Concrete

We have designed and developed energy efficient products

Published

3 years ago

July 17, 2023

admin

Amit Deokule, Director of Sales and Marketing, Nord, shares insights on the importance of drives and motors in the cement industry and the benefits they offer for plant maintenance and productivity.

Tell us about the role of drives in cement plant machinery.
Cement manufacturing is a continuous process. Considering the market demand the plant must be in operation 24×7. These plants are located in remote areas, hence, getting spares in breakdown conditions is one more challenge for the cement industry. So, in this situation drives play a pivotal role. With use of reliable drives like Nord, which are designed for heavy duty application the uptime of cement plant machinery is high and ultimately the plant’s overall efficiency increases.
Secondly, as Nord offers products with our patented design of ‘Unicase,’ the cost of spares, oil refilling cost and downtime of machines decreases drastically. Hence, selecting good products is important for maintenance of cement machinery.

Tell us about the portfolio of drives and motors that you offer to the cement industry.
Nord is a German multinational and has been present in this market for the last 50+ years. We keep on adding products in our basket as per the market demand. We have designed and developed energy efficient products, which will require various applications of material handling in the cement industry. Today, we can offer from 0.12kW to 200kW motor with various combinations of helical,helical worm, helical bevel gearboxes with a torque range of up to 100kNm and also the heavy-duty gearbox range with torque range up to 300KNm. Considering the demand in the heavy industry, there are some new products already in the development stage.

As machinery in cement plants is advancing with time, how do you accommodate the change in drives for the betterment of functionality in cement plants?
Being a German company, we believe in offering efficient and futuristic technology to customers. Globally, we have stopped offering IE1 and IE2 class motors and offer more energy efficient IE3 and IE4 motors and soon IE5 efficiency motors will be available in a complete product range. As the world is adapting to Industry 4.0, hence, we have made our products suitable for new edge technology and we can get all kinds of data like temperature, speed, vibration, bearing life etc., from our product, process through our drives and store on the cloud for periodic analysis sitting at remote locations. This will be useful for the maintenance team to keep their machinery operative and avert breakdowns with proper and accurate feedback in advance.

How can drives by your organisation help cement manufacturers achieve better productivity and energy efficiency?
NORD products are designed for longer productive and efficient life spans. From the design stage we follow the highest standards of manufacturing geared motors. Gears are designed as per DIN3990 standard, gear housing is made with GG 20 or GGG40 material with best class of FEM standards. We offer our gear housing with our patented ‘UNICASE’ design, which leads to less joints and less sealing surfaces, meansing a virtually leak-proof design. Secondly, UNICASE design increases the shock taking ability of gear boxes, hence, no fear of breakdown. We offer high efficiency motors (IE3 and IE4 Class) with advanced VFD support that helps to consume optimum power in operation. With all these features, cement manufacturers can achieve best efficiency in their production process.

Which machinery of the cement plant is the most challenging and how do you overcome the challenge?
In a cement plant, there are five crucial cement manufacturing machines, namely, cement rotary kiln, shaft kiln, cement vertical mill, cement ball mill and cement roller press. Earlier with a limited product range, we were not able to cater our products for mill applications, but with new product additions in our MAXXDRIVE series we can offer solutions in all midsize cement mills and very soon we will offer a complete product basket for even large size cement plants.

How often do you service and audit your installations at the cement plant?
Nord products are designed for a longer productive and efficient life. Our products are suitable for 24 hours of high shock loads in a harsh atmosphere. They are a reliable drive for any industry. Because of the best design standards, world class manufacturing processes, our products consume optimum oil and energy. With this feature we proudly say Nord offers a fit and forget product. For over the last 10 years, our service spares business has been negligible. That means once you select Nord products with the correct procedure, servicing is not needed regularly and no regular operational audits are required for the gear box.

Tell us about the upcoming innovations from your organisation that would be beneficial for cement plants?
At Nord, with scientific market research we keep on adding the products. Considering cement plants, we add products in our MAXXDRIVE product range. Soon we will offer the Maxxdrive from 5kNm to 40o kNm, with all options like extended housing, J mounting, customised base plate bigger product range in IE4 and IE5 motors.

Up Next

Driving Efficiency

Don't Miss

We are committed to improving the energy efficiency of our products

Concrete

Cement Demand Strong As Prices Remain Stable

Volumes rise amid steady trade pricing and higher fuel costs

Published

3 hours ago

September 11, 2026

admin

Channel checks show cement demand remained healthy with volume growth estimated at six to seven per cent in July and August 2026. Trade prices were broadly stable while non-trade prices were volatile in the East, and attempted hikes were rolled back amid higher competition. Average fuel costs rose in August by five to nine per cent, lifting spot petcoke and coal prices.

All-India trade price remained flat month on month in August as increased rake supplies and competition offset early increases. Monsoon related demand softness limited sustained hikes and dealers indicated further attempts would depend on demand trends. Combined July and August volumes were estimated at six to seven per cent, supported by infrastructure spending while retail housing remained weather sensitive.

In the South, a Rs20 a bag hike in August did not hold and prices stayed flat month on month, while dealers planned Rs25 to Rs30 a bag from fifth September 2026 but with uncertain sustainability. In the East, trade prices were unchanged and non-trade prices corrected by Rs15 to Rs20 a bag amid weak construction in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha.

The West remained most resilient on pricing and demand despite attempted hikes of Rs10 to Rs15 a bag, and Gujarat saw relatively better volumes in August. North and Central markets kept prices range bound as players focused on ramping up utilisation of new capacity, with schemes of up to Rs2 to Rs3 a bag used to meet month-end targets. Overall construction activity improved as the monsoon eased, aiding a pickup in several states.

Fuel cost pressures persisted, with South African coal at USD114 a t and petcoke around USD146 to USD147 a t in August, while spot imported petcoke and coal were higher. Imported coal consumption cost stood at Rs2.07 per Kcal and petcoke at USD2.11 per Kcal. Analysts estimate the all-India trade spread to decline by Rs90 to Rs100 a t quarter on quarter, weighing on near-term profitability and they prefer UltraTech Cement (UTCEM), JK Cement (JKCE) and Grasim Industries (GRASIM).

Concrete

Aditya Birla Group Launches Ultravolt Wires And Cables Business

UltraTech extends building solutions into electrical wiring

Published

2 days ago

September 9, 2026

admin

Aditya Birla Group has entered the wires and cables market through Ultravolt, extending UltraTech’s move from building materials into building solutions. The shift builds on UltraTech Building Solutions, a multi-category platform that already addresses customers across different stages of construction and extends beyond cement into ready-mix concrete, waterproofing, tile-fixing solutions and mortars.

The company intends to enter with scale, seeking presence across 100,000 retailers in more than 500 districts and availability through 5,000 plus UltraTech Building Solutions (UBS) outlets. The portfolio spans house wires, light-duty cables, communication cables, solar cables and low-tension and industrial cables to meet changing electrical requirements driven by solar installations, communications infrastructure and industrial automation.

An upstream advantage begins in the Group’s metals ecosystem, with conductor quality central to product performance. Ultravolt wires will use TruePure Copper, defined as 99.97 per cent pure electrolytic-grade annealed copper sourced from Hindalco, providing greater control over raw material quality and provenance and supporting electrical performance, safety and durability.

The business also targets the electrician community as a decisive influence on product choice and installation quality. The Wires and Cables Business has launched a Skill India Electrician Training Programme in partnership with the Electronics Sector Skills Council of India that aims to train and certify more than 40,000 electricians across India over the next year, focusing on safe wiring practices, correct installation and advanced wire technologies and offering Skill India-aligned certification and identification credentials.

The move combines market opportunity, UltraTech’s construction ecosystem, manufacturing capability and Group-level resources. A large Gujarat facility, advanced machinery and in-house testing and research and development underpin the product strategy, which is designed for both traditional and emerging applications. The ambition is to build a scaled national brand and become one of the top two players within five years, making the Group an integral participant in modern building infrastructure.

Concrete

Ramco Cements Mine Restoration Gets Global Biodiversity Certification

Pandalgudi mine restoration receives Advanced Certification from TGBS

Published

2 days ago

September 9, 2026

admin

The ecological restoration of Ramco Cements’ limestone mine at Pandalgudi in Virudhunagar district, Tamil Nadu, has received international recognition with the site being awarded Advanced Certification by The Global Biodiversity Standard (TGBS). The recognition makes Pandalgudi the first site in Peninsular India to receive the certification and places it among globally recognised biodiversity restoration projects.

TGBS, recognised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), assesses biodiversity restoration projects based on scientific evaluation and their contribution to ecosystem recovery and local communities. The certification is supported by more than 250 scientists and academics worldwide.

Spread across over 500 acres of worked-out mine areas, the restoration project includes a certified 234-acre site. Initiated in 2018 with technical support from Auroville Botanical Gardens, the project began plantation activities in 2019 and is expected to be completed by 2027. More than 430,000 native trees and shrubs belonging to 150 ecologically significant species have been planted at the site.

The restored mine, which was once a barren landscape with limited biodiversity, has recorded over 72 bird species and 53 butterfly species. The project has also captured an estimated 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over the past seven years, supporting broader sustainability and carbon reduction goals.

Opened officially in 2022, the site has attracted more than 13,000 visitors through educational programmes for schools, colleges and training institutions. The restoration initiative has also contributed to the development of the Rajapalayam Masterplan and supported Tamil Nadu’s carbon neutrality ambitions.

Commenting on the achievement, Mr P. R. Venketrama Raja, Chairman, Ramco Group, said the company aims for the Pandalgudi restoration project to serve as an inspiration and blueprint for the mining industry in India. Dr David Bartholomew, CEO, The Global Biodiversity Standard, highlighted the project’s long-term commitment to biodiversity recovery and independent assessment of ecological outcomes.

The certification reinforces Ramco Cements’ focus on sustainable mining practices and ecological restoration as part of its commitment towards a carbon-neutral future.