Concrete

How Technology Helps Building Materials

Published

3 years ago

May 10, 2023

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Vishal Kanodia, Managing Director, Kanodia Cement, explains the role technology plays in making the building material segment more sustainable.

In today’s world, sustainability has become a key concern for businesses across all sectors. The building material segment is no exception. With the rapid pace of urbanisation and the increasing demand for housing, commercial complex and infrastructure segments, it is high time for the construction industry to look for alternative, sustainable building materials that can meet the growing demand for construction without degrading the environment.
The good news is that technology has the potential to play a significant role in making the building material segment more sustainable. Let’s explore how different technological elements can help us achieve this goal.

Traditional Technology Elements
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Transportation Management Systems (TMS) and Enterprise Reporting have been around for a while and are widely used in the building material industry. These technologies help in streamlining operations, improving customer engagement, better feedback from the last mile customers and providing real-time visibility into business processes, which ultimately augment customer satisfaction.
Industry 3.0, which refers to the third wave of the industrial revolution that started in the 1960s, brought about the automation of production processes. It enabled the industry to produce goods at scale, reducing production costs and increasing efficiency. While Industry 3.0 technologies are still prevalent, it is time for the building material segment to embrace newer technologies that can help them become more cost effective and sustainable.

Green Building and Sustainability
The use of alternative sustainable building materials is one way to make the industry more sustainable. Technologies such as modular building design and precast construction can help in the faster construction of buildings while reducing the wastage of materials. The use of renewable energy, such as solar panels, can reduce the dependence on non-renewable sources of energy.
Carbon credits, wastewater treatment and reuse of water and material reuse are some other sustainability initiatives that can be taken up by the building material industry.

Digital Disruption
Digital commerce, big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are some of the newer technologies that can disrupt the building material industry. They can help in the optimisation of production processes, reduce energy and water consumption and enable the industry to produce goods at scale with minimal human intervention.
Industry 4.0, which is the fourth wave of the industrial revolution, refers to the integration of technologies such as AI, machine learning and the Internet of Things (IoT) to create smart factories. These factories can operate with minimal human intervention and can optimise production processes based on real-time data.

Smart Supply Chain
A smart supply chain can enable the building material industry to optimise logistics and reduce the wastage of materials. Technologies such as autonomous mobile robots (AMR), indoor drones, and visual AI can help in the automation of material handling and warehouse operations. IoT-based asset tracking can provide real-time visibility into the location of materials, enabling better inventory management.
Smart last-mile logistics can enable the industry to enhance the transportation of goods to their final destination. Technologies such as vehicle telemetry, geo-fencing, and drones can help in the optimisation of last-mile delivery.

What Lies Ahead
The building material industry is at a crossroads. The industry needs to embrace newer, sustainable technologies that can enable it to produce goods at scale without degrading the environment.
With the help of technologies such as AI,machine learning, and the IoT, the industry can optimise production processes, reduce energy and water consumption and automated material handling and warehouse operations. The role of technology in the sustainability of building materials is significant and has played a crucial role in reducing the environmental impact of the building materials segment.
However, it is not just about using technology to scale up the supply chain and manufacturing processes. The use of technology in the sustainability of building materials also involves the use of green building materials and renewable energy sources.
Alternative sustainable building materials such as bamboo, straw bale and recycled plastic are becoming more popular due to their low environmental impact and their ability to reduce energy consumption. Moreover, the use of renewable energy sources such as solar power, wind power, and geothermal energy has become more common, as it helps reduce the reliance on non-renewable energy sources. The use of green building materials, renewable energy sources, carbon credits and digital disruption has helped companies reduce waste, optimise resource usage and lower their carbon footprint, leading to a more sustainable future. As technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more innovative solutions that will help the building materials segment become even more sustainable.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishal Kanodia is the Managing Director of Kanodia Cement. He has a rich experience in the cement manufacturing industry and a leadership flair.

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Lokesh Lays Stone For Rs 31 Billion Cement Unit In Kadapa

Line-2 expansion to make Kadapa a major cement hub

Published

1 day ago

July 20, 2026

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Andhra Pradesh Education and IT Minister Nara Lokesh on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for the Line-2 expansion of Dalmia Bharat Cement at Chinnakomerla village in Mylavaram Mandal in Kadapa district. The project carries an investment of Rs 31 billion (bn) and is slated for completion by the third quarter of the financial year 2028. The expansion is intended to boost industrial growth and employment generation across the Rayalaseema region.

Once commissioned, the Kadapa facility will become Dalmia Bharat’s largest integrated cement manufacturing ecosystem in southern India, creating over 1,000 direct and indirect jobs and opening new business avenues for regional micro, small and medium enterprises and transport operators. Lokesh said the expansion signalled growing corporate confidence in the state and reflected the practical ease of doing business that secured repeat investment.

He placed the project within the government’s wider economic targets and recalled the Yuvagalam padayatra commitment to generate two million (mn) jobs within five years, noting that the state would cultivate talent while industry created opportunities. Lokesh highlighted Andhra Pradesh’s competitive pursuit of major manufacturing accounts, mentioning past successes and a personal initiative to engage global investors when persuading them to anchor expansion in the state.

The plant will leverage Kadapa’s abundant limestone reserves to scale production and sustainability. Clinker capacity is planned to rise from two point five million tonnes per annum (mn tpa) to six point one mn tpa, while overall cement output will increase from three point six mn tpa to nine point six mn tpa. The unit is designed to operate on over eighty per cent renewable energy and deploy waste heat recovery, zero liquid discharge, water recycling and advanced AI systems to optimise efficiency. Industries Minister TG Bharat, BC Welfare Minister S. Savitha and Jammalamadugu MLA C. Adinarayana Reddy attended the ceremony.

Concrete

Cement Prices to Stay Flat in Q2 FY27 as Costs Squeeze Margins

HDFC Securities warns monsoon slowdown and higher fuel costs

Published

4 days ago

July 17, 2026

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HDFC Securities has said the cement industry is unlikely to register a sequential increase in prices in Q2 FY27 as monsoon-related demand moderation coincides with rising fuel and packaging costs that will squeeze margins. The brokerage observed that price gains remained modest, with increases of two to three per cent quarter-on-quarter across regions, and noted subdued offtake in May with improvement in June as a delayed monsoon supported construction activity. The brokerage added that modest pricing gains so far have been insufficient to offset the input cost escalation.

The report stated that input cost pressures intensified in Q1 FY27 owing to the West Asia conflict, which pushed up coal and pet coke prices and is expected to keep fuel costs elevated, with a likely peak in Q2 FY27. It assessed that total variable costs, including packing, could rise by around Rs 150 per t quarter-on-quarter and that lower offtake and seasonal operating deleverage could further raise operating expenditure by about Rs 50 per t quarter-on-quarter.

Overall, cement prices were estimated to remain flat in Q2 FY27 as monsoon-led demand weakness offsets limited upside in realisation, and rising fuel costs alongside seasonal deleverage were expected to compress industry margins by over Rs 100 per t quarter-on-quarter to below Rs 880 per t. The brokerage indicated that the combined impact of energy inflation and higher packing expenditure would be the principal drivers of margin contraction in the near term. HDFC Securities projected a recovery in margins in H2 FY27 should the West Asia turmoil subside and energy and packing costs cool off.

The brokerage expressed optimism on long-term demand fundamentals and said improving realisation together with an anticipated cost cool-off should support a margin rebound from H2 FY27 onward, underpinning favourable industry prospects over the medium term. Its outlook rests on monsoon normalisation and a decline in imported fuel prices in the second half of the fiscal year.

Concrete

Dalmia Bharat Begins Rs 31 Bn Green Cement Unit in Kadapa

New Andhra Pradesh plant to add 9.6 MTPA cement capacity by FY28

Published

5 days ago

July 16, 2026

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Dalmia Bharat Limited recently laid the foundation stone for its second manufacturing unit at Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh. The company will invest Rs 31 billion in developing the next-generation integrated cement manufacturing facility.

The foundation-laying ceremony was attended by Nara Lokesh, Andhra Pradesh Minister for Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, Real-Time Governance and Human Resources Development, along with Puneet Dalmia, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dalmia Bharat, senior government officials and company representatives.

Scheduled to be commissioned by the third quarter of FY28, the Kadapa unit will become Dalmia Bharat’s largest integrated manufacturing facility in southern India. It will have a clinker production capacity of 6.1 million tonnes per annum and a cement manufacturing capacity of 9.6 million tonnes per annum.

The facility is designed to produce what the company describes as one of the world’s greenest cements. It is also expected to generate approximately 1,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities while supporting local MSMEs, transporters, contractors and service providers.

Lokesh said the investment reflected Dalmia Bharat’s confidence in Andhra Pradesh and aligned with the state’s objective of promoting sustainable industrialisation, job creation and technology-led economic growth.

Puneet Dalmia said the project represented the company’s long-term vision of developing low-carbon cement manufacturing assets. He added that the facility would establish new benchmarks in operational efficiency and sustainability while supporting India’s infrastructure and environmental goals.

Dalmia Bharat will also expand its regional community development programmes in education, healthcare, skill development and welfare through its DIKSHa and Gram Parivartan initiatives.

The company currently has an installed cement manufacturing capacity of 54.7 million tonnes across 19 manufacturing units in 12 states. It is also the first cement company globally to commit to the RE100, EP100 and EV100 initiatives.