Concrete

Evolving in response to customer needs

Published

9 months ago

November 17, 2025

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Tushar Kulkarni, Business Head – Minerals – Cement & Mining, Innomotics India, shares insights on digitalisation technologies that are powering the cement industry’s transition.

From high-performance motor and drive systems to AI-powered optimisation and digital twins, Innomotics is leading a quiet revolution in the cement sector’s electrification and automation landscape. Its deep domain expertise—spanning over three decades—now converges with advanced digitalisation to make plants smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable. In this conversation, Tushar Kulkarni, Business Head – Minerals – Cement & Mining, Innomotics India, discusses how Innomotics’ innovations, including the new High Voltage Compact (HVC) motors, CEMAT automation platform, and AI-driven process solutions, are empowering cement manufacturers to achieve operational excellence and decarbonisation goals simultaneously.

How is Innomotics redefining the ‘motion and drive’ paradigm specifically for the cement industry?
Our products and solutions for the cement industry incorporate more than 35 years of experience and collaboration with the world’s leading cement companies. They are based on proven standards and tailored to the specific demands of your industry. Since many decades, Innomotics prides itself as a technology provider in Electrification and Automation space and continuously supports various cement manufacturers in operating plants in efficient condition – be it energy efficiency, plant uptime and reliable operations.
In today’s Industry 4.0 era, Innomotics with innovative and state-of-the-art digitalisation solutions specific to cement manufacturing, is set to boost our customers’ effort in achieving sustainability goals by enabling them in adapting to fast changing market scenario and maintain their competitive position with continuous improvement in productivity, efficiency and optimum utilisation of resources.

What recent breakthroughs in motor / drive technology are you most excited about?
We have recently launched our High Voltage Compact (HVC) motor portfolio. The high voltage compact IEC motors cover a power range from 150 kW to 2.7 MW, in the various cooling types for low installation heights – in addition to classic fin cooling, also available with water jacket cooling. With these versions, they seamlessly cover the corresponding power and application ranges – from basic or standard up to sector-specific applications. They can also address extreme requirements with degree of protection up to IP66. The compact motors set themselves apart because of its high-power density and compact design that applies across the board. Due to their outstanding reliability, as well as low maintenance, they boost plant and system availability and reduce energy costs based on their high efficiencies.
For three decades, Innomotics Perfect Harmony GH180 has stood as a defining force in medium voltage drive technology, transforming industry standards with unmatched reliability and digital innovation. This milestone celebrates a legacy of engineering excellence that continues to empower customers worldwide.
Since its introduction, the GH180 has gained global recognition as a trusted leader. Its innovative modular cell architecture delivers safe and efficient medium voltage power. With more than 25,000 installations internationally, the success of the GH180 rests on three core commitments:

1. Unwavering reliability and consistency
Providing steady and predictable operation that minimises downtime while maximising confidence.
2. Continuous innovation with user-centric efficiency
Evolving in response to customer needs, ensuring intuitive and accessible operation at every stage.
3. Advanced digital integration
Leveraging smart technologies through Inspire IQ, the company’s IIoT digitalisation solution for drive systems, to enhance performance and connectivity within the framework of Industry 4.0.

Describe how your CEMAT automation platform brings new value in cement plant operations?
Cement manufacturing is an exhaustive process, from Quarry to Lorry, and requires a high number of equipment to be controlled and signals to be monitored. Designed specifically for the Cement and Mining industries, CEMAT library efficiently operates processes with many interlocks and equipment, keeping the equipment safe.
Customers are continuously looking for efficient resource utilisation, without compromising the quality and performance KPIs. Here is where CEMAT an integrated process control system with cement and mining standards comes into view. CEMAT is not just about delivering some operation blocks but setting up plant operation culture in the right perspective, backed by 50+ years of experience and knowledge embedded in its DNA. Due to the legacy of CEMAT (900 installations worldwide), many cement manufacturers already speak the CEMAT language, making it easier for new customers to adapt to it quickly. Offering excellent process automation and a solid base for digitalisation, it plays a key role in all phases of cement production.

How are AI / data analytics solutions like AIKiln or AIMill (or equivalent) being used in cement plants?
Our DigiMine AI Pyro & AI Mill solutions provide optimum setpoints for Pyro and Mill automation systems, ensuring efficient and stable operations and thereby enhancing productivity and energy optimisation.
These solutions are powered by self-learning AI technology, which can adapt its algorithms in case of changes in the process or operating environment. AI Simulator – part of the solution further enables process teams to identify improvement areas and validate improvement steps virtually, saving time and material wastage in trying implementations of different steps at site.

In what ways does your portfolio support retrofits in legacy cement plants?
The PCS7 CEMAT-based automation solutions are truly scalable. It supports multiple versions in a single project; this enables individual sections to upgrade while other sections are in operation.
In new builds, the scalable capability of CEMAT automation solutions supports simultaneous commissioning of various plant sections, which helps in reducing the overall commissioning time.
For plant revamps, CEMAT automation solutions support cement manufacturers in scaling the plant while many sections are still in operation. Hence, with reduced overall downtime, customers can easily plan plant expansions during revamps.
For motors and drives, when their service life ends, we can modernise them either with a retrofit or an upgrade, depending on operational goals. Our tiered services cater to customer needs and can help assess the right approach for their goals, including what to do once the end of the lifecycle has been reached.
When the time has come, our drive retrofit and upgrade services provides customer production systems with the latest advancements for a high reliability and availability. A retrofit gives a functional replacement of the original drive, which may have unique properties or a special function. Upgrades, on the other hand, are more common – replacing section of the drives with new technology.
When the lifecycle of motor or generator comes to an end, Innomotics offers different options to cover your asset. This can either be a replica where the whole existing machine will be reproduced.
If customer prefer to choose a retrofit, the
latest technology machine from the current portfolio will be used with interface adaptions to fit into the existing installation.

What’s your approach to co-innovating with cement OEMs, plants, or academic R&D partners?
For over four years, we have been working and developing digital AI based process optimisation solutions like AI Pyro and AI Mill in close collaboration with domain and subject matter experts in cement production. Therefore, our digitalisation solutions bring a unique combination of process expertise and latest digital AI technology, thereby improving efficiency and productivity of process by identifying best operating parameter values and further optimising them based on current conditions.
These solutions are tested live in cement processes such as Pyro and Cement Mill at different cement plants, yielding promising outcomes. It creates its own knowledge database of good and bad operating conditions which it keeps on updating during operation, also considering feedback from expert and operator on a continuous basis, which makes the solution become more intelligent over the time, thereby recommending enhanced set point and improving process optimisation.

Over the next 5–10 years, which radical or disruptive technologies (beyond current stage) do you believe Innomotics must lead in?
The current advancement in electrical and automation technologies has enabled the system to achieve its peak performance for day-to-day activities far smoother than it was earlier. Also, Industry 4.0 has enabled automation systems to provide efficient and consistent data.
With this advancement, AI-based systems have started receiving continuous meaningful data to perform many activities, which has allowed AI / ML models to predict outcomes accurately, thereby helping customers achieve their sustainability goals.
Currently, we are implementing specific process AI systems i.e. AI Pyro and AI Mill. With our futuristic goal to develop a single AI system for the entire cement manufacturing process, we are on path to develop a common platform which can connect with different automation / third-party systems to collect data seamlessly, provide Analytics Dashboards and Reports 24X7 as well as provide set-points for control parameters from Quarry to Lorry.

Reference: Insights Magazine, Innomotics.com

Table 3a: Impact of Digital Tools
Achievable Improvements from AI Pyro: Derived Benefits:
• Specific heat consumption by 3 per cent – 5 per cent decrease
• AFR (Alternative Fuels) usage up to 5 per cent Increase
• Increase Process stability • Consistent clinker quality associated with stable process
• CO2 reduction
• Sulphur Content reduction
• NOx Content reduction
• Detection of preheater jamming at earlier stages

Achievable Improvements from AI Pyro: Derived Benefits:
• Productivity (Throughput) by 3 per cent – 5 per cent increase
• Specific Power Consumption up to 2 per cent Decrease • Increased machine availability

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Cement Makers’ Margins To Fall Rs 50-75 Per Tonne Amid West Asia Conflict

Crisil Sees Margins Easing Despite Steady Demand

Published

2 weeks ago

July 29, 2026

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Crisil said operating margins of Indian cement manufacturers are expected to decline by Rs 50-75 per tonne (t) this fiscal to Rs 925-950 per t due to higher input costs triggered by the West Asia conflict. The analysis covered 18 cement companies accounting for nearly 90 per cent of India’s domestic cement capacity and noted margins had improved sharply to around Rs 1,000 per t in fiscal 2026.

Crisil noted that the reduction would be driven mainly by higher power and fuel costs, which account for about 30 per cent of total costs, as petcoke and imported coal prices have surged amid geopolitical uncertainties. Freight costs, which account for about a quarter of total costs, are also expected to remain elevated because of higher diesel prices. The impact on profitability is likely to be more pronounced in the first half of the fiscal year before easing commodity prices moderate cost pressures later.

The rating agency said steady domestic demand and strong balance sheets should keep credit profiles stable despite the moderation in margins. Green energy currently accounts for 35-40 per cent of the sector’s total electricity consumption and is expected to partly cushion higher energy costs. Operating cash flows are likely to remain resilient, supported by projected 6-7 per cent growth in cement demand this fiscal.

Crisil highlighted that demand growth will be driven primarily by infrastructure spending, which meets about one-third of sector consumption, and by a nearly 18 per cent higher budgetary allocation for core ministries that should support project execution. Weaker rural housing demand amid pressure on agricultural incomes from a possible below-average monsoon may be offset by improved urban housing demand supported by favourable home-loan rates and a strong pipeline of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban projects. Ongoing capacity additions will keep capital expenditure elevated and may lift net debt to EBITDA to between 1.2 and 1.4 times from around 1.0 time last fiscal, though ratios are expected to remain healthy.

Concrete

UltraTech Board Approves Rs 50 bn Fundraise Via NCDs

Company to issue half a million debentures for expansion plan

Published

2 weeks ago

July 28, 2026

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UltraTech Cement’s board of directors has approved raising Rs 5,000 crore (Rs 50 bn) through non?convertible debentures issued in rupees.

The finance committee cleared a proposal to issue up to 500,000 fully paid, unsecured, listed, rated, redeemable, rupee?denominated, non?convertible, non?cumulative debentures of Rs 1 lakh each (Rs 0.1 mn each), aggregating to the Rs 5,000 crore programme.

As of June 2026 the firm reported net debt of Rs 15,875 crore (Rs 158.75 bn) and said its capacity expansion projects under execution are backed by capital expenditure of about Rs 17,000 crore (Rs 170 bn) over the next two to two?and?a?half years.

UltraTech spent Rs 9,500 crore (Rs 95 bn) on capital expenditure in financial year 2026 and in April the group crossed 200.1 mn tonnes per annum of domestic grey cement capacity and 205.5 mn tonnes per annum of global capacity.

The chief financial officer indicated the company would take consolidated capacity beyond 242 mn tonnes per annum, with grey cement capacity reaching 212.7 mn tonnes per annum by the end of financial year 2027. He noted the net debt?to?earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation ratio stood at 0.87 times as of June 2026 and the company was confident of ending financial year 2027 with the ratio below one time.

In the first quarter of financial year 2026?27 UltraTech’s net profit attributable to owners rose 16.8 per cent year?on?year to Rs 2,599.3 crore (Rs 25.993 bn) and revenue from operations increased 15.9 per cent to Rs 24,648.20 crore (Rs 246.482 bn). The board approval is expected to complement internal cash flows as the company advances its expansion programme.

Concrete

Lokesh Lays Stone For Rs 31 Billion Cement Unit In Kadapa

Line-2 expansion to make Kadapa a major cement hub

Published

3 weeks ago

July 20, 2026

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Andhra Pradesh Education and IT Minister Nara Lokesh on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for the Line-2 expansion of Dalmia Bharat Cement at Chinnakomerla village in Mylavaram Mandal in Kadapa district. The project carries an investment of Rs 31 billion (bn) and is slated for completion by the third quarter of the financial year 2028. The expansion is intended to boost industrial growth and employment generation across the Rayalaseema region.

Once commissioned, the Kadapa facility will become Dalmia Bharat’s largest integrated cement manufacturing ecosystem in southern India, creating over 1,000 direct and indirect jobs and opening new business avenues for regional micro, small and medium enterprises and transport operators. Lokesh said the expansion signalled growing corporate confidence in the state and reflected the practical ease of doing business that secured repeat investment.

He placed the project within the government’s wider economic targets and recalled the Yuvagalam padayatra commitment to generate two million (mn) jobs within five years, noting that the state would cultivate talent while industry created opportunities. Lokesh highlighted Andhra Pradesh’s competitive pursuit of major manufacturing accounts, mentioning past successes and a personal initiative to engage global investors when persuading them to anchor expansion in the state.

The plant will leverage Kadapa’s abundant limestone reserves to scale production and sustainability. Clinker capacity is planned to rise from two point five million tonnes per annum (mn tpa) to six point one mn tpa, while overall cement output will increase from three point six mn tpa to nine point six mn tpa. The unit is designed to operate on over eighty per cent renewable energy and deploy waste heat recovery, zero liquid discharge, water recycling and advanced AI systems to optimise efficiency. Industries Minister TG Bharat, BC Welfare Minister S. Savitha and Jammalamadugu MLA C. Adinarayana Reddy attended the ceremony.