Concrete

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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Cement Demand Strong As Prices Remain Stable

Volumes rise amid steady trade pricing and higher fuel costs

Published

19 hours ago

September 11, 2026

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Channel checks show cement demand remained healthy with volume growth estimated at six to seven per cent in July and August 2026. Trade prices were broadly stable while non-trade prices were volatile in the East, and attempted hikes were rolled back amid higher competition. Average fuel costs rose in August by five to nine per cent, lifting spot petcoke and coal prices.

All-India trade price remained flat month on month in August as increased rake supplies and competition offset early increases. Monsoon related demand softness limited sustained hikes and dealers indicated further attempts would depend on demand trends. Combined July and August volumes were estimated at six to seven per cent, supported by infrastructure spending while retail housing remained weather sensitive.

In the South, a Rs20 a bag hike in August did not hold and prices stayed flat month on month, while dealers planned Rs25 to Rs30 a bag from fifth September 2026 but with uncertain sustainability. In the East, trade prices were unchanged and non-trade prices corrected by Rs15 to Rs20 a bag amid weak construction in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha.

The West remained most resilient on pricing and demand despite attempted hikes of Rs10 to Rs15 a bag, and Gujarat saw relatively better volumes in August. North and Central markets kept prices range bound as players focused on ramping up utilisation of new capacity, with schemes of up to Rs2 to Rs3 a bag used to meet month-end targets. Overall construction activity improved as the monsoon eased, aiding a pickup in several states.

Fuel cost pressures persisted, with South African coal at USD114 a t and petcoke around USD146 to USD147 a t in August, while spot imported petcoke and coal were higher. Imported coal consumption cost stood at Rs2.07 per Kcal and petcoke at USD2.11 per Kcal. Analysts estimate the all-India trade spread to decline by Rs90 to Rs100 a t quarter on quarter, weighing on near-term profitability and they prefer UltraTech Cement (UTCEM), JK Cement (JKCE) and Grasim Industries (GRASIM).

Concrete

Aditya Birla Group Launches Ultravolt Wires And Cables Business

UltraTech extends building solutions into electrical wiring

Published

3 days ago

September 9, 2026

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Aditya Birla Group has entered the wires and cables market through Ultravolt, extending UltraTech’s move from building materials into building solutions. The shift builds on UltraTech Building Solutions, a multi-category platform that already addresses customers across different stages of construction and extends beyond cement into ready-mix concrete, waterproofing, tile-fixing solutions and mortars.

The company intends to enter with scale, seeking presence across 100,000 retailers in more than 500 districts and availability through 5,000 plus UltraTech Building Solutions (UBS) outlets. The portfolio spans house wires, light-duty cables, communication cables, solar cables and low-tension and industrial cables to meet changing electrical requirements driven by solar installations, communications infrastructure and industrial automation.

An upstream advantage begins in the Group’s metals ecosystem, with conductor quality central to product performance. Ultravolt wires will use TruePure Copper, defined as 99.97 per cent pure electrolytic-grade annealed copper sourced from Hindalco, providing greater control over raw material quality and provenance and supporting electrical performance, safety and durability.

The business also targets the electrician community as a decisive influence on product choice and installation quality. The Wires and Cables Business has launched a Skill India Electrician Training Programme in partnership with the Electronics Sector Skills Council of India that aims to train and certify more than 40,000 electricians across India over the next year, focusing on safe wiring practices, correct installation and advanced wire technologies and offering Skill India-aligned certification and identification credentials.

The move combines market opportunity, UltraTech’s construction ecosystem, manufacturing capability and Group-level resources. A large Gujarat facility, advanced machinery and in-house testing and research and development underpin the product strategy, which is designed for both traditional and emerging applications. The ambition is to build a scaled national brand and become one of the top two players within five years, making the Group an integral participant in modern building infrastructure.

Concrete

Ramco Cements Mine Restoration Gets Global Biodiversity Certification

Pandalgudi mine restoration receives Advanced Certification from TGBS

Published

3 days ago

September 9, 2026

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The ecological restoration of Ramco Cements’ limestone mine at Pandalgudi in Virudhunagar district, Tamil Nadu, has received international recognition with the site being awarded Advanced Certification by The Global Biodiversity Standard (TGBS). The recognition makes Pandalgudi the first site in Peninsular India to receive the certification and places it among globally recognised biodiversity restoration projects.

TGBS, recognised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), assesses biodiversity restoration projects based on scientific evaluation and their contribution to ecosystem recovery and local communities. The certification is supported by more than 250 scientists and academics worldwide.

Spread across over 500 acres of worked-out mine areas, the restoration project includes a certified 234-acre site. Initiated in 2018 with technical support from Auroville Botanical Gardens, the project began plantation activities in 2019 and is expected to be completed by 2027. More than 430,000 native trees and shrubs belonging to 150 ecologically significant species have been planted at the site.

The restored mine, which was once a barren landscape with limited biodiversity, has recorded over 72 bird species and 53 butterfly species. The project has also captured an estimated 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over the past seven years, supporting broader sustainability and carbon reduction goals.

Opened officially in 2022, the site has attracted more than 13,000 visitors through educational programmes for schools, colleges and training institutions. The restoration initiative has also contributed to the development of the Rajapalayam Masterplan and supported Tamil Nadu’s carbon neutrality ambitions.

Commenting on the achievement, Mr P. R. Venketrama Raja, Chairman, Ramco Group, said the company aims for the Pandalgudi restoration project to serve as an inspiration and blueprint for the mining industry in India. Dr David Bartholomew, CEO, The Global Biodiversity Standard, highlighted the project’s long-term commitment to biodiversity recovery and independent assessment of ecological outcomes.

The certification reinforces Ramco Cements’ focus on sustainable mining practices and ecological restoration as part of its commitment towards a carbon-neutral future.