Concrete

Smooth Operations

Published

3 years ago

April 10, 2023

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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.

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NDMC Rolls Out Intensive Sanitation Drive Across Lutyens Delhi

Municipal body intensifies cleaning and monitoring across the capital

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2 days ago

March 13, 2026

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The New Delhi Municipal Council has launched an intensive sanitation drive across Lutyens’ Delhi, aiming to raise cleanliness standards in the capital’s central precincts. The programme will combine enhanced manual sweeping with mechanised cleaning and systematic waste removal to cover parks, heritage precincts and prominent thoroughfares. Authorities described the initiative as a sustained effort to improve public hygiene and reduce environmental hazards while maintaining the area’s civic image.

Operational teams have been instructed to prioritise drain clearing and litter hotspots, with special attention to markets and transit nodes that attract heavy footfall. Coordination with city utilities and waste processing units will be stepped up to ensure timely collection and disposal, and supervisory rounds will monitor adherence to cleaning schedules. Officials also intend to use data-driven planning to deploy resources efficiently and to identify recurring problem areas.

The council plans to engage resident welfare associations and business stakeholders to foster community participation in maintaining cleanliness and to support behavioural change campaigns. Public communication will be amplified through notices and outreach to encourage responsible waste handling and to inform residents about collection timings and segregation norms. Enforcement measures for littering and unauthorised dumping will be reinforced as part of a broader strategy to deter violations and sustain cleanliness gains.

The move reflects a focus on urban sanitation that officials link to public health priorities and to the city administration’s commitment to maintaining civic amenities. Monitoring mechanisms will include regular reporting and inspections to review outcomes and to recalibrate operations where necessary, according to municipal sources. The council emphasised that continued community cooperation will be essential for the drive to deliver lasting improvements in the appearance and hygiene of the capital’s core areas.

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UltraTech Appoints Jayant Dua As MD-Designate For 2027

Executive named to succeed current managing director in 2027

Published

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UltraTech Cement has appointed Jayant Dua as managing director (MD) designate who will take charge in 2027, the company announced. The appointment signals a planned leadership transition at one of the country’s largest cement manufacturers. The board has set a clear timeline for the handover and has framed the move as part of a structured succession plan.

Jayant Dua will be referred to as MD after assuming the role and will be responsible for overseeing operations, strategy and growth initiatives across the company’s network. The company said the designation follows established governance norms and aims to ensure continuity in executive leadership. The appointment is expected to allow a phased transfer of responsibilities ahead of the formal changeover.

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Merlin Prime Spaces Acquires 13,185 Sq M Land Parcel In Pune

Rs 273 crore purchase broadens the developer’s Pune presence

Published

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Merlin Prime Spaces (MPS) has acquired a 13,185 sq m land parcel in Pune for Rs 273 crore, marking a notable expansion of its footprint in the city.

The transaction value converts to Rs 2,730 mn or Rs 2.73 bn.

The parcel is located in a strategic area of Pune and the firm described the acquisition as aligned with its growth objectives.

The deal follows recent activity in the region and will be watched by investors and developers.

MPS said the acquisition will support its planned development pipeline and enable delivery of commercial and residential space to meet local demand.

The company expects the site to provide flexibility in product design and phased development to respond to market conditions.

The move reflects an emphasis on land ownership in key suburban markets.

The emphasis on land acquisition reflects a strategy to secure inventory ahead of demand cycles.

The purchase follows a period of sustained investor interest in Pune real estate, driven by expanding office ecosystems and residential demand from professionals.

MPS will integrate the new holding into its existing portfolio and plans to engage with local authorities and stakeholders to progress approvals and infrastructure readiness.

No financial partners were disclosed in the announcement.

The firm indicated that timelines will depend on approvals and prevailing market conditions.

Analysts note that strategic land acquisitions at scale can help developers manage costs and timelines while preserving optionality for future projects.

MPS will now hold an enlarged land bank in the region as it pursues growth, and the acquisition underlines continued corporate appetite for measured expansion in second tier cities.

The company intends to move forward with detailed planning in the coming months.

Stakeholders will assess how the site is positioned relative to existing infrastructure and connectivity.