Concrete

Cement price rise has impacted our profitability

Published

4 years ago

January 16, 2023

admin

Ketan Patel, Director, Akshar Group, speaks about striking a balance between losses incurred and foreseeable profits, even as the real estate sector battles with rising prices of cement and other raw materials.

How is the current real estate market and how are your projects performing?
The market has opened up. We are expecting a good demand in real estate and are looking for it to lower down in the next two-three years. When we look at the statistics of the buyer, registrations, launches etc., of a quarter, if we try to neutralise the cement, then it comes across as more area- and demand-centric. In metro cities like Mumbai or Bangalore, real estate has to do well because of the demand
for it. More than demand, it is also about migration and work opportunities. As a result an entire ecosystem develops around it, which leads to demand and purchase.
I believe that we are building an asset, but then it comes down to what price point you have entered at, what specifications you are offering, if the zone has the typology requirement – all factors need to be kept in mind to understand the price and demand of that location. Sometimes, a single development from a particular brand and what they are offering changes the demand in a zone. Price, at the end of the day, is a prime factor and this market is centred around it.

Has the cost rise in cement and concrete building materials impacted your profitability?
Yes. Cement price rise has impacted our profitability, making it lower and, in some cases, it has led us to incur some losses, too. For the ongoing projects, where about 60 per cent to 80 per cent of the units are sold, we cannot now go to the buyer and tell them that the cost of raw materials has gone up and the remaining units, of which the construction was pending will be at a higher price. So, that is where we are incurring a low profit or loss per say.
I believe the cost of raw material has impacted on-going projects but for the new projects we are prepared that now the prices have gone up so we must have a 20 to 25 per cent buffer for that.

Are you expecting a change in consumer behaviour as the price of real estate will go up owing to the rise in the cost of raw materials?
Whenever we increase the price of our projects, we see a setback of 10 to 15 per cent in the overall sales funnel. But when we do look at it, the actual sales in the total sales funnel is approximately 10 per cent of the total enquiries. What we have observed over the years is that the number of enquiries go down when there is an increase in price. However, the customer who is looking to buy a house or property or upgrade does come through and convert as a customer.
We saw a trend through the pandemic that people have realised that housing is a very important aspect in their lives, as it was their homes that kept them safe in the difficult times. Demand in established locations has gone up as people want to upgrade.

As the raw material cost for construction is expected to stay volatile in the near future, what is the change in strategy adapted by you to navigate through it or will there be delays in delivery of projects?
We are looking at changing our strategies but we cannot delay any of our projects as that is more expensive than incurring higher prices of raw material for building materials. Waiting for the cost of raw materials to go down will throw us off our schedule and that will be a bigger chaos as the entire line of work will be disturbed. I might end up spending more than I would be saving with the wait duration.
However, with new launches, we can keep control and plan better. But once the project is on the floor, we have to go with the flow and match our deadlines, irrespective of the change in prices of the construction materials.

Tell us about the challenges you have faced with the rise in cost of cement.
We were not expecting the price of raw material to rise so much. We do account for 4 to 5 per cent of inflated prices but when it goes up to 15 to 20 per cent we have had to relook at our strategies. We cannot compromise on the deliveries to our customers, but at the same time we also have to understand how to absorb the cost.
Considerations had to be made if the project price should increase. But that too comes with its own set of challenges with the market price, competitor pricing of projects etc. Those were also the deciding factors on incurring some losses and not being able to transfer the cost to the consumer. However, that will also be averaged out in our future projects.

How is the future of real estate looking with the rise in cost of cement and building materials?
With the rise in cement cost and other building material costs, the same will eventually be carried forward to the buyer. This is a basic entrepreneurial rule. New launches will be expensive. In their initial stages, they may be at a 10 to 20 per cent lower cost, but I am foreseeing a rise in real estate price of about 18 to 20 per cent in the near future.
Materials like steel, cement and concrete are very important in any building. With the price of these materials rising, I have incurred losses in the previous projects, and we will be looking to recover the same in newer projects. This will become a market sentiment as similar challenges will be faced by the developer community.

-Kanika Mathur

Up Next

We are focusing on quality and innovation

Don't Miss

We are focusing on cost-effective solutions

Concrete

Cement Makers’ Margins To Fall Rs 50-75 Per Tonne Amid West Asia Conflict

Crisil Sees Margins Easing Despite Steady Demand

Published

1 week ago

July 29, 2026

admin

Crisil said operating margins of Indian cement manufacturers are expected to decline by Rs 50-75 per tonne (t) this fiscal to Rs 925-950 per t due to higher input costs triggered by the West Asia conflict. The analysis covered 18 cement companies accounting for nearly 90 per cent of India’s domestic cement capacity and noted margins had improved sharply to around Rs 1,000 per t in fiscal 2026.

Crisil noted that the reduction would be driven mainly by higher power and fuel costs, which account for about 30 per cent of total costs, as petcoke and imported coal prices have surged amid geopolitical uncertainties. Freight costs, which account for about a quarter of total costs, are also expected to remain elevated because of higher diesel prices. The impact on profitability is likely to be more pronounced in the first half of the fiscal year before easing commodity prices moderate cost pressures later.

The rating agency said steady domestic demand and strong balance sheets should keep credit profiles stable despite the moderation in margins. Green energy currently accounts for 35-40 per cent of the sector’s total electricity consumption and is expected to partly cushion higher energy costs. Operating cash flows are likely to remain resilient, supported by projected 6-7 per cent growth in cement demand this fiscal.

Crisil highlighted that demand growth will be driven primarily by infrastructure spending, which meets about one-third of sector consumption, and by a nearly 18 per cent higher budgetary allocation for core ministries that should support project execution. Weaker rural housing demand amid pressure on agricultural incomes from a possible below-average monsoon may be offset by improved urban housing demand supported by favourable home-loan rates and a strong pipeline of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban projects. Ongoing capacity additions will keep capital expenditure elevated and may lift net debt to EBITDA to between 1.2 and 1.4 times from around 1.0 time last fiscal, though ratios are expected to remain healthy.

Concrete

UltraTech Board Approves Rs 50 bn Fundraise Via NCDs

Company to issue half a million debentures for expansion plan

Published

1 week ago

July 28, 2026

admin

UltraTech Cement’s board of directors has approved raising Rs 5,000 crore (Rs 50 bn) through non?convertible debentures issued in rupees.

The finance committee cleared a proposal to issue up to 500,000 fully paid, unsecured, listed, rated, redeemable, rupee?denominated, non?convertible, non?cumulative debentures of Rs 1 lakh each (Rs 0.1 mn each), aggregating to the Rs 5,000 crore programme.

As of June 2026 the firm reported net debt of Rs 15,875 crore (Rs 158.75 bn) and said its capacity expansion projects under execution are backed by capital expenditure of about Rs 17,000 crore (Rs 170 bn) over the next two to two?and?a?half years.

UltraTech spent Rs 9,500 crore (Rs 95 bn) on capital expenditure in financial year 2026 and in April the group crossed 200.1 mn tonnes per annum of domestic grey cement capacity and 205.5 mn tonnes per annum of global capacity.

The chief financial officer indicated the company would take consolidated capacity beyond 242 mn tonnes per annum, with grey cement capacity reaching 212.7 mn tonnes per annum by the end of financial year 2027. He noted the net debt?to?earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation ratio stood at 0.87 times as of June 2026 and the company was confident of ending financial year 2027 with the ratio below one time.

In the first quarter of financial year 2026?27 UltraTech’s net profit attributable to owners rose 16.8 per cent year?on?year to Rs 2,599.3 crore (Rs 25.993 bn) and revenue from operations increased 15.9 per cent to Rs 24,648.20 crore (Rs 246.482 bn). The board approval is expected to complement internal cash flows as the company advances its expansion programme.

Concrete

Lokesh Lays Stone For Rs 31 Billion Cement Unit In Kadapa

Line-2 expansion to make Kadapa a major cement hub

Published

2 weeks ago

July 20, 2026

admin

Andhra Pradesh Education and IT Minister Nara Lokesh on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for the Line-2 expansion of Dalmia Bharat Cement at Chinnakomerla village in Mylavaram Mandal in Kadapa district. The project carries an investment of Rs 31 billion (bn) and is slated for completion by the third quarter of the financial year 2028. The expansion is intended to boost industrial growth and employment generation across the Rayalaseema region.

Once commissioned, the Kadapa facility will become Dalmia Bharat’s largest integrated cement manufacturing ecosystem in southern India, creating over 1,000 direct and indirect jobs and opening new business avenues for regional micro, small and medium enterprises and transport operators. Lokesh said the expansion signalled growing corporate confidence in the state and reflected the practical ease of doing business that secured repeat investment.

He placed the project within the government’s wider economic targets and recalled the Yuvagalam padayatra commitment to generate two million (mn) jobs within five years, noting that the state would cultivate talent while industry created opportunities. Lokesh highlighted Andhra Pradesh’s competitive pursuit of major manufacturing accounts, mentioning past successes and a personal initiative to engage global investors when persuading them to anchor expansion in the state.

The plant will leverage Kadapa’s abundant limestone reserves to scale production and sustainability. Clinker capacity is planned to rise from two point five million tonnes per annum (mn tpa) to six point one mn tpa, while overall cement output will increase from three point six mn tpa to nine point six mn tpa. The unit is designed to operate on over eighty per cent renewable energy and deploy waste heat recovery, zero liquid discharge, water recycling and advanced AI systems to optimise efficiency. Industries Minister TG Bharat, BC Welfare Minister S. Savitha and Jammalamadugu MLA C. Adinarayana Reddy attended the ceremony.