Concrete

Safety is a top priority when handling alternative fuels

Published

1 year ago

March 11, 2025

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Indrendra Singh Raghuwanshi, Sales Head – Cement Division, ATS Conveyors talks about how advanced bulk material handling solutions enables cement plants to optimise alternative fuel integration, enhance efficiency and drive sustainability.

As the cement industry transitions toward sustainability, efficient handling of alternative fuels has become a critical focus. In this interview, ATS experts share insights into their cutting-edge technologies, safety measures, and future-focused developments that are transforming bulk material handling in the cement sector.

Can you summarise ATS Group’s expertise in bulk material handling for the cement industry?
ATS Group is a recognised leader in bulk material handling solutions for the cement industry, offering a comprehensive range of services and equipment designed to optimise the efficiency and safety of cement production. Our expertise lies in providing innovative, reliable, and cost-effective systems for storage, dosing, conveying and feeding a wide range of AFR materials. Providing support at every stage, from engineering and design to installation, commissioning, and ongoing maintenance. With decades of experience in the cement industry, ATS Group’s innovative material handling technologies enable cement manufacturers to achieve smoother operations, higher Thermal Substitution Ratio (TSR) and long-term operational success.

How does your WMH department help cement plants adopt alternative fuels effectively?
The Walter Material Handling Division of ATS Group plays a crucial role in helping cement plants adopt alternative fuels by providing tailored solutions that ensure the safe, efficient, and cost-effective handling of these materials. As the industry moves towards sustainability, alternative fuels such as Municipal solid waste (MSW), Biomass and Refuse-derived fuel (RDF) are used more commonly in cement production processes. Our expertise enables cement plants to incorporate these fuels with minimal disruption and maximum benefits by the Customised Fuel Handling Systems, AFR storage handling solutions, safety and environmental, expert consultation and support provided by ATS team.

What innovations set your bulk material handling solutions apart in addressing challenges like precision dosing and storage?
Our bulk material handling solutions stand out due to several innovations that address key challenges such as precision dosing and storage. These innovations are designed to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and flexibility, ensuring optimal performance even in complex and demanding environments like cement production. Precise dosing is done using equipment like Weigh Belt Feeder and TWIN Doseahorse whereas storage challenges are easily addressed by the fully automated Grab Crane of ATS.

How do you ensure your systems handle diverse alternative fuels reliably?
Ensuring that our systems handle diverse alternative fuels reliably is at the core of our engineering approach. Alternative fuels, such as biomass, MSW, RDF and industrial waste vary significantly in terms of composition, size, moisture content, and combustibility. All our systems are designed with flexibility and robustness to meet the unique challenges posed by these heterogeneous fuels while maintaining operational efficiency and safety. Also, before deployment to site, we conduct extensive testing for our equipment to ensure that they can reliably handle alternative fuels under a variety of conditions. This includes testing different fuel types, moisture levels, and feeding rates to identify any potential challenges. Our systems are then fine-tuned during the commissioning phase to ensure optimal performance in real-world conditions.

What safety measures are in place for secure alternative fuel handling and kiln feeding?
Safety is a top priority when handling alternative fuels, especially given the potential hazards such as dust generation, flammability and variations in material properties. Our systems are designed with comprehensive safety measures to ensure the secure handling of alternative fuels throughout the entire process, from storage and transport to kiln feeding. The key safety measures foreseen in ATS machines include provision for ATEX components, Temperature sensors, sprinklers and using high temperature material of construction as and where required. Also, ATS supplied machines are integrated with the central control room of cement plants for centralised monitoring, control and diagnosis on real time basis.

How does ATS Group’s material handling support sustainability goals in the cement sector?
The cement industry is energy-intensive and traditionally relies on fossil fuels, but ATS Group’s material handling systems are designed to help cement plants transition to more sustainable practices while maintaining operational efficiency. ATS systems plays a key role in supporting sustainability goals within the cement sector through innovative solutions that optimise alternative fuels handling and integration to maximise energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and promote environmental responsibility by waste reduction to contribute for the circular economy.

What future trends in bulk material handling is ATS Group focusing on for the cement industry and have you designed any new innovative product to meet the futuristic demands?
ATS Group, through its Walter Material Handling division, is focused on several key trends in AFR material handling for the cement industry to stay ahead of evolving industry demands, technological advances, and sustainability goals. As cement plants increasingly shift towards more sustainable practices, the efficient handling of AFR materials is becoming more important. By focusing on these trends, ATS Group is actively developing solutions that not only support cement industry’s shift toward sustainable practices but also enhance operational efficiency and reduce environmental impact these solutions include Walt’Air (Air Floating Belt Conveyor). This machine is engineered to address some unique challenges like, accommodating a new conveying system using minimal space utilisation and with minimum changes in the existing plant infrastructure, ensuring safe and spillage-free transportation of AFR for long distances with reduced power consumption as well as low CAPEX and OPEX. Additionally, ATS has developed TWIN Doseahorse which was awarded with the prestigious Product of the year Award in 14th Cement EXPO 2023. This is a specialised solution having common inlet and dual outlet for consistent and accurate division of AFR material to feed in, two different feeding points for individual Kiln or for dual kiln feed, enhancing both economic and environmental performance in cement plants.

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Concrete

Shree Cement Targets Above Industry Volume Growth In FY27

Chairman says firm will favour organic expansion and higher dividends

Published

1 day ago

June 16, 2026

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Shree Cement expects to outpace the industry in the financial year 2026-27 as it pursues organic expansion and pricing discipline following a recent investor conference. The chairman said the company has completed a pricing realignment and recovered volumes lost during that exercise. Management signalled a clear preference for internal investments rather than acquisitions to support growth.

The company reported that capacity additions and demand growth across core markets are expected to underpin stronger volume performance, with a target of growing volumes at around 1.1 times the industry growth rate. Cash levels are likely to decline as capital expenditure progresses and shareholder distributions increase, the chairman indicated. The board has prioritised higher dividends over a buyback as a means of reducing excess cash.

Shree Cement described a market shift towards value and affordability rather than a race to the lowest price, which links demand expansion more closely with pricing. Historically, prices have risen at around three per cent annually over long periods, the company noted, and while prices may increase faster this year because of cost pressures from geopolitical tensions, a material improvement in industry profitability is not anticipated. In North India, the company expects additional capacity to be absorbed as demand grows, estimating a requirement of roughly 10 million (mn) tonne (t) of incremental demand annually.

The next phase of expansion will focus on the north, west, east and northeast regions, with existing projects and planned capacities viewed as sufficient to meet future demand without pursuing acquisitions. Management said it has already regained lost volumes while sustaining higher prices and will continue to monitor regional opportunities, including a possible investment in West Bengal pending clarity on industrial policy. The company, which has a current market capitalisation of Rs 852,948.9 mn, has seen its shares lose more than 20 per cent over the past year.

Concrete

Ramco Cements’ Hard Worker Campaign Wins Seven Awards

Campaign earns honours for direction, editing and cinematography

Published

2 days ago

June 15, 2026

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The Hard Worker campaign by The Ramco Cements has secured seven honours at the Good Ads Matter Awards 2026, adding to its growing list of accolades and reinforcing its standing among the year’s most recognised advertising campaigns.

The awards were presented during the Good Ads Matter Awards Night 2026 held at Mehboob Studios in Mumbai. The campaign received recognition across multiple categories, highlighting excellence in direction, editing, cinematography and storytelling.

Among the honours, the campaign won Silver in the Campaign of the Year – Direction category, while filmmaker Prakash Varma was named Director of the Year for the films Tortoise & Hare and Eco Plaster. Tortoise & Hare also received Silver awards for Best Editing and Best Colour Grading, along with a Bronze award for Best Cinematography. Eco Plaster earned Bronze awards in the Best Direction – Narrative and Best Direction – Humour categories.

Both films extended their award-winning run, with Eco Plaster being recognised for its narrative centred on water conservation through innovative construction solutions, while Tortoise & Hare was honoured for its storytelling and craft execution.

The Hard Worker campaign was built around the idea that hard work deserves recognition and respect. Through culturally rooted and emotionally engaging stories, the campaign has connected with consumers, engineers, masons and the wider construction community across the country.

Commenting on the achievement, A V Dharmakrishnan, CEO of The Ramco Cements Limited, said that the continued recognition across leading creative platforms reflects the company’s commitment to meaningful and authentic communication rooted in the values of the people it serves.

Balaji K Moorthy, Executive Director – Marketing, The Ramco Cements Limited, said the awards recognise the craftsmanship behind the storytelling, from direction and cinematography to editing and narrative execution.

Following recognition at both the Kyoorius Creative Awards and the Good Ads Matter Awards, the Hard Worker campaign continues to demonstrate the impact of purpose-driven storytelling combined with strong creative execution and consumer relevance.

Concrete

Cement Makers Reaffirm Commitment to Sustainable Growth

Published

2 weeks ago

June 5, 2026

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World Environment Day spotlight on innovation and circularity

On World Environment Day, the Indian cement industry reiterated its commitment to supporting India’s climate ambitions through sustainable manufacturing, resource efficiency and the adoption of cleaner technologies.

The Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA) said the sector remains aligned with the Government of India’s Net Zero commitments and is accelerating efforts to reduce its environmental footprint while supporting the country’s infrastructure and development agenda.

Parth Jindal, President, CMA and Managing Director, JSW Cement, said the industry is increasingly adopting cleaner technologies, improving energy efficiency and expanding the use of alternative fuels and raw materials. He also highlighted the growing importance of circular economy practices, where industrial by-products and waste streams from one sector are utilised as resources in another.

“The Indian Cement Industry is aligned to the Government’s commitments on carbon mitigation and is accelerating the adoption of cleaner technologies, resource efficiency and circular economy practices while actively exploring the potential of Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) as a critical pathway for deep decarbonisation,” said Jindal.

He added that coprocessing industrial waste and by-products helps conserve natural resources, reduce disposal requirements and lower the environmental footprint across multiple sectors.

According to Jindal, sustainability is no longer limited to manufacturing processes but is increasingly influencing investment decisions, innovation strategies and long-term growth plans within the industry.

Echoing similar views, Dr Raghavpat Singhania, Vice President, CMA and Managing Director, JK Cement, said sustainable development extends beyond emissions reduction and must also focus on responsible resource utilisation and waste minimisation.

“Sustainability in the built environment cannot be measured by emissions alone. It is equally about how efficiently we use resources, how effectively we minimise waste and how responsibly we create the infrastructure that will serve future generations,” said Singhania.

He noted that the cement industry is advancing its sustainability agenda through greater resource efficiency, increased circularity, technological innovation and continuous improvements in manufacturing practices. As a key contributor to India’s infrastructure development, the sector has a critical role to play in balancing economic growth with environmental responsibility.

On the occasion of World Environment Day, industry leaders reaffirmed their commitment to supporting India’s climate goals while delivering the materials required for resilient, durable and sustainable infrastructure.