Concrete

Brand differentiation happens at every touch point

Published

3 years ago

July 17, 2023

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R Parthasarathy, Chief Marketing Officer, India Cements, talks about the importance of a comprehensive marketing and branding strategy to create awareness about cement and its USPs.

How important do you think branding is for a cement manufacturer in today’s competitive market?
Branding for any product category is important and more demand is getting generated day by day. Earlier, if you see the way, the behaviour of how a person buys a house would determine the demand. Around 30, 40 or 50 years back, one would just go and buy one product, without giving any importance to the kind of a steel, cement, etc. People would buy whatever was available closer to their homes and was the most cost effective.
Over a period of time, people started getting aware because their liquidity started increasing, they started earning more and got more exposure by travelling abroad and even within the country. This led them to come across and experience different kinds of products and thus, the need and curiosity to use them also got generated.
This is when the marketers chanced upon the opportunity of making their products into brands and creating a distinct branding, which would make their product stand apart from the others. The idea is to get their product or brand as a preference amongst the consumers and bring it to their top of the mind recall.
As far as cement is concerned, the product is in the commodity segment unlike tiles or sanitary ware, where people see a brand and say that they need a Kohler or an American Standard product. That kind of a preference is still not happening in cement. However, the requirement of branding and product differentiation has started picking up. Consumers are looking for a product connected to a brand. Their thought being that the house they construct should be strong and that strength is provided by a certain brand.

What specific strategies or initiatives do you undertake to differentiate your cement brand from competitors in terms of branding?
Brand differentiation happens at every touch point.
Firstly, it’s about the communication done by the brand to their customers. Secondly, it is about the communication and if the brand is holding up to their communication. Next is the grooming of the representatives of the brand, their dressing, the shop experience, the exchange of information and the overall consumer experience at every touch point. It could be a builder, a mason or a sub dealer, they all collectively make up the brand.
We do not say this while we sit in a room at the headquarters. We make an effort to make our product excellent by differentiating our brand from competitors at every level. From the team grooming, to signboards to the colours used for communicating information about the brand i.e., a combination of blue and yellow, we do not allow anyone to dilute wherever, whoever it may be across India. The idea is that the moment consumers see this combination, they realise it is India Cements. This also translates to the style of writing, the font and every branding aspect that helps us differentiate our brand from the competition. This being from the visual and experiential point of view.
We also differentiate ourselves from the competition from the product stand point in terms of quality and features offered. We try to provide features of the product that are a notch higher. To maintain the same, we regularly get samples from the market and see where we stand and where our competition stands. Our aim is to get customers to choose our brand.

How do you ensure consistency in branding across different product lines and markets?
We have a central marketing team and state marketing teams. But all approvals happen from the central team at the headquarters. We have a marketing and branding book that must be followed by all stakeholders across regions. For example, it would not be the case that Tamil Nadu has a different branding than Karnataka.
From the font, colour, statements we make and even the locations where branding is done, we are very particular about the same. The banners at particular spots are also decided and thought of by the central marketing team. We ensure that the brand image and positioning is not diluted and there is control from the headquarters. We have a designated person overseeing the marketing operations pan India.

Have you conducted any market research or surveys to gauge the effectiveness of your cement brand? If so, what were the key findings and how did you respond to them?
We do market research from time to time, but not frequently. One time in our research we found out that we had been promoting our sub brand to a greater extent than the parent brand.
We have three sub brands at India Cements – Coramandel King Cement, Sankar Superpower (SSP) and Raasi Gold. We have been spending a lot of time, energy and money on these sub brands. This made us realise that there was disconnect in the consumer’s mind about these brands from the parent brand – India Cements.
For example, on the ground, if the consumers asked for Coramandel King, our sellers would ask them if they would like to buy India Cements, and their response would be ‘Yes’. This made us understand they were not aware of us being the parent organisation and that the communication was also directed more towards the sub brands than the main brand. To make amendments, we started bringing the mention of India Cements in all our collaterals and in all our marketing tools as well be it magazine ads, wall paintings or shop paintings. Thus, marketing research gave us this insight and we have taken correcting actions for the same.

What role does sustainability play in your cement branding? How do you communicate your sustainability efforts to customers?
In terms of sustainability for marketing, we try to push PPC as it has 40 per cent to 45 per cent fly ash, which is basically a waste product of thermal power plants or steel plants used in the making of cement. Thus, we emphasise more a push towards PPC than OPC.
We are also working with a team of PhD students and researchers at IIT Chennai in developing a very low carbon footprint cement. The work right now is at a nascent stage. We know that there is a high need to reduce the carbon footprint on the plant and we are developing this cement with a low carbon footprint with this goal in mind. A few years down the line, we will take up the project and manufacture that cement.

How do you leverage digital platforms and social media to enhance the visibility and reach of your cement brand?
I must admit that we must do a lot more on the digital front. We haven’t done much, but digital platforms are picking up and India Cements should also be present there. We have recently started a few things on YouTube, Instagram, etc., on our handle. We depend quite a lot on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) social media handles as we are their sponsors. Their followers are quite high and we leverage their platform to bring forward our brand. But yes, we do realise that we need a more concrete effort to consistently build our digital platforms.

What is the marketing budget that you usually keep aside per year?
We normally keep about Rs 50 crores as our marketing budget for a financial year. While this may not be a great number for a brand, that is where we stand right now. As our sales will pick up and stabilise, we plan on expanding our markets, and subsequently increasing our marketing budgets as well.

Can you share any examples of successful marketing campaigns that have significantly boosted your cement brand’s recognition and sales?
We have done a couple of marketing initiatives that have really helped us. We launched a cricket tournament India Cements Pro League (ICPL) inspired by the IPL and Tamil Nadu Premier League.
With ICPL, we targeted approximately 8000 to 9000 practicing civil engineers. Our goal was to connect with them and make them recommend our brand for construction activities. Usually, in smaller towns, it is the end consumer who makes the engineer make the final decision since they believe that the engineers have an in-depth knowledge of construction and all its related activities. So, we started this tournament spread across 45 days with civil engineers from various cities and districts playing in teams against each other and it turned out to be a super success. The result of this tournament was that approximately 1200 civil engineers started recommending our brand. We plan to continue doing so, and to organise more such tournaments. Based on available cash flow and budgets, we plan to extend this tournament to other states as well.
Our other initiative is with the Chennai Super Kings. IPL is like a 45-day festival in India and in that duration, we ran a consumer promo which said, buy 25 bags of cement and get a lucky draw coupon to get a chance to watch CSK matches at the Chepauk Stadium, Chennai. CSK played 7 matches in Chennai out of the 14 matches during the IPL. During every match we did a lucky draw and gave out about 120 tickets to our end consumers. So, this was another campaign that helped promote our brand and increase sales as well.

How do you handle any negative brand perception or reputation challenges that may arise?
We have 10 factories across India. Eight integrated plants and two grinding plants. One of the mantras we keep promoting is back-to-back consistency. We say one can pick a bag of cement of our brand from Rajasthan or Tamil Nadu, they will find the quality to be consistent and similar to one another. That is something we propagate in our communication as well. However, complaints do arise due to the negligence of or human errors of distributors or masons. We have a call centre where if someone has an issue with the quality of the products from our brands, they can register their complaint. Our technical team, spread across the country, resolves or addresses the problem within 24 hours.

How do you measure the success of your cement brand’s marketing efforts?
It is very difficult to measure every marketing activity. Many things done in a marketing campaign are based on perception and may not be quantified. For example, if we advertise on television, we still cannot guarantee how many people will accept India Cements. It is not quantifiable.
Whenever we do an event, we set certain parameters. For example, we get data on how many sub dealers already have our product. Post the event we analyse how many more sub dealers have our product and basis that we measure the success of the event. It also helps us understand if our scheme is working or not. If it is not working, we fine tune our scheme and relaunch it in the market at a later date.

-Kanika Mathur

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Concrete

Nuvoco commissions Surat grinding unit

Nuvoco posts 20 per cent rise in Q1 PAT

Published

12 hours ago

July 14, 2026

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Nuvoco Vistas Corp. has announced its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2026, reporting growth in volumes, earnings and profitability while advancing its expansion plans in western India.

The company inaugurated a 2-million-tonnes-per-annum (MTPA) grinding unit at its Limla Cement Plant in Surat on July 11, 2026, ahead of schedule. The facility, part of the Vadraj Cement assets, is expected to strengthen Nuvoco’s presence in western India while freeing up capacity at its Rajasthan plants to cater to demand in northern markets.

Progress at the Kutch project remains on track, with phased commissioning scheduled to begin in the third quarter of FY27. The company has also commenced work on a bulk cement terminal at Viramgam, Sachana, Gujarat, featuring a dedicated railway siding. The terminal is expected to become operational by the second quarter of FY28 and will support distribution across Gujarat. These projects form part of Nuvoco’s capacity expansion programme, which is expected to increase its total cement capacity to 35 MTPA by FY28.

During Q1 FY27, the company recorded cement sales volumes of 5.3 million tonnes, up 5 per cent year-on-year. Consolidated total income rose 9 per cent to Rs 31.29 billion, while EBITDA increased 7 per cent to Rs 5.72 billion, marking the company’s highest-ever first-quarter EBITDA. Profit after tax grew 20 per cent year-on-year to Rs 1.60 billion.

Commenting on the results, Jayakumar Krishnaswamy, Managing Director, Nuvoco Vistas Corp., said the company delivered improved business performance despite macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges. He attributed the results to disciplined execution, cost optimisation and operational efficiencies, while highlighting the early commissioning of the Surat grinding unit as a key milestone in the company’s expansion strategy.

He added that the company remains focused on prudent procurement, supply chain efficiency and cost discipline while monitoring geopolitical developments that could affect industry supply chains and input costs.

Concrete

Cement Sector Faces Sluggish Growth in First Half of FY27

April Price Hikes Unlikely To Offset Margin Decline

Published

2 days ago

July 13, 2026

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Nuvama Institutional Equities has warned that India’s cement industry is expected to record subdued volume growth in the first half of fiscal year 2026-27 before a recovery in the second half. The brokerage assessed that price increases implemented in April 2026 will be insufficient to offset an overall decline in sector profitability. It attributed the outlook to weak demand and fresh capacity additions scheduled during fiscal years 2026-27 and 2027-28 that are likely to keep prices under pressure.

The report noted that demand was sluggish in April and May 2026 owing to global uncertainty, labour shortages, heatwaves, constraints in raw materials and unseasonal rainfall. Producers raised prices across regions in April to mitigate rising petcoke costs and higher packaging expenses, but the increases proved short lived. Nuvama reported that standard petcoke prices rose to USD153/t, around USD41/t higher than in the third quarter of fiscal year 2025-26.

Price correction followed weaker demand, limiting the net increase to about Rs 10-12 per bag by the end of the quarter. Imported petcoke prices have since fallen to USD132/t from a recent peak of USD168/t, although they remained roughly USD20/t higher quarter on quarter. The brokerage expected the higher input cost impact to begin reflecting from late quarter one of FY27 and to continue into early quarter two.

Nuvama also estimated that crude linked increases were likely to raise packaging costs by about Rs 120-150/t and to exert upward pressure on freight. It warned that soft demand combined with significant new supply coming on stream in FY27-28 would keep pricing under strain and constrain near term margin recovery. The report concluded that volume growth was likely to be sluggish in the first half of FY27 before recovering in the second half.

Concrete

Nuvoco Vistas launches Limla cement plant, expands Gujarat footprint

Published

2 days ago

July 13, 2026

admin

Nuvoco Vistas opens a 2 MMTPA grinding unit at Limla, entering Gujarat and advancing its target of 35 MMTPA capacity by FY 2028.

Surat (Gujarat)

Nuvoco Vistas Corporation Ltd, a part of Nirma Group and one of India’s leading building materials company, has inaugurated the Limla Cement Plant in Surat (Gujarat), one of Vadraj Cement Limited’s (VCL) principal manufacturing facilities. The commissioning represents a key milestone in Nuvoco’s acquisition and restoration of VCL, while supporting the company’s expansion across the Western Indian cement market.

Vadraj Cement Limited is a subsidiary of Nuvoco Vistas Corporation Limited and has installed cement capacity of 6 MMTPA across its assets. The Limla inauguration therefore represents the first operational step in the acquired platform’s wider revival, while the Kutch facilities provide clinker supply, mineral security and coastal logistics support for the western business.

Nuvoco completed its acquisition of Vadraj Cement Limited, then under the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process, after paying a consideration of Rs 1,800 crore in June 2025. VCL’s asset portfolio comprises a clinker unit at Kutch and a grinding unit at Limla in Surat. It also includes high-quality captive limestone reserves and a captive jetty at Kutch, supporting more efficient logistics. Following the takeover, Nuvoco began an extensive programme of restoration, refurbishment and expansion at both locations, leading to the commissioning of the Limla plant.

The Limla Cement Plant is expected to support a phased increase in sales volumes across Gujarat. It will also help Nuvoco supply neighbouring markets in Western Maharashtra and release cement capacity from its northern plants, which can consequently be redirected towards markets in North India. The plant will manufacture a full portfolio comprising Ordinary Portland Cement, Portland Slag Cement, Portland Pozzolana Cement and Portland Composite Cement. It will additionally produce the complete Nuvoco Duraguard range, including the premium Nuvoco Duraguard Microfibre product. The acquisition is also expected to generate operational synergies with Nuvoco’s existing plants at Nimbol and Chittorgarh in Rajasthan, improving logistics optimisation and market reach across important regional markets.

The grinding unit at the Limla Cement Plant was completed ahead of schedule, with 2 MMTPA of capacity now inaugurated to expand Nuvoco’s operating scale and customer reach. After Vadraj Cement’s assets become fully operational, plants in North and West India are expected to account for nearly 40 per cent of Nuvoco’s total cement capacity. This will broaden the company’s manufacturing network, strengthen access to high-growth markets and support its plan to increase consolidated cement capacity to 35 MMTPA by FY 2028, reinforcing its longer-term growth strategy.

Commenting on the development, Jayakumar Krishnaswamy, Managing Director, Nuvoco Vistas Corp Ltd, said: “The inauguration of the Limla Grinding Unit in Surat is an important milestone in Nuvoco’s growth journey and demonstrates our commitment to disciplined, value-accretive expansion. Gujarat is strategically significant for Nuvoco, with substantial opportunities arising from infrastructure investment, industrial growth, rapid urbanisation and continuing demand from the housing and construction sectors. The facility strengthens our regional footprint, improves operational flexibility and increases our ability to serve customers across northern and western markets with greater reliability and efficiency.”

He added: “Through the Vadraj acquisition, we have refurbished and restarted a strategically important asset, returning it to operations in record time through strong execution and collaboration between teams. The achievement demonstrates our ability to create value from acquired assets, fulfil our commitments and retain the confidence of stakeholders. It also highlights the strength of our project delivery capabilities and our continued focus on building sustainable, profitable growth over the long term.”

Nuvoco Vistas Corporation Limited is a building materials company whose vision is to build a safer, smarter and more sustainable world. It is among the leading players in East India and has a significant presence across North and West India. Nuvoco began operations in 2014 with a greenfield cement plant at Nimbol, Rajasthan. It later acquired Lafarge India Limited, which had entered India in 1999, followed by Emami Cement Limited in 2020 and Vadraj Cement Limited in April 2025. The company has also announced an expansion in eastern India through a new grinding mill at the Arasmeta Cement Plant, supported by several debottlenecking programmes involving equipment upgrades, process improvements and internal capacity initiatives. These developments place Nuvoco on track to achieve total cement capacity of approximately 35 MMTPA. The company reported total income of Rs 11,362 crore in FY 2025-26, reflecting its continuing growth trajectory.

Nuvoco operates a diversified portfolio across three segments: Cement, Ready-Mix Concrete and Modern Building Materials. Its cement portfolio includes Concreto, Duraguard, Double Bull, PSC, Nirmax and Infracem, covering Ordinary Portland Cement, Portland Slag Cement, Portland Pozzolana Cement and Portland Composite Cement. Its pan-India RMX business provides value-added products under Concreto for performance concrete, Artiste for decorative concrete, InstaMix for ready-to-use bagged concrete, X-Con covering M20 to M60 grades, and Ecodure for specialised green concrete. Nuvoco has supplied materials to projects including the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train, Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, Aquatic Gallery at Science City in Ahmedabad, and metro railway projects in Delhi, Jaipur, Noida and Mumbai.