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Indian Cement Review Awards 2023

Published

3 years ago

March 15, 2023

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The 36-year-old Indian Cement Review has been the business bible for the industry for decades. And the Awards are an integral part of the publication’s standing. This year, the success story repeated itself. From putting together an eminent jury panel and a stringent screening process to handing over the trophies to the esteemed winners, it was an inspiring journey all along for the 6th Indian Cement Review Awards 2023. ICR presents to you glimpses from the evening of celebrations.

The 6th Indian Cement Review Awards 2023 were held along with the 8th Indian Cement Review Conference and the 13th Cement Expo at Sheraton Hotel, Hyderabad on the 24th of February, 2023. The process of evaluation of participating companies started two months prior to the awards when the ICR jury panel was given the mandate of analysing the performances of various cement manufacturers during 2021-22.
The jury panel for the 6th Indian Cement Review Awards 2023 included:

Ashok Kumar Dembla, President & Managing Director, Humboldt Wedag India
Rajesh Pathak, Managing Director, Schenck Process India
Dheepan Ramalingam, Managing Director, Ringfeeder Power Transmission
Dr B N Mohapatra, Director General, NCB
Rajeev Toshniwal, Managing Director, Toshniwal Industries
Ganesh Jirkuntwar, Head Manufacturing, Dalmia Cement
Rajnish Kapur, Chief Operating Officer, J.K Cement
Ashwini Pahuja, Former Chief Sustainability Officer, Dalmia Cement (Bharat)
Vivek Bhatia, Managing Director, Thyssenkrupp Industries

KC Jhanwar,
Managing Director, UltraTech
Man of the Year 2022-23

The awards were given away by Pratap Padode, Founder & President, FIRST Construction Council, invited Sumit Bannerjee, Chairman, Editorial Advisory Board, Indian Cement Review, as the hostess for the evening announced each winning company’s name and its attributes.
KC Jhanwar, Managing Director, UltraTech, was bestowed with the Man of the Year 2022-23 Award. Although he was unable to join the event personally, his heartfelt acceptance speech was delivered to the audience. His stellar journey and achievements in the Indian cement industry continue to inspire business leaders across the country.

As the winners gathered on the stage for a picture-perfect moment with their trophies in hand, the evening progressed towards cocktails and dinner, bringing the curtains down on a highly engaging and successful day with the stalwarts of the Indian cement industry.

Large Category (Turnover over Rs 5,000 cr)
Fastest Growing Cement Companies
Ranking Company Name Designation
1 Ultratech Maccha Rao National Sales Head
2 JK Cement Kedar M Shahagadkar Vice President , Cluster Head
3 JK Lakshmi Cement Naveen Kumar Sharma Whole Time Director
3 Dalmia Bharat Mukesh Kumar Sinha Unit Head – Kadapa

Medium Category (Turnover between Rs 2,000 cr and Rs 5,000 cr )
Fastest Growing Cement Companies

1 JSW Cement Nilesh Narwekar CEO
2 Star Cement Surender Kumar Jain AVP- Commercial & Administration

Small Category (Turnover under Rs 2,000 cr )
Fastest Growing Cement Companies

1 Udaipur Cement Works Naveen Kumar Sharma Whole Time Director
2 Shree Digvijay Cement K K Rajeev Nambiar CEO, Managing Director

Presenting Partner
ExxonMobil Lubricants Private Limited
Gold Sponsor
JK Cement Limited
PhillipCapital India Pvt Ltd
Silver Sponsor
LiuGong India Pvt Ltd
Associate Sponsor
Humboldt Wedag India Pvt Ltd
Presentation Partners
Martin Engineering Company
India Pvt. Ltd.
Beumer India Pvt Ltd
Ecodea Projects & Control Private Limited
Logo Sponsor
Stotz Gears Private Limited

Quote

Truly honoured and humbled at receiving this award from the Indian Cement Review! After looking at the jury members, it is truly humbling that they recognised the effort and the growth. Mr Patode spoke about the methodology used to determine the winners and he mentioned the six-year window. I remember how big we were six years ago – from a 6.2 or 6.3 MT capacity to currently around 21 MT has been quite a journey for us. I would give the entire credit for this to my team who have put in all the hard work. It hasn’t been that easy. But we have learnt a lot, loved the journey and we look forward to having a more aggressive growth path going ahead.”

***K K Rajeev Nambiar, CEO and Managing Director, Shree Digvijay Cement***

It’s a very exciting moment for us; it’s exciting to see this category. In this industry, the focus is always on the biggies. This award brings the focus to companies like us who have a high appetite in terms of sustainability, growth and profitability. The excitement at winning the award is great!

***Mukesh Kumar Sinha, Unit Head – Kadapa, Dalmia Bharat***

Thank you to the jury for choosing Dalmia in the large category. Dalmia family is truly cherishing this moment. Kudos to Dalmia family for achieving this goal! Dalmia team on an excellent journey of sustainably making cement, and we are partnering the progress of new India. This journey will go on and on with new heights and new achievements.”

**Kedar M Shahagadkar, Vice President and Cluster Head, JK Cement**

It feels really great to get this award. This award acknowledges the fact that the able leadership and guidance of our managing director, Raghavji Singhania, and our CEO, Madhavji Singhania. The guidance and mentorship that they provide fuels a lot of good things in the team that has been building over the years. This award really shows that the leadership team is driving the business in a consistent way. It feels really nice to be here as apart from the cement companies all the key stakeholders of the industry are all here. To be rewarded amongst them feels really nice!

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Shree Cement Targets Above Industry Volume Growth In FY27

Chairman says firm will favour organic expansion and higher dividends

Published

2 days ago

June 16, 2026

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Shree Cement expects to outpace the industry in the financial year 2026-27 as it pursues organic expansion and pricing discipline following a recent investor conference. The chairman said the company has completed a pricing realignment and recovered volumes lost during that exercise. Management signalled a clear preference for internal investments rather than acquisitions to support growth.

The company reported that capacity additions and demand growth across core markets are expected to underpin stronger volume performance, with a target of growing volumes at around 1.1 times the industry growth rate. Cash levels are likely to decline as capital expenditure progresses and shareholder distributions increase, the chairman indicated. The board has prioritised higher dividends over a buyback as a means of reducing excess cash.

Shree Cement described a market shift towards value and affordability rather than a race to the lowest price, which links demand expansion more closely with pricing. Historically, prices have risen at around three per cent annually over long periods, the company noted, and while prices may increase faster this year because of cost pressures from geopolitical tensions, a material improvement in industry profitability is not anticipated. In North India, the company expects additional capacity to be absorbed as demand grows, estimating a requirement of roughly 10 million (mn) tonne (t) of incremental demand annually.

The next phase of expansion will focus on the north, west, east and northeast regions, with existing projects and planned capacities viewed as sufficient to meet future demand without pursuing acquisitions. Management said it has already regained lost volumes while sustaining higher prices and will continue to monitor regional opportunities, including a possible investment in West Bengal pending clarity on industrial policy. The company, which has a current market capitalisation of Rs 852,948.9 mn, has seen its shares lose more than 20 per cent over the past year.

Concrete

Ramco Cements’ Hard Worker Campaign Wins Seven Awards

Campaign earns honours for direction, editing and cinematography

Published

3 days ago

June 15, 2026

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The Hard Worker campaign by The Ramco Cements has secured seven honours at the Good Ads Matter Awards 2026, adding to its growing list of accolades and reinforcing its standing among the year’s most recognised advertising campaigns.

The awards were presented during the Good Ads Matter Awards Night 2026 held at Mehboob Studios in Mumbai. The campaign received recognition across multiple categories, highlighting excellence in direction, editing, cinematography and storytelling.

Among the honours, the campaign won Silver in the Campaign of the Year – Direction category, while filmmaker Prakash Varma was named Director of the Year for the films Tortoise & Hare and Eco Plaster. Tortoise & Hare also received Silver awards for Best Editing and Best Colour Grading, along with a Bronze award for Best Cinematography. Eco Plaster earned Bronze awards in the Best Direction – Narrative and Best Direction – Humour categories.

Both films extended their award-winning run, with Eco Plaster being recognised for its narrative centred on water conservation through innovative construction solutions, while Tortoise & Hare was honoured for its storytelling and craft execution.

The Hard Worker campaign was built around the idea that hard work deserves recognition and respect. Through culturally rooted and emotionally engaging stories, the campaign has connected with consumers, engineers, masons and the wider construction community across the country.

Commenting on the achievement, A V Dharmakrishnan, CEO of The Ramco Cements Limited, said that the continued recognition across leading creative platforms reflects the company’s commitment to meaningful and authentic communication rooted in the values of the people it serves.

Balaji K Moorthy, Executive Director – Marketing, The Ramco Cements Limited, said the awards recognise the craftsmanship behind the storytelling, from direction and cinematography to editing and narrative execution.

Following recognition at both the Kyoorius Creative Awards and the Good Ads Matter Awards, the Hard Worker campaign continues to demonstrate the impact of purpose-driven storytelling combined with strong creative execution and consumer relevance.

Concrete

Cement Makers Reaffirm Commitment to Sustainable Growth

Published

2 weeks ago

June 5, 2026

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World Environment Day spotlight on innovation and circularity

On World Environment Day, the Indian cement industry reiterated its commitment to supporting India’s climate ambitions through sustainable manufacturing, resource efficiency and the adoption of cleaner technologies.

The Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA) said the sector remains aligned with the Government of India’s Net Zero commitments and is accelerating efforts to reduce its environmental footprint while supporting the country’s infrastructure and development agenda.

Parth Jindal, President, CMA and Managing Director, JSW Cement, said the industry is increasingly adopting cleaner technologies, improving energy efficiency and expanding the use of alternative fuels and raw materials. He also highlighted the growing importance of circular economy practices, where industrial by-products and waste streams from one sector are utilised as resources in another.

“The Indian Cement Industry is aligned to the Government’s commitments on carbon mitigation and is accelerating the adoption of cleaner technologies, resource efficiency and circular economy practices while actively exploring the potential of Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) as a critical pathway for deep decarbonisation,” said Jindal.

He added that coprocessing industrial waste and by-products helps conserve natural resources, reduce disposal requirements and lower the environmental footprint across multiple sectors.

According to Jindal, sustainability is no longer limited to manufacturing processes but is increasingly influencing investment decisions, innovation strategies and long-term growth plans within the industry.

Echoing similar views, Dr Raghavpat Singhania, Vice President, CMA and Managing Director, JK Cement, said sustainable development extends beyond emissions reduction and must also focus on responsible resource utilisation and waste minimisation.

“Sustainability in the built environment cannot be measured by emissions alone. It is equally about how efficiently we use resources, how effectively we minimise waste and how responsibly we create the infrastructure that will serve future generations,” said Singhania.

He noted that the cement industry is advancing its sustainability agenda through greater resource efficiency, increased circularity, technological innovation and continuous improvements in manufacturing practices. As a key contributor to India’s infrastructure development, the sector has a critical role to play in balancing economic growth with environmental responsibility.

On the occasion of World Environment Day, industry leaders reaffirmed their commitment to supporting India’s climate goals while delivering the materials required for resilient, durable and sustainable infrastructure.