Concrete

Envisioning a Better Tomorrow

Published

2 years ago

April 10, 2023

admin

Vivek Agnihotri, CEO and Executive Director – Cement, Prism Johnson, speaks about the company’s innovations in cement and their vision for the future.

Prism Johnson, the ‘Made for Future’ philosophy largely encompasses all of its three divisions. They have recently launched new products – Prism Champion, which in comparison to all cement present in the market has a higher quality; Prism Champion Plus, which is a premium product that contributes about 40 per cent to the total sale; and Prism Duratech, which is a specialised product for high strength performance areas. Customers have accepted Prism Champion Plus as a premium product. There are territories where approximately 70 to 80 per cent of sales is from this premium product.
Wherever architects and engineers design long beamless walls or narrow sections, Prism Duratech comes in use as a specialised product. The company has also launched a water resistant cement, which had been in research and development for the last three years. They noticed that this segment was emerging, but still took their time to launch to make it better than the products available in the market. With multiple iterations, research and tests done, they believe this will be the best water resistant cement in the market.
Prism Johnson follows the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). This is a mandate in India. They also take samples from the market and construction sites and analyse what is commonly available in the market and then reconfigure their specifications to give more to the customers. Their premium is not just price, it also comes with surety of performance.
The brand is well accepted in the central part of India, and it has a high rate of capacity utilisation, which has been going good in the recent years.

The Eco-friendly Approach
Prism Johnson makes and sells blended cement with the permitted levels of fly ash in the cement composition. They do not have slag available in the central part of India as hardly any steel plants are located close by, otherwise they would have developed a blend using slag as well. Reducing the clinker factor and creating blends is their effort towards reducing their carbon footprint from the environment.
The company has reduced fuel consumption and power consumption as compared to previous years and that is an on-going process. They are an efficient plant and have installed a waste heat recovery system and perhaps it is one of India’s best in the cement industry. It is a 22.5 megawatt WHRS plant, which is of much higher capacity than other cement plants. They have also installed a 30 megawatt solar power plant and are using approximately 35 per cent renewable energy. They are looking forward to increasing this capacity and steps are being taken in this direction.
The three key benefits that their customers get from using their products foremost include quality. They are extremely focused on quality and give demonstrations in the market with site constructions. Secondly, it is their technical support services. Their services are one of the highest intensive support services in the market that provides support to the customer to train his masons, thus training hundreds of masons per month. They have approximately 65 thousand masons registered with them who at some point of time used their cement and have been trained by the company’s experts. Good quality cement requires good quality construction practices. They work a lot on good quality construction practices with the masons.
Thirdly, Prism Johnson works very closely with architects and engineers. They understand their requirements, designs and what they are working on. This is a huge plus for the end user as the product they get is what they truly need.
Prism Johnson is a rural based organisation. The kind of construction that is coming up in the rural parts of the country, using their cement, is almost similar to that of the metro cities due to the practices that the company follows. They support builders and help them to design buildings using their cement.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Vivek Agnihotri shoulders multiple responsibilities as the CEO and Executive Director (Cement) as well as Board Director with Prism Johnson Ltd.

Up Next

Weighing it Right

Don't Miss

Value-Adding to Sustainable Efforts

Concrete

Lower sales realization impacts margins for cement makers in Q2 FY25

The industry encountered several challenges, including an extended monsoon season.

Published

1 day ago

November 6, 2024

admin

Major cement manufacturers reported a decline in margins for the September quarter, primarily due to lower prices, which led to decreased sales realization.

With the exception of three leading cement producers—UltraTech Cement, Ambuja Cement, and Dalmia Bharat—smaller companies, including Nuvoco Vistas Corp, JK Cement, Birla Corporation, and Heidelberg Cement, experienced a drop in both topline and sales volume during the second quarter of the current fiscal year.

The industry encountered several challenges, including an extended monsoon season, flooding, and a slow recovery in government demand, all contributing to weak overall demand.

Despite these challenges, power, fuel, and other costs largely remained stable across the industry. The all-India average cement price was approximately Rs 348 per 50 kg bag in June 2024, which represented an 11 per cent year-on-year decrease to Rs 330 per bag in September, although it saw a month-on-month increase of 2 per cent.

In the first half of FY25, cement prices declined by 10 per cent year-on-year, settling at Rs 330 per bag. This decline was notable compared to the previous year’s average prices of Rs 365 per bag and Rs 375 per bag in FY23, as reported by Icra.

Leading cement manufacturer UltraTech reported a capacity utilization rate of 68 per cent, with a 3 per cent growth in volume. However, its sales realization for grey cement declined by 8.4 per cent year-on-year and 2.9 per cent quarter-on-quarter during the July-September period.

In response to a query regarding cement prices during the earnings call, UltraTech’s CFO Atul Daga indicated that there had been an improvement in prices from August to September and noted that prices remained steady from September to October. He mentioned that the prices had risen from Rs 347 in August to approximately Rs 354 currently.

Concrete

Steel companies face Rs 89,000 crore inventory crisis

Steel firms grapple with Rs 89,000 crore stockpile amid import surge.

Published

2 days ago

November 5, 2024

admin

Steel companies in India are facing a significant challenge as they contend with an inventory crisis valued at approximately Rs 89,000 crore. This situation has arisen due to a notable increase in steel imports, which has put pressure on domestic producers struggling to maintain sales in a competitive market.

The surge in imports has been fueled by various factors, including fluctuations in global steel prices and increased production capacities in exporting countries. As a result, domestic steel manufacturers have found it difficult to compete, leading to rising stock levels of unsold products. This inventory buildup has forced several companies to reassess their production strategies and pricing models.

The financial impact of this inventory crisis is profound, affecting cash flows and profitability for many steel firms. With domestic demand remaining volatile, the pressure to reduce prices has increased, further complicating the situation for manufacturers who are already grappling with elevated production costs.

Industry experts are urging policymakers to consider measures that can support local steel producers, such as imposing tariffs on imports or enhancing trade regulations. This would help to protect the domestic market and ensure that Indian steel companies can compete more effectively.

As the steel sector navigates these challenges, stakeholders are closely monitoring the situation, hoping for a turnaround that can stabilize the market and restore confidence among investors. The current dynamics emphasize the need for a robust strategy to bolster domestic production and mitigate the risks associated with excessive imports.

Concrete

JSW and POSCO collaborate for steel plant

JSW Group and POSCO ink MoU for steel project.

Published

2 days ago

November 5, 2024

admin

JSW Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with South Korea’s POSCO Group to develop an integrated steel plant in India. This collaboration aims to enhance India’s steel production capacity and contribute to the country’s growing manufacturing sector.

The agreement was formalized during a recent meeting between executives from both companies, highlighting their commitment to sustainable development and technological innovation in the steel industry. The planned facility will incorporate advanced manufacturing processes and adhere to environmentally friendly practices, aligning with global standards for sustainability.

JSW Group, a leader in the Indian steel industry, has expressed confidence that the joint venture with POSCO will bolster its position in the market and accelerate growth. The project is expected to attract significant investments, generating thousands of jobs in the region and contributing to local economies.

As India aims to boost its steel output to meet domestic demand and support infrastructure projects, this partnership signifies a crucial step toward achieving those goals. Both companies are committed to leveraging their expertise to develop a state-of-the-art facility that will produce high-quality steel products while minimizing environmental impact.

This initiative also reflects the increasing collaboration between Indian and international firms to enhance industrial capabilities and foster economic growth. The MoU sets the stage for a promising future in the Indian steel sector, emphasizing innovation and sustainability as key drivers of success.