Concrete

Effective communication is essential in precast detailing

Published

1 year ago

October 19, 2023

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Vijay Shah, Managing Partner, India Precast, talks about the process of making precast concrete shapes, with a focus on the challenges that accompany the production.

Tell us about the process of casting concrete in shapes.
Precast concrete products are made through pouring either wet cast or dry cast concrete into moulds, which are then hardened and removed to be dispatched. These moulds could be from concrete posts, pillars, columns, slabs etc. This benefits the construction process as it can be difficult to manoeuvre or create the right shapes and sizes by pouring the concrete on site.

The process of making precast shapes involve:

Build a form. The inside of the form defines the shape that is being created. This form is then filled up with cement and is kept to dry and harden.
Clean the mould before adding cement to it. The mould should be lined with materials or chemicals that allow for the hardened concrete structure to retrieve from it.
Cement or concrete mix is then created to be poured into the moulds for setting. We use a variety of concrete grades like M25, M30, M35, M40, and M45 for this mix. The mould poured in cement is left alone for 24 hours to harden and removed once set.
Once set, a hard mould is either broken or the cast is retrieved from a soft mould by shaking, which is ready to be transported to the location of construction or building activity.

What are the standard sizes and shapes of precast made by your organisation?
Our organisation makes various types of precast elements like:

Solid load bearing floor slabs, load bearing walls, facades, sandwich wall panels and cladding panels
Floor and roof slabs, made from prestressed load bearing hollow concrete slab and ribbed slab. Floors or roofs are also made from half floor slab or semi-finished floor slab with
lattice girder.
Precast stair cases, balcony, toilet pods, lift shafts and water tanks
Prestressed lintel, frames, beams, column and double tee beam
Internal partition walls, made from light-weight hollow core wall panels instead of AAC blocks or bricks
Sandwich walls, beams, columns, I-Beam, tee beam, lintel, footings, boundary walls, retaining walls, fencing poles, U-drainage or trench, box culvert, jersey barriers, covers, paver blocks etc.

Explain the moulds used to make these shapes. Do you customise moulds?
Concrete moulds are moulds that are used to shape the concrete you are working with. The concrete will adopt the shape of the mould as it cures. Concrete moulds are used to give concrete its finishing shape. Moulds are of various types (refer table below). We customise the moulds as per requirements.

S. No. Mould type Uses

Conventional moulds Ribbed slabs, beams, window panels, box type units and special elements
Battery moulds Interior wall panels, shell elements, roof and floor slabs
Tilting moulds Exterior wall panels where special finishes are required on one face or for sandwich panels
Long line prestressing beds Double tees, ribbed slabs, piles and beams
Extrusion machine Roof slabs and hollow core slabs

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Concrete

Jefferies’ Optimism Fuels Cement Stock Rally

The industry is aiming price hikes of Rs 10-15 per bag in December.

Published

3 weeks ago

December 4, 2024

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Cement stocks surged over 5% on Monday, driven by Jefferies’ positive outlook on demand recovery, supported by increased government capital expenditure and favourable price trends.

JK Cement led the rally with a 5.3% jump, while UltraTech Cement rose 3.82%, making it the top performer on the Nifty 50. Dalmia Bharat and Grasim Industries gained over 3% each, with Shree Cement and Ambuja Cement adding 2.77% and 1.32%, respectively.

“Cement stocks have been consolidating without significant upward movement for over a year,” noted Vikas Jain, head of research at Reliance Securities. “The Jefferies report with positive price feedback prompted a revaluation of these stocks today.”

According to Jefferies, cement prices were stable in November, with earlier declines bottoming out. The industry is now targeting price hikes of Rs 10-15 per bag in December.

The brokerage highlighted moderate demand growth in October and November, with recovery expected to strengthen in the fourth quarter, supported by a revival in government infrastructure spending.
Analysts are optimistic about a stronger recovery in the latter half of FY25, driven by anticipated increases in government investments in infrastructure projects.
(ET)

Concrete

Steel Ministry Proposes 25% Safeguard Duty on Steel Imports

The duty aims to counter the impact of rising low-cost steel imports.

Published

3 weeks ago

December 4, 2024

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The Ministry of Steel has proposed a 25% safeguard duty on certain steel imports to address concerns raised by domestic producers. The proposal emerged during a meeting between Union Steel Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi, attended by senior officials and executives from leading steel companies like SAIL, Tata Steel, JSW Steel, and AMNS India.

Following the meeting, Goyal highlighted on X the importance of steel and metallurgical coke industries in India’s development, emphasising discussions on boosting production, improving quality, and enhancing global competitiveness. Kumaraswamy echoed the sentiment, pledging collaboration between ministries to create a business-friendly environment for domestic steelmakers.

The safeguard duty proposal aims to counter the impact of rising low-cost steel imports, particularly from free trade agreement (FTA) nations. Steel Secretary Sandeep Poundrik noted that 62% of steel imports currently enter at zero duty under FTAs, with imports rising to 5.51 million tonnes (MT) during April-September 2024-25, compared to 3.66 MT in the same period last year. Imports from China surged significantly, reaching 1.85 MT, up from 1.02 MT a year ago.

Industry experts, including think tank GTRI, have raised concerns about FTAs, highlighting cases where foreign producers partner with Indian firms to re-import steel at concessional rates. GTRI founder Ajay Srivastava also pointed to challenges like port delays and regulatory hurdles, which strain over 10,000 steel user units in India.

The government’s proposal reflects its commitment to supporting the domestic steel industry while addressing trade imbalances and promoting a self-reliant manufacturing sector.

(ET)

Concrete

India Imposes Anti-Dumping Duty on Solar Panel Aluminium Frames

Move boosts domestic aluminium industry, curbs low-cost imports

Published

3 weeks ago

December 4, 2024

admin

The Indian government has introduced anti-dumping duties on anodized aluminium frames for solar panels and modules imported from China, a move hailed by the Aluminium Association of India (AAI) as a significant step toward fostering a self-reliant aluminium sector.

The duties, effective for five years, aim to counter the influx of low-cost imports that have hindered domestic manufacturing. According to the Ministry of Finance, Chinese dumping has limited India’s ability to develop local production capabilities.

Ahead of Budget 2025, the aluminium industry has urged the government to introduce stronger trade protections. Key demands include raising import duties on primary and downstream aluminium products from 7.5% to 10% and imposing a uniform 7.5% duty on aluminium scrap to curb the influx of low-quality imports.

India’s heavy reliance on aluminium imports, which now account for 54% of the country’s demand, has resulted in an annual foreign exchange outflow of Rupees 562.91 billion. Scrap imports, doubling over the last decade, have surged to 1,825 KT in FY25, primarily sourced from China, the Middle East, the US, and the UK.

The AAI noted that while advanced economies like the US and China impose strict tariffs and restrictions to protect their aluminium industries, India has become the largest importer of aluminium scrap globally. This trend undermines local producers, who are urging robust measures to enhance the domestic aluminium ecosystem.

With India’s aluminium demand projected to reach 10 million tonnes by 2030, industry leaders emphasize the need for stronger policies to support local production and drive investments in capacity expansion. The anti-dumping duties on solar panel components, they say, are a vital first step in building a sustainable and competitive aluminium sector.