Concrete

Chinese Steel Imports Threaten Local Investments

AMNS CEO raises concerns over rising imports.

Published

2 years ago

August 16, 2024

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Dilip Oommen, CEO of ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel (AMNS) India, has raised alarms over the increasing influx of Chinese steel imports into the Indian market. He warns that this trend could have serious consequences for domestic steelmakers, potentially undermining local investments and slowing down the growth of the Indian steel industry.

Key concerns highlighted by Oommen include:

Impact on Domestic Producers: The surge in cheaper Chinese steel imports is putting pressure on Indian steel manufacturers. These imports, often priced lower due to subsidies and other factors, make it difficult for local producers to compete, potentially leading to reduced profitability and market share.

Investment Deterrent: The influx of imported steel could deter future investments in India’s steel sector. If domestic producers face declining returns due to competition from imports, they may scale back or delay plans for capacity expansion, modernization, and other capital investments.

Economic Implications: The threat to local steel production has broader economic implications. A weakened steel industry could lead to job losses, reduced contributions to GDP, and lower tax revenues for the government. Additionally, it could impact related industries, such as construction and manufacturing, which rely heavily on domestic steel.

Call for Policy Intervention: Oommen is advocating for stronger government intervention to protect the domestic steel industry. This could include imposing tariffs or other trade measures to limit the impact of Chinese imports and create a level playing field for Indian producers.

Quality and Standards: There are also concerns about the quality of imported steel. Ensuring that imported steel meets Indian standards is crucial to maintaining the safety and integrity of infrastructure projects and other applications.

Long-Term Strategy: Oommen emphasizes the need for a long-term strategy to support the domestic steel sector. This includes fostering innovation, improving operational efficiencies, and ensuring that Indian steel remains competitive on the global stage.

Industry Collaboration: Collaboration within the industry, along with government support, is seen as vital to addressing the challenges posed by rising imports. Working together, stakeholders can develop strategies to mitigate risks and sustain the growth of the domestic steel industry.

The rising Chinese steel imports represent a significant challenge for India’s steel sector, which has been a cornerstone of the country’s industrial growth. The call for policy measures and industry collaboration underscores the urgency of addressing these issues to safeguard local investments and ensure the continued development of the steel industry.

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Concrete

Ultra Concrete Age

Prof. A. S. Khanna (Retd., IIT Bombay) on how Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) improves strength, durability and lifecycle performance.

Published

1 week ago

April 1, 2026

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The need of present time is stronger buildings, industrial or common utility buildings, such as Malls, Railway stations, hospitals, offices, bridges etc. For this, there is need of long durable, tough and stable concrete, which could stand under normal and seismic conditions. Tough railway bridges are required for bullet trains to pass without any damage. Railway tunnels, sea-links, coastal roads, bridges and multistorey buildings, are the need of the hour. The question comes, is the normal cement called OPC is sufficient to take care of such requirements or better combination of cements and sand mixtures is required?

Introduction

A good stable building structure can be made with a good quality of cement+sand+water system. Its quality can be enhanced by keeping the density of admixture higher (varies from 30 in normal buildings to bridges etc to 80). Further enhancement in the properties of various cements admixtures is made by adding several additives which give additional strength, waterproofing, flexibility etc. These are called construction chemicals…

To read the full story Click Here

Concrete

NCB Signs MoU With Cement Manufacturer To Boost Construction Skills

Partnership to deliver nationwide training and certification

Published

1 week ago

March 31, 2026

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The National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB) has signed a memorandum of understanding with a leading cement manufacturer to strengthen skill development and capacity building in the construction sector. The agreement was formalised at NCB premises in Ballabgarh and was signed by the Director General of NCB, Dr L. P. Singh, and the head of technical services at UltraTech Cement Limited, Er Rahul Goel. The collaboration seeks to bring institutional resources and industry expertise into a structured national training effort.

The partnership will deliver structured training and certification programmes across the country aimed at enhancing the capabilities of civil engineers, ready?mix concrete (RMC) professionals, contractors, construction workers and masons. Programme curricula will cover material quality testing, concrete mix proportioning, durability assessment and sustainable construction practices to support improved construction outcomes. Emphasis is to be placed on standardised assessment and certification to raise practice levels across diverse construction roles.

Practical learning elements will include workshops, site demonstrations, technical seminars and exposure visits to plants and RMC facilities to strengthen applied skills and on?site decision making. The Director General indicated confidence that a large number of professionals and workers would be trained over the next three to five years under the initiative. The partnership is designed to complement flagship government schemes such as the Skill India Mission and to align training outputs with national infrastructure priorities.

By combining the council’s technical mandate with industry experience, the initiative aims to develop a more skilled and quality?conscious workforce capable of meeting rising demand in infrastructure and housing. NCB will continue to coordinate programme delivery and quality assurance while industry partners provide practical exposure and technical inputs. The collaboration is expected to support long?term capacity building and more sustainable construction practices nationwide.

Concrete

JSW Cement Commissions Nagaur Plant, Enters North India

New Rajasthan unit boosts capacity to 24.1 MTPA and expands reach

Published

1 week ago

March 30, 2026

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JSW Cement has strengthened its national presence by commencing production at its greenfield integrated cement plant in Nagaur, Rajasthan, marking its entry into the north Indian market.

With this commissioning, the company’s installed grinding capacity has increased to 24.1 MTPA, while total clinker capacity, including its joint venture operations, stands at 9.74 MTPA.

The Nagaur facility comprises a 3.30 MTPA clinkerisation unit and a 2.50 MTPA cement grinding unit, with an additional 1.00 MTPA grinding capacity currently under development. Strategically located, the plant is positioned to serve high-growth markets across Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the NCR.

The project has been funded through a mix of equity and long-term debt, with Rs 800 crore allocated from IPO proceeds towards part-financing the unit.

Parth Jindal, Managing Director, JSW Cement, stated that the commissioning marks a key milestone in the company’s ambition to become a pan-India player. He added that the project was completed within 21 months and positions the company to achieve its targeted capacity of 41.85 MTPA by FY29.

Nilesh Narwekar, CEO, JSW Cement, highlighted that the expansion aligns with the company’s strategy to tap into rapidly growing northern markets driven by infrastructure development. He noted that the company remains focused on delivering high-quality, eco-friendly cement solutions while progressing towards its long-term capacity goal of 60 MTPA.

The Nagaur plant has been designed with sustainability features, including co-processing of alternative fuels and a 7 km overland belt conveyor for limestone transport to reduce road emissions. The facility will also incorporate a 16 MW Waste Heat Recovery System to improve energy efficiency and lower its carbon footprint.

JSW Cement, part of the JSW Group, operates across the building materials value chain and currently has eight plants across India, along with a clinker unit in the UAE through its joint venture.