Concrete

Typhoon air cannons unblock success in cement production

Published

2 years ago

October 16, 2024

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Saurashtra Cement resolved frequent chute jams at its Gujarat plant by installing Martin® Typhoon Air Cannons, which significantly reduced downtime, manual labour, and safety risks. The solution improved operational efficiency, lowered costs, and enhanced worker safety, transforming the plant’s performance.

Solution: Martin® Typhoon Air Cannons

Industry: Cement

Location: Saurashtra Cement, Ranavav, Porbandar, Gujarat, India

Problem: In the bustling Saurashtra Cement Ltd plant in Ranavav, Gujarat, a relentless challenge emerged: chute jams disrupting operations every 3 to 4 hours, requiring arduous manual cleaning. This routine not only erodes operational hours but also incurs unnecessary costs. The dedicated workforce found itself trapped in a cycle of labour-intensive manual cleaning, giving rise to numerous safety risks. The operational team needed a solution to address the continuous chute blockages.

Air cannons prevent material build-up and minimise the need for manual cleaning.

Solution: The team at Saurashtra approached Martin’s expert team, who proposed a game-changing solution – an array of 10 Martin® Typhoon Air Cannons, each with a 70 litre capacity. Embracing this innovation, the plant management commissioned Martin to install Martin Typhoons to tackle the chute jamming challenge. The carefully timed compressed air bursts from these air cannons are designed to prevent material build-up and minimise the need for manual cleaning. This efficiency not only reduced downtime but also resulted in substantial cost savings and, most importantly improved health and safety for
the workforce.

Result: Implemented over the past year, the game-changing Martin® Air Cannons solution drastically reduced material buildups and blockages at the part of the plant. Manual interventions like poking and hammering are now relics of the past, replaced by the power of Martin’s innovation. The results exceeded expectations and in a short timespan the innovative Martin® Typhoon Air Cannons were a catalyst for a more efficient, cost-effective, and robust cement production process. Now the plant is seen as a beacon of efficiency and success, proving the transformative impact of the right solution.

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Concrete

Cement Production Up Eight Point Six Per Cent To 491.4 mn t In FY26

Icra Sees Seven To Eight Per Cent Growth In FY27

Published

2 hours ago

May 4, 2026

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Icra reported that cement production volumes rose by eight point six per cent in the financial year 2026 to 491.4 million (mn) metric tonne (t). March output was 48.4 mn t, up four per cent year on year on a high base.

The agency projected that volumes are expected to grow by seven to eight per cent in the current financial year, supported by sustained demand from the housing and infrastructure sectors. Average cement prices were reported to have remained flat in March at Rs 340 per bag on a month on month basis, while prices for FY26 increased by two per cent to Rs 345 per bag year on year.

Among inputs, coal prices declined by 17 per cent year on year to USD 102 per t in April 2026 while petcoke prices rose sharply by 19 per cent month on month and 22 per cent year on year to around Rs 15,800 per t in April. Petcoke was higher by about five per cent year on year in FY26 and diesel prices were reported to have remained steady. Icra noted that coal, petcoke and diesel are expected to trend higher in FY27 and remain exposed to risks from the ongoing West Asia conflict.

The report emphasised that operating margins for Icra’s sample set of companies are estimated to moderate by 200 to 400 basis points (bps) in FY27 on account of a likely increase in input costs, with further downside risks should crude prices rise owing to geopolitical tensions. However, debt protection metrics are projected to remain comfortable and Icra maintained a stable outlook on the Indian cement sector.

Concrete

UltraTech Cement FY26 PAT Crosses Rs 80 bn

Company reports record sales, profit and 200 MTPA capacity milestone

Published

5 days ago

April 29, 2026

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UltraTech Cement reported record financial performance for Q4 and FY26, supported by strong volumes, higher profitability and improved cost efficiency. Consolidated net sales for Q4 FY26 rose 12 per cent year-on-year to Rs 254.67 billion, while PBIDT increased 20 per cent to Rs 56.88 billion. PAT, excluding exceptional items, grew 21 per cent to Rs 30.11 billion.

For FY26, consolidated net sales stood at Rs 873.84 billion, up 17 per cent from Rs 749.36 billion in FY25. PBIDT rose 32 per cent to Rs 175.98 billion, while PAT increased 36 per cent to Rs 83.05 billion, crossing the Rs 80 billion mark for the first time.

India grey cement volumes reached 42.41 million tonnes in Q4 FY26, up 9.3 per cent year-on-year, with capacity utilisation at 89 per cent. Full-year India grey cement volumes stood at 145 million tonnes. Energy costs declined 3 per cent, aided by a higher green power mix of 43 per cent in Q4.

The company’s domestic grey cement capacity has crossed 200 MTPA, reaching 200.1 MTPA, while global capacity stands at 205.5 MTPA. UltraTech also recommended a special dividend of Rs 2.40 billion per share value basis equivalent to Rs 240.

Concrete

Towards Mega Batching

Optimised batching can drive overall efficiencies in large projects.

Published

6 days ago

April 28, 2026

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India’s pace of infrastructure development is pushing the construction sector to work at a significantly higher scale than previously. Tight deadlines necessitate eliminating concreting delays, especially in large and mega projects, which, in turn, imply installing the right batching plant and ensuring batching is efficient. CW explores these steps as well as the gaps in India’s batching plant market.

Choose well

Large-scale infrastructure and building projects typically involve concrete consumption exceeding 30,000-50,000 cum per annum or demand continuous, high-volume pours within compressed timelines, according to Rahul R Wadhai, DGM – Quality, Tata Projects.

Considering the daily need for concrete, “large-scale concreting involves pouring more than 1,000–2,000 cum per day while mega projects involve more than 3,000 cum per day,” says Satish R Vachhani, Advanced Concrete & Construction Consultant…

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