Concrete

Indian Cement Review Touts Decarbonisation Mantra & Awards Growth

Published

4 years ago

March 1, 2023

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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.

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Concrete

India’s Core Sector Growth Eases to 4.8 Per Cent in August

Cement, electricity and iron ore offset declines in other sectors

Published

1 day ago

September 26, 2026

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India’s output across eight core industries grew 4.8 per cent year-on-year in August 2026, easing from the revised 5.0 per cent growth recorded in July, according to provisional data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The Index of Core Industries (ICI), which tracks eight key infrastructure sectors, accounts for a significant share of the Index of Industrial Production.

Cement production led the expansion with growth of 12.5 per cent, followed by electricity at 11.6 per cent and iron ore at 5.5 per cent. Steel output increased 3.4 per cent, while refinery products rose 2.6 per cent during the month. The ministry identified cement, electricity and iron ore as the main contributors to overall core sector growth in recent months.

The gains were partly offset by contractions in several sectors. Coal output declined 3.8 per cent year-on-year, while natural gas and crude oil production fell 4.9 per cent and 3.6 per cent, respectively. Fertiliser production recorded the sharpest decline, falling 12.4 per cent in August.

Cumulative growth in the ICI during April-August 2026 stood at 4.3 per cent, compared with 2.4 per cent in the corresponding period a year earlier. Steel output increased 4.1 per cent during the period, while cement and electricity production grew 10.3 per cent and 9.6 per cent, respectively.

Coal, natural gas, crude oil, refinery products and fertilisers recorded negative cumulative growth during April-August. Their contractions stood at 3.2 per cent, 4.4 per cent, 4.1 per cent, 1.4 per cent and 6.7 per cent, respectively. The ministry also revised the final ICI for July to 120.8 from the earlier provisional estimate of 121.2, resulting in a downward revision in the month’s growth rate to 5.0 per cent from 5.4 per cent.

Concrete

Jammu Division Begins First Cement Rail Traffic to Anantnag

Cement Loading From Kathua for Anantnag to Begin on September 14

Published

6 days ago

September 21, 2026

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Jammu Railway Division has placed an indent for the first movement of cement by rail within the division, linking Shaheed Captain Sunil Kumar Choudhary Kathua Railway Station with Anantnag Railway Station. Loading for the consignment is scheduled to begin on September 14.

Concrete

Hard Worker Wins Three Honours at Kyoorius Design Awards

Ramco Cements’ brand secures Grand Prix and two Blue Elephant honours.

Published

6 days ago

September 21, 2026

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The Ramco Cements Limited’s construction chemicals brand, Hard Worker, has won three honours at the Kyoorius Design Awards 2026, including the Grand Prix – Grey Elephant in the Design in Action category.

The brand also secured two Blue Elephant honours, one for Design in Action and another for Packaging, recognising the design approach behind its brand identity and packaging.

Launched in 2025, Hard Worker entered the construction chemicals segment with the brand promise, “Hard-working products for hardworking people.” Its visual identity uses animals and birds to represent product benefits. The camel represents the water-retention capability of Hard Worker Eco Plaster, while the cheetah represents the speed and performance of Hard Worker Block Fix.

The visual language has been extended across packaging, retail, communication, literature, digital platforms and other brand touchpoints. Hard Worker uses bold colours, distinctive animal illustrations and simple visual storytelling to communicate product benefits across markets and audiences, including construction workers and applicators.

“For Hard Worker, design was never an afterthought. It was fundamental to how we wanted to build the brand. In a category that is largely functional, we wanted to create a brand that people could recognise, understand and remember instantly. The Kyoorius recognition is a wonderful validation of this design-led approach,” said Mr. AV Dharmakrishnan, CEO, The Ramco Cements Limited.

Mr. Balaji K. Moorthy, Executive Director – Marketing, Ramco Cements said “In a category where communication has traditionally been product-led and functional, we wanted Hard Worker to stand apart by making design an integral part of the brand experience. From the distinctive animal-led packaging to our communication across consumer and trade touchpoints, every element was designed to make the brand more memorable and the product benefits easier to understand.”

Within its first 12 months, Hard Worker crossed Rs 3.5 bn in sales. The latest recognition follows six honours secured by the brand’s campaign at the Kyoorius Creative Awards earlier in 2026, including the Grey Elephant Grand Prix for its Eco Plaster film.

The Kyoorius Design Awards recognise outstanding design work in India’s visual communications sector across multiple categories and platforms. The 2026 awards were announced on 12 September in Goa.

The Ramco Cements Limited is part of the Ramco Group and operates across cement and allied building-material solutions. Hard Worker is its construction chemicals brand, offering solutions across key construction applications.