Connect with us

Concrete

Smooth Operations

Published

on

Shares

Venkatesh Seshadri, Head – Cement Business, Fuchs Lubricants India talks about the role of your lubricants in the maintenance of cement making machinery and equipment.

Fuchs Lubricants India is a subsidiary of Fuchs Petroleum, Germany. They entered into a joint venture in 1994 and took full operational ownership in 1999. They have a manufacturing facility in Ambernath, near Mumbai, where the production capacity is 23,000 tonnes of material per annum. The specialty division of Fuchs Lubricants India takes care of the cement business. They are a small team scattered across nationally and are capable of supplying an entire range of lubricants to a cement plant – starting from crusher to packing plant and from the quarry to lorry.
Technical services are the backbone of this business. The measure maintenance prone requirement comes for open gears or the girth gear lubrication systems. Their service team is bigger than the sales team with their service engineers located across clusters in India and they keep giving services on a free of cost basis to the customers. The technical service team is experienced and equipped to do all kinds of maintenance activities related to girth gears like monitoring, repair work, alignment, grinding etc.
Fuchs Lubricants India also supplies gear oils, hydraulic oils and various kinds of synthetic oils to the cement plants. They do sampling, analysis and reporting for their machinery and equipment and give them recommendations for the oils required. They also tell their customers when the oil should be changed and how their equipment is performing.
They have total cost ownership, and are not forgetful of their customers after supplying the lubricants and oils. The company takes ownership and helps reduce their inventory and achieve optimisation in lubrication consumption. This creates a win-win situation for the customer as well as
the organistaion.

Expertise of Care
With regards to the machinery or equipment in a cement plant that is most exposed to wear and requires maximum lubrication and attention, it is the kiln and ball mill open gear. They require expertise in care to maintain them as they are difficult to handle. The value addition that Fuchs provides here is the service team availability. They are trained in Germany and are also sent to other countries to extend their expertise in training.
CEPLATTYN grade of lubricants are used for the kiln. This product was developed in 1965 and has been bettered over time. Fuchs is still recognised through this grade of lubricant and proudly so.
Largely the selection of lubricant for any machinery at a plant depends on its condition and climatic conditions, which play a very important role in the selection of the type and quality of lubricant. They also provide additional services that suit the climatic conditions, that help maintain the lubrication in machinery and also educate them on the storage of lubrication according to the conditions of the location of the plant. They also give them training to use their lubricants to their full potential.

Sustainable Efforts
Most of the lubricants that Fuchs provide are aimed to ensure maximum utilisation of the
life of the equipment and machinery. For example, if a gear oil must perform for 20,000 hours, their product extends this time duration, outperforming the promised lifetime. So, when sustainability comes into play, the idea is to have an extended life for the oil, which reduces the change intervals on a machine, thus reducing heating and power consumption of the machinery. This leads to sustainability in the cement plant through the contribution of their lubricants. They use some niche additives imported from Germany, which help enhance the lubricant performance and increase machinery and equipment life.
The cement industry is evolving and Fuchs is adapting to the changes in the industry. They are not sticking to the primitive methods of supplying the products and then selling old products. They are resilient and are adapting to the needs of their customers by developing new products every couple of years to match the speed of their upgrade. They are not restricting themselves only as lubricant suppliers, they also extend their services as a business partner to the customers where they can get value addition from their partnership. They also try to provide cost benefits of operating the plants. This is how Fuchs is collaborating and wishes to collaborate with the Indian cement industry in the future as well.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Venkatesh Seshadri looks after sales at Fuchs Lubricants Ltd in the capacity of its Sales Manager.

Concrete

India Sets Up First Carbon Capture Testbeds for Cement Industry

Five CCU testbeds launched to decarbonise cement production

Published

on

By

Shares



The Department of Science and Technology (DST) recently unveiled a pioneering national initiative: five Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) testbeds in the cement sector, forming a first-of-its-kind research and innovation cluster to combat industrial carbon emissions.
This is a significant step towards India’s Climate Action for fostering National Determined Contributions (NDCs) targets and to achieve net zero decarbonisation pathways for Industry Transition., towards the Government’s goal to achieve a carbon-neutral economy by 2070.
Carbon Capture Utilisation (CCU) holds significant importance in hard-to-abate sectors like Cement, Steel, Power, Oil &Natural Gas, Chemicals & Fertilizers in reducing emissions by capturing carbon dioxide from industrial processes and converting it to value add products such as synthetic fuels, Urea, Soda, Ash, chemicals, food grade CO2 or concrete aggregates. CCU provides a feasible pathway for these tough to decarbonise industries to lower their carbon footprint and move towards achieving Net Zero Goals while continuing their operations efficiently. DST has taken major strides in fostering R&D in the CCUS domain.
Concrete is vital for India’s economy and the Cement industry being one of the main hard-to-abate sectors, is committed to align with the national decarbonisation commitments. New technologies to decarbonise emission intensity of the cement sector would play a key role in achieving of national net zero targets.
Recognizing the critical need for decarbonising the Cement sector, the Energy and Sustainable Technology (CEST) Division of Department launched a unique call for mobilising Academia-Industry Consortia proposals for deployment of Carbon Capture Utilisation (CCU) in Cement Sector. This Special call envisaged to develop and deploy innovative CCU Test bed in Cement Sector with thrust on Developing CO2 capture + CO2 Utilisation integrated unit in an Industrial set up through an innovative Public Private Partnership (PPP) funding model.
As a unique initiative and one of its first kind in India, DST has approved setting up of five CCU testbeds for translational R&D, to be set up in Academia-Industry collaboration under this significant initiative of DST in PPP mode, engaging with premier research laboratories as knowledge partners and top Cement companies as the industry partner.
On the occasion of National Technology Day celebrations, on May 11, 2025 the 5 CCU Cement Test beds were announced and grants had been handed over to the Test bed teams by the Chief Guest, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology; Earth Sciences and Minister of State for PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh in the presence of Secretary DST Prof. Abhay Karandikar.
The five testbeds are not just academic experiments — they are collaborative industrial pilot projects bringing together India’s top research institutions and leading cement manufacturers under a unique Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. Each testbed addresses a different facet of CCU, from cutting-edge catalysis to vacuum-based gas separation.
The outcomes of this innovative initiative will not only showcase the pathways of decarbonisation towards Net zero goals through CCU route in cement sector, but should also be a critical confidence building measure for potential stakeholders to uptake the deployed CCU technology for further scale up and commercialisation.
It is envisioned that through continuous research and innovation under these test beds in developing innovative catalysts, materials, electrolyser technology, reactors, and electronics, the cost of Green Cement via the deployed CCU technology in Cement Sector may considerably be made more sustainable.
Secretary DBT Dr Rajesh Gokhale, Dr Ajai Choudhary, Co-Founder HCL, Dr. Rajesh Pathak, Secretary, TDB, Dr Anita Gupta Head CEST, DST and Dr Neelima Alam, Associate Head, DST were also present at the programme organized at Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.

Continue Reading

Concrete

JK Lakshmi Adopts EVs to Cut Emissions in Logistics

Electric vehicles deployed between JK Puram and Kalol units

Published

on

By

Shares



JK Lakshmi Cement, a key player in the Indian cement industry, has announced the deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) in its logistics operations. This move, made in partnership with SwitchLabs Automobiles, will see EVs transporting goods between the JK Puram Plant in Sirohi, Rajasthan, and the Kalol Grinding Unit in Gujarat.
The announcement follows a successful pilot project that showcased measurable reductions in carbon emissions while maintaining efficiency. Building on this, the company is scaling up EV integration to enhance sustainability across its supply chain.
“Sustainability is integral to our vision at JK Lakshmi Cement. Our collaboration with SwitchLabs Automobiles reflects our continued focus on driving innovation in our logistics operations while taking responsibility for our environmental footprint. This initiative positions us as a leader in transforming the cement sector’s logistics landscape,” said Arun Shukla, President & Director, JK Lakshmi Cement.
This deployment marks a significant step in aligning with India’s push for greener transport infrastructure. By embracing clean mobility, JK Lakshmi Cement is setting an example for the industry, demonstrating that environmental responsibility can go hand in hand with operational efficiency.
The company continues to embed sustainability into its operations as part of a broader goal to reduce its carbon footprint. This initiative adds to its vision of building a more sustainable and eco-friendly future.
JK Lakshmi Cement, part of the 135-year-old JK Organisation, began operations in 1982 and has grown to become a recognised name in Indian cement. With a presence across Northern, Western, and Eastern India, the company has a cement capacity of 16.5 MTPA, with a target to reach 30 MT by 2030. Its product range includes ready-mix concrete, gypsum plaster, wall putty, and autoclaved aerated fly ash blocks.

Continue Reading

Concrete

Holcim UK drives sustainable construction

Published

on

By

Shares



Holcim UK has released a report titled ‘Making Sustainable Construction a Reality,’ outlining its five-fold commitment to a greener future. The company aims to focus on decarbonisation, circular economy principles, smarter building methods, community engagement, and integrating nature. Based on a survey of 2,000 people, only 41 per cent felt urban spaces in the UK are sustainably built. A significant majority (82 per cent) advocated for more green spaces, 69 per cent called for government leadership in sustainability, and 54 per cent saw businesses as key players. Additionally, 80 per cent of respondents stressed the need for greater transparency from companies regarding their environmental practices.

Image source:holcim

Continue Reading

Trending News