Economy & Market

Shaping the Future

Published

2 years ago

July 16, 2024

admin

Jigyasa Kishore, Vice President Enterprise Sales and Solutions, Moglix discusses the critical role of cement capacity expansion in India’s infrastructure development, highlighting the importance of technological advancements, sustainability and strategic investments amid market challenges.

With an installed cement capacity of 600 million tonnes, India is the second-largest cement producer in the world. Cement consumption in India is expected to reach 450.78 million tonnes by the end of FY27, owing to rapid urbanisation and smart city development plans. Infrastructure, typically, receives the most funding from the government which bodes well for the cement industry. At a time when India is urbanising and building infrastructure at breakneck speed, the role of cement capacity expansion is becoming critical. This expansion, today, supports the market demands as well as contribute towards the nation’s economic ambitions.

Setting a firm foundation
Cement is an essential component in the construction of any nation. Roads and bridges, airports and public buildings all indicate cement’s critical importance in infrastructure development. Urbanisation is fuelled by it through the creation of housing projects aimed at achieving economic growth and development. Here’s why capacity expansion of cement production is critical:
Urbanisation: The demand for cement increases as urbanisation intensifies. This is further evidenced by the budget estimate for the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana for affordable housing, which has been pegged at US$ 9.63 billion (Rs.79,590 crore) for the first time, registering an increase of 66 per cent over the previous year’s budget.
Major infrastructure projects: Large infrastructure projects like highways, bridges, and city-development require considerable quantities of cement. Capacity expansion can ensure steady supplies of good-quality cement to these large-scale projects and see their timely and expeditious completion. The National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) has been widened to 9,735 projects worth $1,828.48 billion. Many of the upcoming projects will be heavily dependent on the cement industry. In addition, the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan for infrastructure is further driving up the
cement demand.
Employment Generation: Increased production capacity directly results in job creation in the cement industry. Additionally, a corresponding demand for further employment in complementary sectors such as construction, logistics, and retail is also generated. This bolsters holistic economic development and prosperity.
Regional Economic Growth: New cement plants are often set up in regions with abundant raw materials but stunted industrial development. By setting up new plants in these regions, local resources can be leveraged and the overall growth story of the region can be improved. For instance, Dalmia Bharat recently announced a $10.9 million investment for further expansion of its already existing cement plant in the small town of Banjari in Bihar. The increasing presence of small and mid-size cement players across various regions helps dilute market concentration of industry leaders, leading to a more competitive and diverse market landscape.

Reinforcing the Structure
India’s cement industry is currently experiencing a tough fiscal year and there has been a downturn in pricing. Moderate demand is expected for H1FY25. Temporary setbacks such as labour shortage and heavy monsoons have also caused the demand for cement to take a dip in the past couple of months.
Needless to say, expanding capacity during periods of subdued demand involves risk. Cost implications of such investments can be significant. And firms could fail to recoup their investments if market conditions don’t improve as planned. Over-expansion could also result in an oversupplied market and further impact the prices as well as profit margins. Cement producers are currently under pressure due to reduced prices and slow demand. While this price dip might adversely affect profits in the short term, it could be seen as market adjustment ahead of a surge in anticipated demand during the second half of the fiscal year
Periods of uncertainty can be looked at as opportunities for companies to diversify risks and invest in innovation. Developing and launching new cement products for specific use-cases would contribute to the top line. Targeting export markets for better demand can also ensure the optimal use of additional capacities. At the same time, focusing on operational efficiencies would help the companies keep the cost of production in check.
New investments made in cement production facilities automatically come with the latest technological advancements that can enhance efficiency, minimise environmental impacts, and improve the quality of cement. This leads to construction practices that are more durable and sustainable. JSW, for instance, has initiated research on the integration of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) like fly ash, slag, calcined clay, and more. These materials not only improve the durability and strength of cement but also contribute towards reduction of carbon footprint of the cement industry. In order to meet energy demands sustainably, we must look at better industry practices such as usage of waste heat recovery systems, high-efficiency coolers and preheaters, and transition towards clean energy sources like solar or wind power.
There is also a growing need for cement companies to become environmentally conscious. Modern cement plants are increasingly adopting greener technologies owing to the decarbonisation pressure. Capacity expansion while keeping sustainability at its core will help check environmental impact of cement production while also aligning with the challenging global environment-conservation goals. Recently, UltraTech announced that it had received Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) certificates for four of its cement products. Similarly, Dalmia Bharat (Cement) has announced plans to produce 100 per cent low-carbon cement by 2031 and has a US$ 405 million carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) investment plan to achieve this goal. Such efforts are laudable and set a fine example for all industry players.

Shaping a Stronger Nation
Cement capacity expansion is a strategic move for the Indian cement industry. While short-term market fluctuations present challenges, continued investment in capacity expansion reflects a long-term vision for shaping India’s future infrastructure landscape. The current economic climate demands agility and innovation from Indian cement players. The leaders need to lead by example. By adopting industry best-practices, aiming for sustainable development, and working towards continuous growth and advancement, the cement industry is sure to rise like a phoenix from the ashes.

About the author
Jigyasa Kishore comes with 15+ years of experience at building brands, enabling enterprise growth, and transforming organisational performance with a technology-first approach. At Moglix, she leads brand growth as a digital supply chain solutions architect for large manufacturing enterprises.

She is an alumnus of the Indian

School of Business, Hyderabad, and Bangalore University.

Up Next

Maintain a consistent visual identity

Don't Miss

We have prioritised a unified brand identity

Economy & Market

TSR Will Define Which Cement Companies Win India’s Net-Zero Race

Published

3 days ago

April 27, 2026

admin

Jignesh Kundaria, Director and CEO, Fornnax Technology

India is simultaneously grappling with two crises: a mounting waste emergency and an urgent need to decarbonise its most carbon-intensive industries. The cement sector, the second-largest in the world and the backbone of the nation’s infrastructure ambitions, sits at the centre of both. It consumes enormous quantities of fossil fuel, and it has the technical capacity to consume something else entirely: the waste our cities cannot get rid of.

According to CPCB and NITI Aayog projections, India generates approximately 62.4 million tonnes of municipal solid waste annually, with that figure expected to reach 165 million tonnes by 2030. Much of this waste is energy-rich and non-recyclable. At the same time, cement kilns operate at material temperatures of approximately 1,450 degrees Celsius, with gas temperatures reaching 2,000 degrees. This high-temperature environment is ideal for co-processing, ensuring the complete thermal destruction of organic compounds without generating toxic residues. The physics are in our favour. The infrastructure is not.

Pre-processing is not the support act for co-processing. It is the main event. Get the particle size wrong, get the moisture wrong, get the calorific value wrong and your kiln thermal stability will suffer the consequences.

The Regulatory Push Is Real

The Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules 2026 mandate that cement plants progressively replace solid fossil fuels with Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF), starting at a 5 per cent baseline and scaling to 15 per cent within six years. NITI Aayog’s 2026 Roadmap for Cement Sector Decarbonisation targets 20 to 25 per cent Thermal Substitution Rate (TSR) by 2030. Beyond compliance, every tonne of coal replaced by RDF generates measurable carbon reductions which is monetisable under India’s emerging Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS). TSR is no longer a sustainability metric. It is a financial lever.

Yet our own field assessments across multiple Indian cement plants reveal a sobering reality: the primary barrier to scaling AFR adoption is not waste availability. It is the fragmented and under-engineered pre-processing ecosystem that sits between the waste and the kiln.

Why Indian Waste Is a Different Engineering Problem

Indian municipal solid waste is not the material that imported shredding equipment was designed for. Our waste streams frequently exceed 40 per cent to 50 per cent moisture content, particularly during monsoon cycles, saturated with abrasive inerts including sand, glass, and stone. Plants relying on imported OEM equipment face months of downtime awaiting proprietary spare parts. Machines built for segregated, low-moisture waste fail quickly and disrupt the entire pre-processing operation in Indian conditions.

The two most common failures we observe are what I call the biting teeth problem and the chewing teeth problem. Plants relying solely on a primary shredder reduce bulk waste to large fractions, but the output remains too coarse for stable kiln combustion. Others attempt to use a secondary shredder as a standalone unit without a primary stage to pre-size the feed, leading to catastrophic mechanical failure. When both stages are present but mismatched in throughput capacity, the system becomes a bottleneck. Achieving the 40 to 70 tonnes per hour required for meaningful coal displacement demands a precisely coordinated two-stage process.

Engineering a Made-in-India Answer

At Fornnax, our response to these challenges is grounded in one principle: Indian waste demands Indian engineering. Our systems are built around feedstock homogeneity, the holy grail of kiln stability. Consistent particle size and predictable calorific value are the foundation of stable kiln combustion. Without them, no TSR target is achievable at scale.

Our SR-MAX2500 Dual Shaft Primary Shredder (Hydraulic Drive) processes raw, baled, or loosely mixed MSW, C&I waste, bulky waste, and plastics, reducing them to approximately 150 mm fractions at throughputs of up to 40 tonnes per hour. The R-MAX 3300 Single Shaft Secondary Shredder (Hydraulic Drive), introduced in 2025, takes that primary output and produces RDF fractions in the 30 to 80 mm range at up to 30 tonnes per hour, specifically optimised for consistent kiln feeding. We have also introduced electric drive configurations under the SR-100 HD series, with capacities between 5 and 40 tonnes per hour, already operational at a leading Indian waste-processing facility.

Looking ahead, Fornnax is expanding its portfolio with the upcoming SR-MAX3600 Hydraulic Drive primary shredder at up to 70 tonnes per hour and the R-MAX2100 Hydraulic drive secondary shredder at up to 20 tonnes per hour, designed specifically for the large-scale throughput that higher TSR ambitions require.

The Investment Case Is Now

The 2070 Net-Zero target is not a distant goal for India’s cement sector. It starts today, with decisions being made on the plant floor.

The SWM Rules 2026 are already in effect, requiring cement plants to replace coal with RDF. Carbon credit markets are opening up, and coal prices are not going to get cheaper. Every tonne of coal a cement plant replaces with waste-derived fuel saves money on one side and generates carbon credit revenue on the other. Pre-processing infrastructure is no longer just a compliance requirement. It is a business investment with a measurable return.

The good news is that nothing is missing. The technology works. The waste is available in every Indian city. The government has provided the policy direction. The only thing standing between where the industry is today and where it needs to be is the commitment to build the right infrastructure.

The cement companies that move now will not just meet the regulations. They will be ahead of every competitor that waits.

About The Author

Jignesh Kundaria is the Director and CEO of Fornnax Technology. Over an experience spanning more than two decades in the recycling industry, he has established himself as one of India’s foremost voices on waste-to-fuel technology and alternative fuel infrastructure.

Concrete

WCA Welcomes SiloConnect as associate corporate member

Published

3 weeks ago

April 13, 2026

admin

The World Cement Association (WCA) has announced SiloConnect as its newest associate corporate member, expanding its network of technology providers supporting digitalisation in the cement industry. SiloConnect offers smart sensor technology that provides real-time visibility of cement inventory levels at customer silos, enabling producers to monitor stock remotely and plan deliveries more efficiently. The solution helps companies move from reactive to proactive logistics, improving delivery planning, operational efficiency and safety by reducing manual inspections. The technology is already used by major cement producers such as Holcim, Cemex and Heidelberg Materials and is deployed across more than 30 countries worldwide.

Concrete

TotalEnergies and Holcim Launch Floating Solar Plant in Belgium

Published

3 weeks ago

April 13, 2026

admin

TotalEnergies and Holcim have commissioned a floating solar power plant in Obourg, Belgium, built on a rehabilitated former chalk quarry that has been converted into a lake. The project has a generation capacity of 31 MW and produces around 30 GWh of renewable electricity annually, which will be used to power Holcim’s nearby industrial operations. The project is currently the largest floating solar installation in Europe dedicated entirely to industrial self-consumption. To ensure minimal impact on the surrounding landscape, more than 700 metres of horizontal directional drilling were used to connect the solar installation to the electrical substation. The project reflects ongoing collaboration between the two companies to support industrial decarbonisation through renewable energy solutions and innovative infrastructure development.