Concrete

The Economics of Bulk Transportation

Published

2 years ago

April 7, 2023

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Anup Nair, Managing Director, Martin Engineering Company India, discusses the importance of advanced solutions for transporting bulk materials to minimise impact on the environment and maximise cost efficiency.

In terms of the problems that cement manufacturing organisations face while transporting bulk materials and the solutions provided by Martin Engineering India, the challenges lie in in
two areas:
In a manufacturing plant, the kilns get blocked when the bulk material is moving through. Martin Engineering Air Cannons accompanied by Smart Nozzles ensure smooth flow and consume much less air compared to other methods thereby reducing energy consumption and carbon footprint.
In the mines, the conveyors face various problems like the spillage and carryback etc. Martin Engineering is a global leader in conveyor products such as belt cleaners and other solutions including innovative remote monitoring systems.

Safer Work Environment
Their products ensure that the workers in the plant and mines need not go frequently to the high risk equipment, such as conveyors, as they are maintained trouble free by reducing spillage, carryback, conveyor swaying etc. This risk is further reduced by the remote monitoring systems. The Martin Smart Series Nozzles come with a thermo safety shield that ensures the safety of the workers while replacing the nozzles with the plant still in operation.
Their equipment enhances productivity by reducing the downtime and increasing the intervals of shutdown. This is possible with the products of innovative design. The profitability is increased by high improvement in efficiency thereby reducing manpower required for cleaning, monitoring etc., and by reducing the energy consumption and carbon footprint as mentioned earlier.
The products also keep the plant machinery clean and efficient. This ensures lesser wear and tear of the plant machinery. For example, belt cleaners ensure there is no carry back in the conveyors that eventually lead to conveyor wear and tear.

Innovating for the Future
Martin Engineering’s tagline is ‹problem solved guaranteed,› therefore they ensure that the pain points faced by the customers are resolved using their products.
In India, manpower used to be available at lower cost. This situation helped the customers use manual methods. This led to a delay in employing modern methods such as the ones offered by Martin Engineering in India compared to other developed countries where the manpower availability was always a challenge.
Today, the company has introduced a remote monitoring system named N2. This helps the customers monitor the health condition of the equipment on their mobile phones. Also, the smart series nozzles that they manufacture ensures an innovative method of keeping the inner areas of the refractories clean. The company wishes to further these advanced methods to more of their customers this year.
As the Indian market matures, Martin Engineering will introduce more and more innovative products from their stable that ensures increase in safety and efficiency, which would lead to substantial reduction in energy consumption and carbon footprint. This would help their customers gain a competitive edge.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Anup Nair, MD, Martin Engineering Company Pvt Ltd, comes with 30 years of experience in the capital/construction equipment industry as a management professional.

Related Topics:Anup Nair cement manufacturing organisations Economics of Bulk Transportation Martin Engineering Company India

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Jefferies’ Optimism Fuels Cement Stock Rally

The industry is aiming price hikes of Rs 10-15 per bag in December.

Published

3 weeks ago

December 4, 2024

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Cement stocks surged over 5% on Monday, driven by Jefferies’ positive outlook on demand recovery, supported by increased government capital expenditure and favourable price trends.

JK Cement led the rally with a 5.3% jump, while UltraTech Cement rose 3.82%, making it the top performer on the Nifty 50. Dalmia Bharat and Grasim Industries gained over 3% each, with Shree Cement and Ambuja Cement adding 2.77% and 1.32%, respectively.

“Cement stocks have been consolidating without significant upward movement for over a year,” noted Vikas Jain, head of research at Reliance Securities. “The Jefferies report with positive price feedback prompted a revaluation of these stocks today.”

According to Jefferies, cement prices were stable in November, with earlier declines bottoming out. The industry is now targeting price hikes of Rs 10-15 per bag in December.

The brokerage highlighted moderate demand growth in October and November, with recovery expected to strengthen in the fourth quarter, supported by a revival in government infrastructure spending.
Analysts are optimistic about a stronger recovery in the latter half of FY25, driven by anticipated increases in government investments in infrastructure projects.
(ET)

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Steel Ministry Proposes 25% Safeguard Duty on Steel Imports

The duty aims to counter the impact of rising low-cost steel imports.

Published

3 weeks ago

December 4, 2024

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The Ministry of Steel has proposed a 25% safeguard duty on certain steel imports to address concerns raised by domestic producers. The proposal emerged during a meeting between Union Steel Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi, attended by senior officials and executives from leading steel companies like SAIL, Tata Steel, JSW Steel, and AMNS India.

Following the meeting, Goyal highlighted on X the importance of steel and metallurgical coke industries in India’s development, emphasising discussions on boosting production, improving quality, and enhancing global competitiveness. Kumaraswamy echoed the sentiment, pledging collaboration between ministries to create a business-friendly environment for domestic steelmakers.

The safeguard duty proposal aims to counter the impact of rising low-cost steel imports, particularly from free trade agreement (FTA) nations. Steel Secretary Sandeep Poundrik noted that 62% of steel imports currently enter at zero duty under FTAs, with imports rising to 5.51 million tonnes (MT) during April-September 2024-25, compared to 3.66 MT in the same period last year. Imports from China surged significantly, reaching 1.85 MT, up from 1.02 MT a year ago.

Industry experts, including think tank GTRI, have raised concerns about FTAs, highlighting cases where foreign producers partner with Indian firms to re-import steel at concessional rates. GTRI founder Ajay Srivastava also pointed to challenges like port delays and regulatory hurdles, which strain over 10,000 steel user units in India.

The government’s proposal reflects its commitment to supporting the domestic steel industry while addressing trade imbalances and promoting a self-reliant manufacturing sector.

(ET)

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Move boosts domestic aluminium industry, curbs low-cost imports

Published

3 weeks ago

December 4, 2024

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The Indian government has introduced anti-dumping duties on anodized aluminium frames for solar panels and modules imported from China, a move hailed by the Aluminium Association of India (AAI) as a significant step toward fostering a self-reliant aluminium sector.

The duties, effective for five years, aim to counter the influx of low-cost imports that have hindered domestic manufacturing. According to the Ministry of Finance, Chinese dumping has limited India’s ability to develop local production capabilities.

Ahead of Budget 2025, the aluminium industry has urged the government to introduce stronger trade protections. Key demands include raising import duties on primary and downstream aluminium products from 7.5% to 10% and imposing a uniform 7.5% duty on aluminium scrap to curb the influx of low-quality imports.

India’s heavy reliance on aluminium imports, which now account for 54% of the country’s demand, has resulted in an annual foreign exchange outflow of Rupees 562.91 billion. Scrap imports, doubling over the last decade, have surged to 1,825 KT in FY25, primarily sourced from China, the Middle East, the US, and the UK.

The AAI noted that while advanced economies like the US and China impose strict tariffs and restrictions to protect their aluminium industries, India has become the largest importer of aluminium scrap globally. This trend undermines local producers, who are urging robust measures to enhance the domestic aluminium ecosystem.

With India’s aluminium demand projected to reach 10 million tonnes by 2030, industry leaders emphasize the need for stronger policies to support local production and drive investments in capacity expansion. The anti-dumping duties on solar panel components, they say, are a vital first step in building a sustainable and competitive aluminium sector.