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RK Pandey promotes safe road development at RAHSTA launch

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14th RAHSTA (Roads and Highways Sustainable Technologies & Advancement) Expo – India’s biggest road exhibition – will be held as a part 10th India Construction Festival 2024 at Jio Convention Centre, Mumbai, from October 9-10, 2024.

April 10, 2024, Delhi

“As far as roads are concerned, over the last decade, we have accomplished wonderful work, and this progress will continue at the same pace. However, to maintain this momentum, we need to make some improvements and sustain the rate of construction. We must focus on cost optimisation, sustainable development, and, most importantly, building safe roads. Regarding RAHSTA, we require a platform where all stakeholders—including academia, researchers, consultants, and government authorities—can collaborate. RAHSTA will provide them with a platform to achieve our common goals,” said RK Pandey, former NHAI member and Member of RAHSTA Expo Committee, while speaking during the launch of a road show – 14th RAHSTA Expo, which will be held from October 9-10, 2024, at Jio Convention Centre, Mumbai. RAHSTA, which stands for Roads and Highways Sustainable Technologies & Advancement, is a dedicated event to the world of road construction equipment, technology, and sustainability.

“The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has constructed 12,349 km of national highways in 2023-24 – the second highest achievement! In 2020-21 a record 13,327 kms had been constructed, the highest so far. The experience of a well-constructed road is no accident but a badly constructed one can cause many,” stated Pratap Padode, Founder, FIRST Construction Council, a pioneering infrastructure-driven council focused on advancing India’s infrastructure development. 

Also speaking at the launch, former Managing Director of Ashok Leyland & JCB, Vipin Sondhi, also Chairman of RAHSTA Expo Committee underscored the need for specialised platforms like RAHSTA Expo for the burgeoning road construction industry. 

Ashish Kumar Singh, CGM – Finance, National Highway Authority of India; RK Pandey, former NHAI member and Member of RAHSTA Expo Committee; SK Nirmal, Secretary General, Indian Roads Congress and Member of RAHSTA Expo Committee; Prof Satish Pandey, Principal Scientist, CSIR-Central Road Research Institute, Ministry of Science and Technology; Ankit Jain, CFO, Cube Highways Growth Advisors, Vijay Agrawal, Executive Director, Equirus Capital; and Subodh Dixit, Former Executive Director, Shapoorji Pallonji, participated in a round table discussion on the new BOT proposals. 

The launch function at PHD Chamber for RAHSTA Expo was attended by who’s who of the infrastructure industry such Lt Gen Harpal Singh, President, International Road Federation and former Engineer-in-Chief, Indian Army; Akhilesh Srivastava, Road Safety Ambassador, International Road Federation; Sandeep Singh, Managing Director, Tata Hitachi Construction Machinery; Rajesh Menon, Director General, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers; Raman Kapil, President, Tata Projects; Anand Sundaresan, Director, Ammann India; Dheeraj Panda, Managing Director, Ammann India; Rajan Aiyer, Managing Director, Trimble; Satin Sachdeva, Founder & Secretary General, Construction Equipment Rental Association; Dr Swamy, Chairman, The Institution of Civil Engineers and Dr Ranjeet Mehta, Executive Director of PHDCCI, among others.

Organised by the FIRST Construction Council, the RAHSTA Expo 2024, which will be held as part of 10th India Construction Festival, will bring together industry leaders, innovators, and stakeholders for two days of exploration, collaboration, and transformation.

Besides RAHSTA Expo 2024, the India Construction Festival 2024 will include the following:

Exhibitors can use RAHSTA Expo 2024 to showcase their construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines, and construction vehicles to a targeted audience of industry professionals. RAHSTA Expo will be an ideal platform to connect with key decision-makers, generate leads, and grow business in this rapidly expanding market.

Contact:

For exhibitor enquiries (for RAHSTA Expo), contact Mr Sujoy on Mob: +91 86577 95881, or Email: sujoy.g@asappinfoglobal.com

For delegate enquiries (for conferences), contact Mr Amar on Mob: +91 86524 93000, or Email: delegate1@asappinfoglobal.com

Economy & Market

Hindalco Buys US Speciality Alumina Firm for $125 Million

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This strategic acquisition marks a significant investment in speciality alumina, a key step by Aditya Birla Group’s metals flagship towards becoming future-ready by scaling its high-value, technology-led materials portfolio.

Hindalco Industries, the world’s largest aluminium company by revenue and the metals flagship of the $28 billion Aditya Birla Group, has announced the acquisition of a 100 per cent equity stake in US-based AluChem Companies—a prominent manufacturer of speciality alumina—for an enterprise value of $125 million. The transaction will be executed through Aditya Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary.

This acquisition represents a pivotal investment in speciality alumina and advances Hindalco’s strategy to expand its high-value, technology-led materials portfolio.

Hindalco’s speciality alumina business, a key pillar of its value-added strategy, has delivered consistent double-digit growth in recent years. It has emerged as a high-growth, high-margin vertical within the company’s portfolio. As speciality alumina finds expanding applications across electric mobility, semiconductors, and precision ceramics, the deal positions Hindalco further up the innovation curve, enabling next-generation alumina solutions and value-accretive growth.

Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of Aditya Birla Group, called the acquisition an important step in their global strategy to build a leadership position in value-added, high-tech materials.

“Our strategic foray into the speciality alumina space will not only accelerate the development of future-ready, sustainable solutions but also open new pathways to pursue high-impact growth opportunities. By integrating advanced technologies into our value chain, we are reinforcing our commitment to self-reliance, import substitution, and building scale in innovation-led businesses.”

Ronald P Zapletal, Founder, AluChem Companies, said the partnership with Hindalco would provide AluChem the ability and capital to scale up faster and build scale in North America.

“AluChem will benefit from their world-class sustainability and safety standards and practices, access to integrated operations and a consistent, reliable raw material supply chain. Their ability to leverage R&D capabilities and a talented workforce adds tremendous value to our innovation pipeline, helping drive market expansion beyond North America.”

An Eye on the Future

The global speciality alumina market is projected to grow significantly, with rising demand for tailored solutions in sectors such as ceramics, electronics, aerospace, and medical applications. Hindalco currently operates 500,000 tonnes of speciality alumina capacity and aims to scale this up to 1 million tonnes by FY2030.

Commenting on the development, Satish Pai, Managing Director, Hindalco Industries, said the deal reinforced their commitment to innovation and global expansion.

“As alumina gains increasing relevance in critical and clean-tech sectors, AluChem’s advanced chemistry capabilities will significantly enhance our ability to serve these fast-evolving markets. Importantly, it deepens our high-value-added portfolio with differentiated products that drive profitability and strengthen our global competitiveness.”

AluChem adds a strong North American presence to Hindalco’s portfolio, with an annual capacity of 60,000 tonnes across three advanced manufacturing facilities in Ohio and Arkansas. The company is a long-standing supplier of ultra-low soda calcined and tabular alumina, materials prized for their thermal and mechanical stability and widely used in precision engineering and high-performance refractories.

Saurabh Khedekar, CEO of the Alumina Business at Hindalco Industries, said the acquisition unlocked immediate synergies, including market access and portfolio diversification.

“Hindalco plans to work with AluChem’s high performance technology solutions and scale up production of ultra-low soda alumina products to drive a larger global market share.”

The transaction is expected to close in the upcoming quarter, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

 

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Concrete

Shree Cement reports 2025 financial year results

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Shree Cement posted revenue of US$2.38 billion for FY2025, marking a 5.5 per cent decline year-on-year. Operating costs rose 2.9 per cent to US$2.17 billion, resulting in an EBITDA of US$528 million—down 12 per cent from the previous year. Net profit fell 50 per cent to US$141 million. The company reported cement sales of 9.84Mt in Q4 FY2025, a 3.3 per cent increase from 9.53Mt in Q4 FY2024, with premium products making up 16 per cent of total sales.

Image source:https://newsmantra.in/

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Concrete

Rekha Onteddu to become director at Sagar Cements

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Sagar Cements has announced the appointment of Rekha Onteddu as a non-executive independent director, effective 30 June 2025. According to People in Business News, Rekha Onteddu is currently serving in a similar capacity at Andhra Cements, the parent company of Sagar Cements.

Image source:https://sagarcements.in/

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