Economy & Market

Indian Cement Review Conference 2025

Published

11 months ago

December 12, 2025

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The ICR Conference explored the theme of driving sustainability through technology, wherein industry experts shared insights on policy, market synergies and technological pathways that are aiding low-carbon, efficient and sustainable construction. Through insightful panel discussions and presentations, innovative and path-breaking ideas emerged that would lead the Indian cement sector towards a brighter, greener future. The Multilogistix Conference was also held concurrently, which comprised building smarter, more sustainable supply chains and digital transformation.

The conference started with the VIP guests participating in the lamp lighting and ribbon cutting ceremonies, followed by a welcome speech by Pratap Padode, Founder, ASAPP Info Global Group & Editor-in-Chief Indian Cement Review; and an address by Sumit Banerjee, Director, JSW Cement and Former MD, ACC and Chairman of Editorial Advisory Board of Indian Cement Review. Guests of Honour Sudhanshu Pandey, Election Commissioner (UTs); Sagar Kadu, Director – Logistics Division, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India; and Sanjay Bhatia, Upalokayukta, Govt of Maharashtra, Chairman of MultiLogistix Committee, also enlightened the audience with their insights.
In his welcome speech Padode pointed out, “Today, we are talking about decarbonisation, which is the theme of our conference and of our annual issue, and we have COP30 going on in Brazil at the same time.
And yes, it’s a difficult subject to tackle in a year or a decade or even a couple of decades, but we are seriously recognising it—probably by force of nature—but we are. And I think government policy is supporting the move to make sustainability a part of the exercise that all companies have to undergo. Infrastructure is on a roll as far as our country is concerned. Eleven trillion rupees have been allocated in our budget, which is still short of what ought to be. We should be somewhere in the range of 16 to 17 trillion, as per the plan made by the government themselves earlier. But we can see visible changes in cities.”

Thoughts on decarbonisation
In his speech, Kadu said, “Today, when we speak about India’s Vision 2047 or the USD 32 trillion economic goal, logistics is playing an extremely important role. As all economic sectors evolve, the logistics sector is also rapidly transforming—adapting to change, embracing innovation, and strengthening collaboration. Conferences like this, and partnerships among stakeholders, allow us to exchange ideas, understand each other’s needs, and build the kind of cooperative ecosystem that lies at the core of government policies such as PM GatiShakti and the National Logistics Policy. Whether it is cement, steel or agriculture, bringing sectors together and learning from industry experience is central to how we design policies going forward.
Cement plays a vital role in major national programmes like Sagarmala, Bharatmala and various Pariyojanas, and therefore seamless infrastructure connectivity becomes essential from both the government and industry perspective.”
Giving insights on the theme, Pandey elaborated, “Collaboration is not just a slogan, it is a realistic path forward, which we all must encompass. The next decade offers unprecedented opportunities for the sector as India’s infrastructure growth history is unfolding gradually.
The alternative raw materials and fuels from industrial by-products like fly ash, slag to agricultural residues and green hydrogen, and the potential to replace carbon intensive inputs is immense. The carbon capture and utilisation technologies and converting it into construction material or chemicals are rapidly evolving. India can be a testbed for all such technologies. Circular economy is another area where we all have to work. The cement sector can play a central role in waste, co-processing, reducing landfill burdens and supporting the Swachh Bharat Mission in a big way. Green financing will give us to access climate finance, green bonds and ESG linked funding, which can accelerate adoption of clean technologies across the value chain.”
“I am very optimistic about what is happening in India. I was part of the team that prepared the Sagar Mala vision and later the Vision 2030 for shipping and ports. I remember deliberating across nearly 250 meetings with all kinds of stakeholders at that time, including the private sector. And now, I am actually seeing the results of that work. PM Gati Shakti is essentially a combination of Sagar Mala, Bharat Mala, the railways—all integrated together. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there is now a PM Gati Shakti University dedicated entirely to logistics.
It is extremely encouraging to see a university working so comprehensively on this sector. The great work being done is now visible on the ground. I am from Mumbai, and if you have recently visited the city, you would have seen how completely it has transformed. The Coastal Road, Atal Setu, the metro, the Navi Mumbai International Airport, Samruddhi Marg joining Nagpur to Mumbai—all have been completed. Everything we used to plan in the war rooms at that time, whether with the Government of Maharashtra or the Prime Minister’s Office, is now beginning to show tangible results. That is why I am very optimistic about our progress—and cement is at the heart of this progress,” Bhatia expounded.
Later during the conference, Deepak Shetty, Former Secretary to the Government of India and Director General of Shipping, said, “All of us are aware that we are the fastest-growing economy in the world with by far a 6 to 7.7 per cent GDP growth rate, and by all accounts—be it the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, the OECD— all of them prophesy, and the prognosis of all of them is that come 2050 India is poised to become global number two as an economy. That’s well beyond India’s 100 years of independence celebration. We are possibly poised to become number two next only to China, probably overtaking the US.”

Thought-provoking exchange of ideas
The panel discussions spanned across the two days of the conference and were interspersed with individual presentations from industry experts and brand partners. The panels comprised subject matter experts who led the conversation on decarbonisation of the cement sector.

Presentations by industry experts

Across the two-day conference, many industry experts also presented papers and showcased case studies highlighting the numerous innovations taking place in the industry, across different verticals that are helping take the Indian cement sector towards its Net Zero target. The keynote address was delivered by Parlikar who spoke about the importance of adopting circular economy principles to reduce environmental footprint and strengthen long-term economic resilience.

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Economy & Market

Leonard Unveils Dual-Head Robotic Arm for Hazardous Industrial Demolition

Published

6 hours ago

October 30, 2026

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Leonard unveils Descender Duo, a dual-head robotic demolition arm designed to improve industrial safety and reduce shutdown time by up to 50 per cent.

Industrial robotics and refractory services specialist Leonard has launched Descender Duo, a dual-head robotic demolition arm designed to improve safety, accelerate maintenance and reduce shutdown times in hazardous industrial environments. The system made its debut at Lisahally Power Station in Northern Ireland, removing 25 tonnes of slag material within hours.

Developed for the cement, metals, waste-to-energy and petrochemical industries, Descender Duo enables remote-controlled refractory demolition, anchor cutting and welding, and refractory spraying inside boilers, calciners and silos. Its vertical-access design eliminates the need for personnel to enter confined, high-risk spaces during these operations.

Weighing less than two tonnes, the pre-assembled system requires an access opening of just 1.2 m². Supported by an external overhead hoist, it uses electrically operated hydraulic stabilising legs to secure itself inside vessels. The robotic arm offers 360-degree rotation and is suited to vessels approximately 9 m in diameter, with its operating reach extendable through strategically positioned access points.

Equipped with two independently controlled robotic heads, Descender Duo can perform identical or different tasks simultaneously, including refractory demolition, anchor cutting and spraying. Its remote-control system incorporates live camera feeds, allowing operators to monitor operations without entering hazardous environments.

According to Leonard, the technology can deliver time savings of up to 50 per cent compared with manual methods. Its ability to operate at temperatures exceeding 100°C allows maintenance to begin as early as 24 hours after burner shutdown. An all-electric power supply further supports cleaner and more cost-efficient operations.

First Deployment Demonstrates Shutdown Efficiency

The system was first deployed at Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor’s (BWSC) Lisahally Power Station in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The facility generates electricity from grade C waste wood, supplying approximately 40,000 homes and businesses.

Leonard and BWSC collaborated to develop a customised solution for the plant’s 26-metre furnace, where extensive external pipework created significant access challenges.

Mark Leonard, Managing Director, Leonard, said, “It required new thinking and rather than step away from the problem we were committed to solving it for the customer, with the customer. We’re relentless in our approach to tackling complex challenges, head-on. We took our years of cement plant experience, coupled with our working knowledge of the BWSC plant, and designed, engineered and tested a completely new vertical solution within just seven weeks from that initial conversation with the customer. That solution was the Descender Duo as we know it today.”

Traditionally, the furnace required a cooling period of up to 36 hours before preparatory work could begin, followed by manual slag removal using rope-access personnel. With Descender Duo, work commenced just 24 hours after shutdown, reducing downtime by up to one day.

The deployment removed 25 tonnes of slag within hours, eliminated the need for at least six workers to enter the hazardous furnace interior and saved 26 hours in the shutdown programme.

“The effectiveness exceeded expectation,” said Martin Doran, Plant Manager at Lisahally Power Station.

“When the Descender Duo concept was first discussed, we had to spend some time with the team from Leonard looking at how it was going to be moved into the furnace. Every site is different and that presented its own challenges, but nothing that the team couldn’t overcome. Once it was installed we were hugely impressed by its efficiency.”

Expanding Industrial Robotics Applications

Descender Duo joins Leonard’s existing portfolio of robotic maintenance solutions, including the Axis horizontal-access arm, Nano confined-space access arm, Charger cement mill media recharging system and Calibre cement mill media grading system.

Headquartered in Northern Ireland, Leonard provides robotic refractory demolition, installation, inspection and industrial maintenance services across the cement, metals, energy, biomass, glass and civil engineering sectors.

Formerly known as G Leonard, the company has more than 35 years of industry experience and operates across Europe, North America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific.

The latest innovation reinforces Leonard’s focus on replacing hazardous manual processes with robotic systems that improve workforce safety, enhance operational efficiency and minimise industrial downtime.

Concrete

Martin Engineering Appoints Ashwini Khunte as India General Manager

Published

13 hours ago

October 30, 2026

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Martin Engineering names Ashwini Khunte India General Manager to strengthen operations and drive growth across key bulk material handling sectors.

Pune

Martin Engineering, a global provider of bulk material handling solutions, has appointed Ashwini Khunte as General Manager of its India business, strengthening its leadership as the company expands its presence across the country’s cement, mining, steel, power and infrastructure sectors.

Khunte brings more than a decade of experience with Martin Engineering, having joined its Indian operations in 2013 as a Design Engineer, shortly after the company established its presence in the country in 2012.

A mechanical engineer by qualification, she spent her initial five years developing bulk material handling solutions in collaboration with the company’s operations team. During this period, she gained extensive experience addressing operational challenges in the steel, cement and coal industries. She subsequently moved into project engineering, managing major engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) projects from initial enquiry to commissioning. Her responsibilities later expanded to overseeing Martin Engineering’s conveyor product portfolio in India, involving customer engagement, technical presentations and site visits across heavy industries.

In 2024, Khunte was promoted to Head of Sales & Marketing for the company’s Europe, Middle East, Africa and India (EMEAI) region. The position broadened her international market exposure and strengthened her strategic and commercial leadership capabilities.

Commenting on her appointment, Ashwini Khunte, General Manager, Martin Engineering India, said: “India represents a tremendous opportunity for Martin Engineering. The country’s continued investment in cement, mining, steel, power and infrastructure is creating increasing demand for safer, cleaner and more productive bulk material handling, and that’s exactly what we do. My priority will be to build on the strong foundations already established in India, while continuing to develop our people, strengthen customer relationships and bring practical solutions to the challenges faced by our industry.”

Robert Whetstone, Area Vice President – EMEAI, Martin Engineering, highlighted Khunte’s technical expertise, market understanding and leadership experience.

“Ashwini brings an exceptional combination of technical understanding, customer knowledge and commercial leadership. She has grown as Martin Engineering has grown, and has consistently demonstrated outstanding capability to transform her expertise into practical solutions. Her knowledge of the Indian market, together with her international experience, makes her ideally suited to lead our India business through its next stage of growth for years to come.”

Since establishing its Indian business in 2012, Martin Engineering has expanded its local workforce, manufacturing capabilities and dealership network. The company supplies conveyor products, transfer point solutions, material flow aids, training and technical support to bulk material handling industries. Khunte’s appointment positions the company to further strengthen customer relationships and expand its solutions portfolio in India’s growing industrial and infrastructure markets.

Concrete

Fornnax Wins AIRIA’s Special Export Award for Rubber Machinery in 2025-26

Published

2 weeks ago

October 19, 2026

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Fornnax Technology Pvt. Ltd. has been honoured with the Special Export Award – Rubber Machinery for 2025–26 by the All-India Rubber Industries Association (AIRIA), in recognition of its highest exports of tyre recycling plants to the European region.

With more than a decade of experience in India’s tyre recycling industry, Fornnax has contributed to the development of advanced recycling technologies and infrastructure. The company currently holds a 90% market share in India’s domestic tyre recycling sector, while exports account for 30% of its business, spanning markets such as Europe, Australia and the GCC.

The award marks another milestone for Fornnax, whose tyre recycling lines and advanced shredding technologies are supporting the growth of the circular economy in India and international markets.

Commenting on the recognition, Mr. Jignesh Kundaria, Founder and Director of Fornnax, said:

“This honour from AIRIA is a reflection of an incredible journey we have undertaken over the years. When we started Fornnax, there was no established recycling industry in India to follow. We chose to build for the future instead. Today, when you see India’s tyre recycling sector, it has already transformed into a dynamic, high-growth industry and we are extremely proud to have played our part in building it.”

Unlike standalone equipment suppliers, Fornnax focuses on developing complete, high-capacity recycling infrastructure. Its integrated systems combine multiple stages of shredding and size reduction to enable efficient, continuous operations. This system-level engineering approach helps recycling operators improve throughput, equipment reliability and operational consistency.

The recognition reinforces Fornnax’s commitment to developing engineering technologies that contribute to a more efficient and circular recycling ecosystem.

Looking ahead, the company aims to expand its international presence while continuing to develop advanced shredding and recycling solutions to address the growing volumes and evolving requirements of the global recycling industry.

For more information, visit: www.fornnax.com