Concrete

We have designed and developed energy efficient products

Published

3 years ago

July 17, 2023

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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.

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Concrete

Shree Cement Targets Above Industry Volume Growth In FY27

Chairman says firm will favour organic expansion and higher dividends

Published

3 days ago

June 16, 2026

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Shree Cement expects to outpace the industry in the financial year 2026-27 as it pursues organic expansion and pricing discipline following a recent investor conference. The chairman said the company has completed a pricing realignment and recovered volumes lost during that exercise. Management signalled a clear preference for internal investments rather than acquisitions to support growth.

The company reported that capacity additions and demand growth across core markets are expected to underpin stronger volume performance, with a target of growing volumes at around 1.1 times the industry growth rate. Cash levels are likely to decline as capital expenditure progresses and shareholder distributions increase, the chairman indicated. The board has prioritised higher dividends over a buyback as a means of reducing excess cash.

Shree Cement described a market shift towards value and affordability rather than a race to the lowest price, which links demand expansion more closely with pricing. Historically, prices have risen at around three per cent annually over long periods, the company noted, and while prices may increase faster this year because of cost pressures from geopolitical tensions, a material improvement in industry profitability is not anticipated. In North India, the company expects additional capacity to be absorbed as demand grows, estimating a requirement of roughly 10 million (mn) tonne (t) of incremental demand annually.

The next phase of expansion will focus on the north, west, east and northeast regions, with existing projects and planned capacities viewed as sufficient to meet future demand without pursuing acquisitions. Management said it has already regained lost volumes while sustaining higher prices and will continue to monitor regional opportunities, including a possible investment in West Bengal pending clarity on industrial policy. The company, which has a current market capitalisation of Rs 852,948.9 mn, has seen its shares lose more than 20 per cent over the past year.

Concrete

Ramco Cements’ Hard Worker Campaign Wins Seven Awards

Campaign earns honours for direction, editing and cinematography

Published

4 days ago

June 15, 2026

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The Hard Worker campaign by The Ramco Cements has secured seven honours at the Good Ads Matter Awards 2026, adding to its growing list of accolades and reinforcing its standing among the year’s most recognised advertising campaigns.

The awards were presented during the Good Ads Matter Awards Night 2026 held at Mehboob Studios in Mumbai. The campaign received recognition across multiple categories, highlighting excellence in direction, editing, cinematography and storytelling.

Among the honours, the campaign won Silver in the Campaign of the Year – Direction category, while filmmaker Prakash Varma was named Director of the Year for the films Tortoise & Hare and Eco Plaster. Tortoise & Hare also received Silver awards for Best Editing and Best Colour Grading, along with a Bronze award for Best Cinematography. Eco Plaster earned Bronze awards in the Best Direction – Narrative and Best Direction – Humour categories.

Both films extended their award-winning run, with Eco Plaster being recognised for its narrative centred on water conservation through innovative construction solutions, while Tortoise & Hare was honoured for its storytelling and craft execution.

The Hard Worker campaign was built around the idea that hard work deserves recognition and respect. Through culturally rooted and emotionally engaging stories, the campaign has connected with consumers, engineers, masons and the wider construction community across the country.

Commenting on the achievement, A V Dharmakrishnan, CEO of The Ramco Cements Limited, said that the continued recognition across leading creative platforms reflects the company’s commitment to meaningful and authentic communication rooted in the values of the people it serves.

Balaji K Moorthy, Executive Director – Marketing, The Ramco Cements Limited, said the awards recognise the craftsmanship behind the storytelling, from direction and cinematography to editing and narrative execution.

Following recognition at both the Kyoorius Creative Awards and the Good Ads Matter Awards, the Hard Worker campaign continues to demonstrate the impact of purpose-driven storytelling combined with strong creative execution and consumer relevance.

Concrete

Cement Makers Reaffirm Commitment to Sustainable Growth

Published

2 weeks ago

June 5, 2026

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World Environment Day spotlight on innovation and circularity

On World Environment Day, the Indian cement industry reiterated its commitment to supporting India’s climate ambitions through sustainable manufacturing, resource efficiency and the adoption of cleaner technologies.

The Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA) said the sector remains aligned with the Government of India’s Net Zero commitments and is accelerating efforts to reduce its environmental footprint while supporting the country’s infrastructure and development agenda.

Parth Jindal, President, CMA and Managing Director, JSW Cement, said the industry is increasingly adopting cleaner technologies, improving energy efficiency and expanding the use of alternative fuels and raw materials. He also highlighted the growing importance of circular economy practices, where industrial by-products and waste streams from one sector are utilised as resources in another.

“The Indian Cement Industry is aligned to the Government’s commitments on carbon mitigation and is accelerating the adoption of cleaner technologies, resource efficiency and circular economy practices while actively exploring the potential of Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) as a critical pathway for deep decarbonisation,” said Jindal.

He added that coprocessing industrial waste and by-products helps conserve natural resources, reduce disposal requirements and lower the environmental footprint across multiple sectors.

According to Jindal, sustainability is no longer limited to manufacturing processes but is increasingly influencing investment decisions, innovation strategies and long-term growth plans within the industry.

Echoing similar views, Dr Raghavpat Singhania, Vice President, CMA and Managing Director, JK Cement, said sustainable development extends beyond emissions reduction and must also focus on responsible resource utilisation and waste minimisation.

“Sustainability in the built environment cannot be measured by emissions alone. It is equally about how efficiently we use resources, how effectively we minimise waste and how responsibly we create the infrastructure that will serve future generations,” said Singhania.

He noted that the cement industry is advancing its sustainability agenda through greater resource efficiency, increased circularity, technological innovation and continuous improvements in manufacturing practices. As a key contributor to India’s infrastructure development, the sector has a critical role to play in balancing economic growth with environmental responsibility.

On the occasion of World Environment Day, industry leaders reaffirmed their commitment to supporting India’s climate goals while delivering the materials required for resilient, durable and sustainable infrastructure.