) are expected to substantially reduce our production costs going forward.”

Concrete

UltraTech becomes first Indian cement firm to cross 2 GW green energy

Published

6 days ago

October 7, 2026

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UltraTech Cement has crossed 2 GW of captive green energy capacity, with renewables and waste heat recovery meeting 48 per cent of its power needs.

Mumbai

UltraTech Cement Limited has surpassed 2 GW of installed green energy capacity for captive use, becoming the first cement company in India to achieve the milestone. The Aditya Birla Group company commissioned 116.55 MW of wind capacity at its Inter-State Transmission System-connected wind-solar hybrid project in Barmer, Rajasthan, along with 10 MW of Waste Heat Recovery System capacity at Sarlanagar Cement Works in Karnataka.

With these additions, UltraTech’s cumulative installed green energy capacity has reached 2,024 MW. This includes 1,580 MW of renewable energy capacity and 444 MW of waste heat recovery capacity, together meeting around 48 per cent of the company’s current power requirements.

The company said the milestone reflects the progress of its long-term energy transition strategy. In FY27 so far, nearly one-third of UltraTech’s 76 manufacturing units in India have maintained green energy utilisation above 50 per cent of their electricity requirements, while five units have crossed 95 per cent.

K C Jhanwar, Managing Director, UltraTech Cement Limited, said, “Crossing the 2 GW green energy milestone is the result of a strategy we have pursued consistently over the past decade. Cement is an energy-intensive, hard-to-abate sector, and showing that reliability and growth can go hand in hand with a rapid shift to green energy sets a benchmark for the industry. With nearly half of our power needs now met through green energy, we are significantly less exposed to fossil fuel supply constraints and power price volatility. As we scale up renewables, waste heat recovery and battery storage across our operations, we are building an energy foundation for stable, long-term growth.”

UltraTech commissioned 430 MW of green energy capacity in FY26 and continues to expand its renewable energy and waste heat recovery portfolio.

The company is also progressively integrating Battery Energy Storage Systems across its operations to improve renewable energy utilisation and supply reliability.

In 2025, UltraTech operationalised what it described as India’s first on-site hybrid round-the-clock renewable energy project at Sewagram Cement Works in Gujarat. The project combines solar, wind and battery storage.

As part of its decarbonisation strategy, UltraTech said it has not invested in new captive thermal power capacity for either greenfield projects or brownfield expansions at its integrated units for more than a decade.

The company said its expanding green energy portfolio is helping reduce dependence on conventional grid electricity and fossil fuel-based power, while lowering exposure to fluctuations in coal and electricity prices.

UltraTech aims to increase green energy’s share in its total power mix to 85 per cent by 2030. As a member of RE100, it has also committed to meeting 100 per cent of its electricity requirement through renewable sources by 2050.

UltraTech Cement, the cement flagship of the Aditya Birla Group, has a total grey cement capacity of 210.1 MTPA and white cement and putty capacity of 3.5 MTPA. The company is also a signatory to the GCCA Climate Ambition 2050 and has committed to the GCCA Net Zero Concrete roadmap.