Economy & Market

Unattended issues become risks

Published

9 months ago

July 23, 2025

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Sudeshna Banerjee, Managing Director, PS Digitech HR India, discusses project execution in cement and infrastructure through technology, transparency and on-time delivery.

From pioneering structured project management in Indian cement to enabling defence and infrastructure builds across borders, PS Digitech HR India has redefined on-site execution with tech-driven precision. Led by Sudeshna Banerjee and Prasenjit Dutta, the company is steering complex industrial projects toward timely, efficient, and sustainable outcomes. In this interview, Banerjee shares how innovation and discipline are driving real impact in the cement sector and beyond.

Tell us about your company’s association with the cement industry.
I and my business partner Prasenjit Dutta, who brings over 35 years of industry experience, started this company with a clear vision of offering value-driven services to the industrial sector. Initially, our journey began under the name Digitech HR, focused exclusively on training. We provided training in CAD design software, project management and behavioural development, among others. Over time, we expanded into engineering design and detailing, catering to reputed clients like VIL Engineering Corporation, BK Engineering Corporation and others.
In 2008, we took a major step forward by venturing into project management consultancy, starting with ACC Cement’s Gagal plant. This marked our entry into on-site consultancy for the cement industry—an area that had previously seen minimal engagement of external project management teams. According to industry veteran Sumit Banerjee, we were among the first to introduce structured project management consultancy in India’s cement sector.
Our methodology includes deploying engineers on-site, supported by a robust back-end team that handles planning, scheduling, and monitoring. The objective is to ensure projects are completed on time and within budget, which in turn helps cement manufacturers realise faster ROI. Over time, we expanded our offerings to include safety management, quality management, engineering design reviews, and third-party safety and quality audits. Today, we serve most of the leading cement companies in India and are expanding internationally as well.

What impact has your work had on cement projects, and how has it changed project timelines or outcomes?
When we first started working with cement companies, project delays were fairly common. Timelines often extended much longer than initially estimated. With our structured approach to project management—built on strong domain knowledge and process discipline—we introduced systems that helped our clients stay on track.
Once we entered the picture, they began to see tangible changes. Projects started being completed on schedule. And the most important part? Return on Investment (ROI) was realised faster. That’s what really matters to the client. Faster completion means faster operationalisation, which means revenue generation begins earlier.
Over time, cement companies began to recognise the value of professional project management services. We have worked with companies across the cement landscape, including ACC, Ambuja, and Star Cement in the Northeast. Beyond cement, we have also handled complex infrastructure projects—like a 400-kilometre railway line in Sri Lanka and bulletproof bunkers along the China border for India’s Military Engineering Services. We’ve even worked with edible oil refineries and multiple public sector units. Though based in Kolkata, we serve clients pan-India and abroad.

How is evolving technology helping your work and the cement industry as a whole?
Technology has been a game-changer for us. When we started project management services, we used MS Project for scheduling and tracking. But as our projects scaled, MS Project wasn’t sufficient to handle the volume and complexity of data involved. So, we adopted Primavera, bought the necessary licenses, and deployed it as a cloud-based solution to enhance collaboration and accessibility. Then, we developed our own proprietary database management tool called ‘Projector’, which stores all reports and project updates, enabling clients to access real-time data anytime, from anywhere.
In addition, we created a mobile-based application called PSH that offers a dashboard experience. Senior management often doesn’t have time to go through detailed reports. So, PSH allows them to access key metrics like risk management indicators, S-curves, and project health summaries in a snapshot format—right on their phones. This real-time visibility allows for quicker decision-making and better
risk management.
We are also exploring artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and drone-based technologies to enhance project tracking and safety assessments. These innovations will play a pivotal role in the future of smart project management.

What are some of the key challenges you face in this field?
One of the biggest challenges is mindset. Many organisations are still hesitant about bringing in third-party project management consultants. They sometimes refer to us as spies, which we take in good humour—but it reflects a deeper misunderstanding. What they don’t immediately see is that we are not there to find faults—we are there to expedite projects. We serve as a bridge between clients and stakeholders, with the sole aim of ensuring timely and budget-friendly completion.
Another challenge is internal bias. Often, internal project management teams are not neutral. They may downplay issues to avoid scrutiny or delay reporting problems to higher management. This creates risks. Our independent oversight helps surface unattended issues early, allowing forproactive intervention.
Our approach is built on transparency and early issue resolution. We always say: ‘Unattended issues become risks.’ The earlier they’re identified, the easier they are to solve. Also, we emphasise safety and quality as the two foundational pillars of every successful project. Without them, timelines and budgets can spiral out of control.
The cement industry is talking a lot about sustainability, net zero and decarbonisation. How is your company contributing to these goals?
Sustainability is indeed the need of the hour, and we are actively engaged in Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) projects for multiple cement companies. WHR is an excellent way for plants to utilise their exhaust heat to generate electricity, which reduces fuel consumption and emissions. We have also worked on alternative fuel projects, helping companies transition away from fossil fuels. Beyond cement, we advise on sustainable practices in infrastructure projects as well.
As a service-based organisation, our direct emissions may be minimal, but our impact lies in guiding our clients to make data-driven, eco-conscious decisions. We also stress the importance of efficient baghouse implementation to manage dust and emissions, which is critical for both compliance and environmental health.

Where do you see PS Digitech HR heading in the next few years?
We are already working with top cement companies in India and have ventured into sectors like defence, railways, oil refineries and infrastructure. Our next step is to expand internationally, offering our expertise to global projects. We are also investing heavily in AI, ML and drone-based solutions for real-time site monitoring and data analysis.
Our vision is clear: we want to be technology-driven enablers who ensure that every project—be it cement, defence or infrastructure—is completed on time, within budget and without compromise on safety or quality.

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Economy & Market

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

Published

4 days ago

April 27, 2026

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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

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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

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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.