Leaders of Indian cement industry brought together on single platform
The 8th Indian Cement Review Conference and 13th Cement Expo held in Hyderabad on 24th February, 2023 brought the thought leaders of Indian cement industry on a single platform to discuss the efforts towards sustainability and decarbonisation, with a laser focus on C.A.S.E. cost-efficiency, automation, skilling and energy-efficiency.
Indian Cement Review Conference
The day turned out to become the epicenter of the cement industry leaders wherein Shantanu Sharma, Brand Manager, ExxonMobil underscored the importance of taking assured steps towards sustainability. Dr Sriharsha Reddy, Director, IMT Hyderabad brought up a number of important issues pertaining to fund procurement through traditional methods and the challenges therein.
A high-octane panel discussion was revolved around C.A.S.E for sustainability and decarbonisation. It witnessed deep deliberations from Sudipta Ghosh, Partner, PwC; Dr BN Mohapatra, DG, NCCBM; KN Rao, Corporate Head, MY Home Industries; Manoj Rustgi, EVP & Chief Sustainability and Innovation Officer, JSW Cement; Manoj Vyas, LEAD – AFR Sourcing & BD, VICAT; Dr Sriharsha Reddy and Shantanu Sharma.
Saurabh Palsania, ED & Group Commercial Head, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) shared deep insights on carbon capture technology and how it can revolutionise the cement industry.
The event also witnessed showcasing of innovate products and services to revolutionise the cement and allied industries by various industry experts including Jayesh Patil, Asst. Manager, Flow Aids, Martin Engineering; Nischal Basavaraj, Regional Head – South, Liugong India; Sasi M Kumar, BDM – Cement, ExxonMobil; and S Chakravarti, MD, Ecodea Projects and Control.
The highlight of the day was the high-profile roundtable session, with the cement industry leaders sharing their rich views on demystifying digitalisation and maximising the value chain impact. This forum was participated by various influencers like Madhav Vemuri, Industry Digital Transformation Entrepreneur; Ashok Dembla, President & MD, KHD Humboldt Wedag; Ganesh Jirkuntwar, ED & Head Manufacturing, Dalmia Cement; Subhasis Chattopadhyay, Head – Projects, Birla Corporation; Karthick Raja, CIO, Orient Cement; SS Luthra, Global Cement Digital, ABB; and Vishal Bhargava, Associate Director, Global Industries, IBM.
On the cement logistics part, innovative supply chain strategies in the cement industry were shared by Gaurav Gautam, Head of Sales, Beumer Group, Raveen Reddy, CAO – Systems, Indian Railways; Praveen Garg, Sr VP – Logistics & Energy Sourcing, VICAT; and Vaibhav Agarwal, Research Analyst, PhillipCapital.
ICR Awards
Indian Cement Review Awards 2023 were presented to the fastest growing cement companies in various categories.
Large Category (over Rs 5000 cr turnover)
Ranking
Brand Name
1
UltraTech Cement
2
JK Cement
3
JK Lakshmi Cement
3
Dalmia Cement (Bharat)
Medium Category (between Rs 2000-5000 cr turnover)
Ranking
Brand Name
1
JSW Cement
2
Star Cement
Small Category (under Rs 2000cr turnover)
Ranking
Brand Name
1
Udaipur Cement Works
2
Shree Digvijay Cement
KC Jhanwar, MD, UltraTech stole the show as recipient of the ‘Man of the Year 2022-23’ award.
Kirby Building Systems & Structures India has recently broken ground on its fourth manufacturing facility in Manapparai, near Trichy, Tamil Nadu. The plant will be developed across approximately 33.2 acres and have an annual manufacturing capacity of 100,000 metric tonnes, with commercial operations expected to begin by mid-2027.
Once operational, the facility will increase Kirby India’s total annual manufacturing capacity from 300,000 metric tonnes to 400,000 metric tonnes. The expansion is aimed at strengthening the company’s presence in Southern India and enabling faster and more flexible deliveries to customers across key industrial markets.
The new facility will complement Kirby India’s existing manufacturing plants in Hyderabad, Haridwar and Halol, Gujarat. The company said it continues to invest in advanced engineering, automation, digital technologies and manufacturing capabilities to meet growing demand from India’s industrial and infrastructure sectors.
Kirby India has operated in the country for more than 26 years and is supported by over 25 sales offices and more than 150 certified builders. The company has completed more than 45,000 buildings in India, representing a total built-up area of approximately 50 million sq m. The Tamil Nadu expansion also supports Kirby’s broader transition from a PEB manufacturer to an engineering and structural steel solutions provider.
UltraTech Cement Limited, an Aditya Birla Group company, plans to expand its electric vehicle fleet in logistics operations to more than 600 EV trucks by December 2026, strengthening its green transport initiatives.
The company has signed service agreements with leading EV prime mover manufacturers, including Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, IPLTech, Energy in Motion and Sany, along with their subsidiaries and logistics partners, for deploying electric trucks.
The expanded fleet will transport around five million MT of clinker and other key materials annually across Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Odisha. Once operational, the fleet is expected to reduce annual CO₂ emissions by over 1,17,000 tonnes and replace nearly 39 million litres of diesel consumption.
K C Jhanwar, Managing Director, UltraTech Cement Limited, said the company is extending sustainability beyond its manufacturing plants by adopting greener logistics solutions and decarbonising its value chain.
UltraTech has been among the early adopters of sustainable transport in the cement sector, introducing CNG trucks in 2021 and electric trucks in 2024. The company currently operates more than 850 trucks under its green logistics programme, including CNG and electric vehicles.
With a grey cement capacity exceeding 200 MTPA in India, UltraTech is integrating electrification across its logistics network, covering mine-to-plant movement and inter-plant transportation of clinker and other materials.
The e-truck fleet will be used to transport five million MT of clinker and other key materials with potential of over 1,17,000 tonnes of net annual CO₂ reduction, displacing the equivalent of 39 million litres of diesel per year.
Mumbai
UltraTech Cement Limited, an Aditya Birla Group company and the world’s largest cement company by sales volume and capacity outside China, has announced that it will scale up its electric vehicle fleet in its logistics operations to 600+ EV trucks by December 2026.
UltraTech has signed service contracts with leading EV prime mover manufacturers including Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, IPLTech, Energy in Motion and Sany, along with their subsidiaries and other third-party logistics providers, to deploy EV trucks.
The total fleet of 600+ EV trucks will transport about five million MT of clinker and other key materials per annum across Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Odisha. Once fully operational, this fleet of over 600 EV trucks will enable a net annual CO₂ reduction of more than 1,17,000 tonnes, displacing the equivalent of 39 million litres of diesel per year.
K C Jhanwar, Managing Director, UltraTech Cement Limited, said, “UltraTech is expanding sustainability beyond its plants by adopting greener logistics solutions. This large-scale transition to green logistics underscores our focus on decarbonising every link of our value chain and supports our commitment to achieving Net Zero.”
UltraTech has been a pioneer in advancing sustainable transport in the cement sector, being the first cement company to deploy heavy-duty electric trucks for long-haul transport of clinker and other materials at scale. The company was among the first in India to introduce green logistics, deploying CNG trucks in 2021 and electric trucks in 2024. UltraTech currently operates 850+ trucks as part of its green logistics operations, including CNG and electric trucks.
UltraTech, with a grey cement capacity of over 200 MTPA in India, operates one of the country’s most complex logistics networks. Its electrification strategy covers the entire supply chain—from mine-to-plant movement to inter-plant transport of clinker and other key materials.
The $ 10 billion UltraTech, the cement flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, has a total Grey Cement capacity of 205.5 MTPA and White Cement/Putty capacity of 3.2 MTPA. It is a signatory to the GCCA Climate Ambition 2050 and has committed to the Net Zero Concrete roadmap announced by GCCA.