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We have prioritised a unified brand identity

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Arun Shukla, President and Director, JK Lakshmi Cement, discusses the company’s strategies for customer engagement and their innovative campaigns to enhance market presence and build a strong, trusted brand.

How crucial is branding for a cement company in today’s competitive landscape?
In the highly competitive cement industry, differentiation is paramount. A robust brand strategy serves as a critical differentiator and as a foundation for trust with clients, helping to establish a distinct identity and secure a durable market presence. At JK Lakshmi Cement, we recognise the vital role of brand building and have committed to it through the consistent delivery of high-quality products and exceptional service, thereby solidifying our reputation as a symbol of reliability and customer satisfaction.
Moreover, we understand that branding in today’s digital landscape goes beyond traditional elements like logos and taglines. It involves forging a genuine emotional connection with our customers. By actively engaging with our audience through digital platforms, we not only share our brand story but also cultivate a vibrant brand community. We believe that effective branding extends beyond mere marketing efforts—it fosters a core company culture. Our employees, empowered as brand ambassadors, embody the values and principles that define JK Lakshmi Cement, reinforcing our brand with every interaction.

How do you maintain consistency in branding across various product lines and markets?
At JK Lakshmi Cement, we have prioritised a unified brand identity across our diverse product portfolio and global markets. Recognising that a consistent brand is crucial for strengthening customer trust, recognition and loyalty, we have established a dedicated brand management team. This team is responsible for developing and enforcing strict brand guidelines that ensure visual and messaging consistency across all platforms and marketing campaigns.
Our integrated marketing approach ensures seamless collaboration among our product, sales and communications teams. This collaboration guarantees that every touchpoint with the customer—whether through advertising, in-store displays, digital channels or direct sales interactions—delivers a unified brand experience. While we maintain a core global identity, we also tailor our marketing and communications efforts to resonate with specific regional needs and preferences, recognising that consistency is not about uniformity but about harmony in diversity.
We view consistency as an ongoing process, continuously reviewing and refining our branding strategies. This includes incorporating customer feedback and market insights to ensure our brand remains relevant, differentiated, and aligned with evolving stakeholder needs.
Has AI changed the way branding is done in organisations?
Artificial intelligence has indeed ushered in a new era of data-driven branding for organisations, transforming traditional methods into more analytical approaches. At JK Lakshmi Cement, AI plays a pivotal role in enhancing our understanding of customer behaviour and preferences. This advanced insight allows us to craft precisely targeted marketing campaigns that resonate deeply with specific audience segments.
Furthermore, AI-enabled tools analyse social media to gauge brand sentiment and trends, significantly informing and improving our marketing strategies and customer engagement efforts. AI also streamlines branding operations by automating routine tasks, thus freeing our marketing teams to focus on high-value activities such as creative development and strategic planning.
Ultimately, AI doesn’t just support our branding operations—it enhances our ability to connect with customers on a more personal and impactful level, ensuring our brand remains dynamic and responsive in today’s fast-evolving marketplace.

What specific strategies do you employ to distinguish your brand from competitors?
JK Lakshmi Cement stands out from the competition through a strategic approach that prioritises both customer needs and sustainability. Our brand value proposition centers on innovative products that deliver exceptional performance. This includes superior strength, durability and a reduced carbon footprint, reflecting our unwavering commitment to environmental responsibility. This dedication to quality is further emphasised by our ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications, ensuring customers receive consistently high-quality products.
Our customer-centric approach is evident in our extensive network of over 5,500 dealers and long-standing customer relationships. This ensures excellent service, timely deliveries, and efficient issue resolution, fostering strong customer loyalty. We further differentiate ourselves through strategic digital marketing and active social media engagement. By sharing our brand story and interacting directly with customers, we build a strong online presence.
Our robust corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in education, healthcare, and community development further solidify our commitment to societal values, enhancing our brand’s trust and loyalty among stakeholders. By integrating these initiatives into our overall strategy, we are able to differentiate ourselves from competitors and build a strong brand reputation.

Have you conducted any market research to evaluate the effectiveness of your branding?
At JK Lakshmi Cement, we prioritise understanding our customers through rigorous market research, including our annual ‘Brand Track’ and ‘Consumer Behaviour and Trends’ studies. We also conduct targeted research after specific campaigns to gain deeper insights. These findings guide our ‘New Product Development’ efforts, ensuring our cement brand remains relevant and responsive to evolving customer needs. Our research consistently highlights the importance of a strong product combined with exceptional service, which we deliver through a robust network of sales representatives, technical experts, and the ability to supply concrete for projects. We provide on-site demonstrations to empower informed decisions and are well-equipped to handle large B2B orders, demonstrating our commitment to serving all customers.

How do you use digital and social media platforms to enhance brand visibility?
At JK Lakshmi Cement, we strategically utilise digital platforms and social media to enhance our brand’s visibility and reach, ensuring robust engagement with our audience. Our comprehensive digital strategy includes maintaining an informative and central hub through our website, which serves as the core of our online presence. On social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, we focus on building brand awareness and fostering a community by sharing targeted content that resonates with our followers. Additionally, we employ search engine optimisation (SEO) to improve our visibility in search engine results, making it easier for potential customers to find us when they search for cement-related products or services.
We also collaborate with industry influencers to extend our brand’s reach and create high-quality content that appeals to our target audience. By meticulously tracking the performance of our campaigns through digital analytics, we continuously refine and optimise our strategies, ensuring our digital presence is both effective and engaging. This integrated approach allows JK Lakshmi Cement to maintain a strong and dynamic online presence, driving business success and growth.

Cite examples of successful marketing campaigns or initiatives that have increased your cement brand’s recognition and sales?
At JK Lakshmi Cement, we have built a strong brand through impactful marketing campaigns. Initiatives like ‘Performance Guaranteed’ and ‘India. Ab soch karo buland’ have resonated with our customers, driving both brand recognition and sales growth. These campaigns haven’t just boosted our market share, they have also made JK Lakshmi Cement a household name. This brand awareness allows us to focus on value rather than price competition.
Our green initiatives and focus on corporate social responsibility initiatives have struck a chord with our customers. They appreciate our efforts to address important social issues and minimise our environmental impact. This positive sentiment is reflected in our research, proving that our marketing strategies are not only effective but also align with our values.

How do you address any negative brand perceptions?
At JK Lakshmi Cement, addressing negative brand perceptions or reputation challenges is a priority, particularly in areas such as product quality and environmental impact. Our approach to managing these issues is proactive and multifaceted. When concerns about product quality arise, we utilise customer feedback mechanisms and maintain transparent communication to quickly identify and rectify any problems, thereby fostering trust and loyalty among our customers. In terms of environmental impact, we have implemented robust sustainability initiatives that focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving water and enhancing waste recycling.
Open communication channels with all stakeholders, including the media, are crucial for promptly addressing any concerns or misconceptions, further enhancing trust and credibility in our brand. By managing perceptions proactively and prioritising sustainability, JK Lakshmi Cement strives to maintain a positive brand image that reflects our core values and our commitment to environmental and societal well-being.

How do you measure the success of your marketing efforts?
At JK Lakshmi Cement, we measure the success of our marketing efforts through a data-driven approach that includes a comprehensive set of key performance indicators (KPIs). Our primary metrics for assessing marketing effectiveness include brand awareness, customer engagement, sales volume, and market share. We closely monitor the performance of specific campaigns by analysing click-through rates, conversion rates, and return on investment (ROI). Additionally, we utilise customer feedback and sentiment analysis to understand how our brand is perceived and to identify potential areas for improvement. This multi-faceted approach not only provides a holistic view of our marketing impact but also helps us continuously refine our strategies to better align with evolving customer needs. Our commitment to these metrics ensures that our marketing initiatives contribute effectively to sustainable business growth and market share expansion.

– Kanika Mathur

Concrete

India Sets Up First Carbon Capture Testbeds for Cement Industry

Five CCU testbeds launched to decarbonise cement production

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The Department of Science and Technology (DST) recently unveiled a pioneering national initiative: five Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) testbeds in the cement sector, forming a first-of-its-kind research and innovation cluster to combat industrial carbon emissions.
This is a significant step towards India’s Climate Action for fostering National Determined Contributions (NDCs) targets and to achieve net zero decarbonisation pathways for Industry Transition., towards the Government’s goal to achieve a carbon-neutral economy by 2070.
Carbon Capture Utilisation (CCU) holds significant importance in hard-to-abate sectors like Cement, Steel, Power, Oil &Natural Gas, Chemicals & Fertilizers in reducing emissions by capturing carbon dioxide from industrial processes and converting it to value add products such as synthetic fuels, Urea, Soda, Ash, chemicals, food grade CO2 or concrete aggregates. CCU provides a feasible pathway for these tough to decarbonise industries to lower their carbon footprint and move towards achieving Net Zero Goals while continuing their operations efficiently. DST has taken major strides in fostering R&D in the CCUS domain.
Concrete is vital for India’s economy and the Cement industry being one of the main hard-to-abate sectors, is committed to align with the national decarbonisation commitments. New technologies to decarbonise emission intensity of the cement sector would play a key role in achieving of national net zero targets.
Recognizing the critical need for decarbonising the Cement sector, the Energy and Sustainable Technology (CEST) Division of Department launched a unique call for mobilising Academia-Industry Consortia proposals for deployment of Carbon Capture Utilisation (CCU) in Cement Sector. This Special call envisaged to develop and deploy innovative CCU Test bed in Cement Sector with thrust on Developing CO2 capture + CO2 Utilisation integrated unit in an Industrial set up through an innovative Public Private Partnership (PPP) funding model.
As a unique initiative and one of its first kind in India, DST has approved setting up of five CCU testbeds for translational R&D, to be set up in Academia-Industry collaboration under this significant initiative of DST in PPP mode, engaging with premier research laboratories as knowledge partners and top Cement companies as the industry partner.
On the occasion of National Technology Day celebrations, on May 11, 2025 the 5 CCU Cement Test beds were announced and grants had been handed over to the Test bed teams by the Chief Guest, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology; Earth Sciences and Minister of State for PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh in the presence of Secretary DST Prof. Abhay Karandikar.
The five testbeds are not just academic experiments — they are collaborative industrial pilot projects bringing together India’s top research institutions and leading cement manufacturers under a unique Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. Each testbed addresses a different facet of CCU, from cutting-edge catalysis to vacuum-based gas separation.
The outcomes of this innovative initiative will not only showcase the pathways of decarbonisation towards Net zero goals through CCU route in cement sector, but should also be a critical confidence building measure for potential stakeholders to uptake the deployed CCU technology for further scale up and commercialisation.
It is envisioned that through continuous research and innovation under these test beds in developing innovative catalysts, materials, electrolyser technology, reactors, and electronics, the cost of Green Cement via the deployed CCU technology in Cement Sector may considerably be made more sustainable.
Secretary DBT Dr Rajesh Gokhale, Dr Ajai Choudhary, Co-Founder HCL, Dr. Rajesh Pathak, Secretary, TDB, Dr Anita Gupta Head CEST, DST and Dr Neelima Alam, Associate Head, DST were also present at the programme organized at Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.

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Concrete

JK Lakshmi Adopts EVs to Cut Emissions in Logistics

Electric vehicles deployed between JK Puram and Kalol units

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JK Lakshmi Cement, a key player in the Indian cement industry, has announced the deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) in its logistics operations. This move, made in partnership with SwitchLabs Automobiles, will see EVs transporting goods between the JK Puram Plant in Sirohi, Rajasthan, and the Kalol Grinding Unit in Gujarat.
The announcement follows a successful pilot project that showcased measurable reductions in carbon emissions while maintaining efficiency. Building on this, the company is scaling up EV integration to enhance sustainability across its supply chain.
“Sustainability is integral to our vision at JK Lakshmi Cement. Our collaboration with SwitchLabs Automobiles reflects our continued focus on driving innovation in our logistics operations while taking responsibility for our environmental footprint. This initiative positions us as a leader in transforming the cement sector’s logistics landscape,” said Arun Shukla, President & Director, JK Lakshmi Cement.
This deployment marks a significant step in aligning with India’s push for greener transport infrastructure. By embracing clean mobility, JK Lakshmi Cement is setting an example for the industry, demonstrating that environmental responsibility can go hand in hand with operational efficiency.
The company continues to embed sustainability into its operations as part of a broader goal to reduce its carbon footprint. This initiative adds to its vision of building a more sustainable and eco-friendly future.
JK Lakshmi Cement, part of the 135-year-old JK Organisation, began operations in 1982 and has grown to become a recognised name in Indian cement. With a presence across Northern, Western, and Eastern India, the company has a cement capacity of 16.5 MTPA, with a target to reach 30 MT by 2030. Its product range includes ready-mix concrete, gypsum plaster, wall putty, and autoclaved aerated fly ash blocks.

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Concrete

Holcim UK drives sustainable construction

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Holcim UK has released a report titled ‘Making Sustainable Construction a Reality,’ outlining its five-fold commitment to a greener future. The company aims to focus on decarbonisation, circular economy principles, smarter building methods, community engagement, and integrating nature. Based on a survey of 2,000 people, only 41 per cent felt urban spaces in the UK are sustainably built. A significant majority (82 per cent) advocated for more green spaces, 69 per cent called for government leadership in sustainability, and 54 per cent saw businesses as key players. Additionally, 80 per cent of respondents stressed the need for greater transparency from companies regarding their environmental practices.

Image source:holcim

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