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Nailing the mega deal

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Adani Group’s takeover of Holcim’s stakes in Ambuja Cement and ACC is touted as the biggest open offer in the history of corporate India.

At the open offer price of Rs 385 per share, using a key industry valuation metric of enterprise value (EV) per tonne, standalone Ambuja Cements NSE has been valued at nearly $299 per tonne. In contrast, ACC at an open offer price of Rs 2,300 per share is valued at about $131.4 per tonne. This reflects the inherent differences in the operational efficiency and thereby performance of the respective companies.


Other leading players in the cement industry, like Ultratech, which has the largest capacity in the sector with nearly 120 million tonnes, is currently valued at the stock markets at nearly $199 per tonne. Shree Cement with a capacity of nearly 47.4 million tonnes is valued at about $223 per tonne. Enterprise value is a measure of the company’s total value, and it is calculated by adding market capitalisation of a company plus its debt and minus the cash in the books.

The standalone Ambuja Cements has one of the highest operating margins in the industry, and in FY 2022, Ambuja Cements standalone operating profit margins were nearly 23 per cent, a decline of 4.6% YoY, on sales of Rs 14,268 crore. Meanwhile, ACC’s standalone operating profit margins were at 18.4 per cent, a fall of nearly 0.9% YoY in the 12 months ended FY 2022. In the case of Ultratech, standalone operating margins were at 22.7 per cent during FY 22, a fall of nearly 4%. Shree Cement recorded a 22.2 percent margin as against 30 percent in the previous year due to surge in power and fuel costs.


It is interesting to compare today’s scenario with the one 10 years ago in September 2012 when ACC was valued at $132 per tonne, similarly, enterprise value per tonne of Grasim and UltraTech was $121 per tonne and $176 per tonne, respectively. In case of Ambuja Cements, the company’s valuation was at $171 per tonne. The 212-million-tonne cement industry then saw major deals at a valuation of as high as $235 a tonne paid by Irish firm CRH for My Home Industries in 2008. Portuguese player Cimpor paid $162 for Shree Digvijay Cement Company in 2007 while Holcim paid $200 for Ambuja Cements.


However, the deal in June 2008 when French firm Vicat paid $100 a tonne for Sagar Cements, was the lowest in the previous years of M&A activities. The story has not changed as event then as now, coal prices rocked the destinies of cement companies. The decline in coal prices from as high as $160 a tonne to as low as $70 a tonne changed fortunes even then.


Coming back to the current scenario, the key problem continues to be the rising prices of pet coke and coal doubling during the year. Cement firms reported single digit sales growth for the second consecutive quarter in January-March driven by gradual demand recovery as well as price hike even as higher costs due to rise in crude oil and coal prices impact profits and margins. Competitive prices are compelling cement makers to explore alternatives to coal.
Over the next few months, the demand for coal and pet coke is expected to slow down while the prices would continue to remain high. Although cement prices have also hiked up, the rise is not enough to make up for the fuel prices. The inability to pass on costs fully to customers remains a primary concern. Now with the RBI raising the repo rate demand is likely to continue to shy away.

Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Pratap Padode

Concrete

Molecor Renews OCS Europe Certification Across Spanish Plants

Certification reinforces commitment to preventing microplastic pollution

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Molecor has renewed its OCS Europe certification for another year across all its production facilities in Spain under the Operation Clean Sweep (OCS) voluntary initiative, reaffirming its commitment to sustainability and environmental protection. The renewal underlines the company’s continued focus on preventing the unintentional release of plastic particles during manufacturing, with particular attention to safeguarding marine ecosystems from microplastic pollution.

All Molecor plants in Spain have been compliant with OCS Europe standards for several years, implementing best practices designed to avoid pellet loss and the release of plastic particles during the production of PVC pipes and fittings. The OCS-based management system enables the company to maintain strict operational controls while aligning with evolving regulatory expectations on microplastic prevention.

The renewed certification also positions Molecor ahead of newly published European regulations. The company’s practices are aligned with Regulation (EU) 2025/2365, recently adopted by the European Parliament, which sets out requirements to prevent pellet loss and reduce microplastic pollution across industrial operations.

Extending its sustainability commitment beyond its own operations, Molecor is actively engaging its wider value chain by informing suppliers and customers of its participation in the OCS programme and encouraging responsible microplastic management practices. Through these efforts, the company contributes directly to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 14 ‘Life below water’, reinforcing its role as a responsible industrial manufacturer committed to environmental stewardship and long-term sustainability.

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Coforge Launches AI-Led Data Cosmos Analytics Platform

New cloud-native platform targets enterprise data modernisation and GenAI adoption

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Coforge Limited has recently announced the launch of Coforge Data Cosmos, an AI-enabled, cloud-native data engineering and advanced analytics platform aimed at helping enterprises convert fragmented data environments into intelligent, high-performance data ecosystems. The platform strengthens Coforge’s technology stack by introducing a foundational innovation layer that supports cloud-native, domain-specific solutions built on reusable blueprints, proprietary IP, accelerators, agentic components and industry-aligned capabilities.

Data Cosmos is designed to address persistent enterprise challenges such as data fragmentation, legacy modernisation, high operational costs, limited self-service analytics, lack of unified governance and the complexity of GenAI adoption. The platform is structured around five technology portfolios—Supernova, Nebula, Hypernova, Pulsar and Quasar—covering the full data transformation lifecycle, from legacy-to-cloud migration and governance to cloud-native data platforms, autonomous DataOps and scaled GenAI orchestration.

To accelerate speed-to-value, Coforge has introduced the Data Cosmos Toolkit, comprising over 55 IPs and accelerators and 38 AI agents powered by the Data Cosmos Engine. The platform also enables Galaxy solutions, which combine industry-specific data models with the core technology stack to deliver tailored solutions across sectors including BFS, insurance, travel, transportation and hospitality, healthcare, public sector and retail.

“With Data Cosmos, we are setting a new benchmark for how enterprises convert data complexity into competitive advantage,” said Deepak Manjarekar, Global Head – Data HBU, Coforge. “Our objective is to provide clients with a fast, adaptive and AI-ready data foundation from day one.”

Supported by a strong ecosystem of cloud and technology partners, Data Cosmos operates across multi-cloud and hybrid environments and is already being deployed in large-scale transformation programmes for global clients.

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India, Sweden Launch Seven Low-Carbon Steel, Cement Projects

Joint studies to cut industrial emissions under LeadIT

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India and Sweden have announced seven joint projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions in the steel and cement sectors, with funding support from India’s Department of Science and Technology and the Swedish Energy Agency.

The initiatives, launched under the LeadIT Industry Transition Partnership, bring together major Indian companies including Tata Steel, JK Cement, Ambuja Cements, Jindal Steel and Power, and Prism Johnson, alongside Swedish technology firms such as Cemvision, Kanthal and Swerim. Leading Indian academic institutions, including IIT Bombay, IIT-ISM Dhanbad, IIT Bhubaneswar and IIT Hyderabad, are also participating.

The projects will undertake pre-pilot feasibility studies on a range of low-carbon technologies. These include the use of hydrogen in steel rotary kilns, recycling steel slag for green cement production, and applying artificial intelligence to optimise concrete mix designs. Other studies will explore converting blast furnace carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide for reuse and assessing electric heating solutions for steelmaking.

India’s steel sector currently accounts for about 10–12 per cent of the country’s carbon emissions, while cement contributes nearly 6 per cent. Globally, heavy industry is responsible for roughly one-quarter of greenhouse gas emissions and consumes around one-third of total energy.

The collaboration aims to develop scalable, low-carbon industrial technologies that can support India’s net-zero emissions target by 2070. As part of the programme, Tata Steel and Cemvision will examine methods to convert steel slag into construction materials, creating a circular value chain for industrial byproducts.

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