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How Mobil SHC™ 600 series is redefining gearbox performance for India’s cement industry.

Cement manufacturing runs on heavy rotating equipment operating continuously under high loads, elevated temperatures, and demanding duty cycles. Gearboxes sit at the centre of this, and when lubrication falls short, the consequences show up directly in energy consumption, maintenance costs and unplanned downtime.
The pressure on global supply chains today is real, and businesses across sectors are finding new ways to absorb it. For cement plants, that resilience starts at the most fundamental level — with every lubrication decision, every oil
drain interval, and every gearbox that either runs efficiently or does not. Mobil™ ensures the shop floor stays steady.
“In uncertain times, businesses need partners they can rely on without question. Mobil™’s commitment is straightforward – deliver products that perform, support teams that show up, and solutions that keep our customers productive. That has always been our promise, and it does not change with the times,” says Abhinav Jogi, General Manager – Commercial Marketing, South Asia Pacific, ExxonMobil Lubricants.

Built for the demands of heavy industrial equipment
Cement plants run some of the most demanding rotating equipment in any industrial setting, gearboxes operating continuously under high loads, severe temperatures and long duty cycles
with little tolerance for failure. Mobil SHC™ 600 Series is engineered specifically for this category of equipment.
Mobil SHC™ 600 Series synthetic lubricants can reduce energy consumption in gearboxes and circulating systems by up to 3.6 per cent*. They can also:
• Extend oil life by up to six times vs. conventional oil
• Offer similar seal and metals compatibility as conventional oils
• Operate in a wide range of applications
The series spans seven viscosity grades, from ISO VG 32 to ISO VG 1000, giving plants the flexibility to match the right grade to the right application. Mobil SHC™ 629, 630, 632, 634, 636, and 639 are approved by Siemens AG for use
in Flender gearboxes, an endorsement that
matters to plants running equipment built around that standard.

Three properties that translate into real operational gains
What separates Mobil SHC™ 600 Series from conventional gear oils comes down to three core properties:
• Superb high temperature thermal and oxidation resistance, which helps extend equipment’s high temperature operating capability
• High viscosity index and absence of wax, which helps maintain viscosity and film thickness even as temperatures climb
• Low traction coefficient, which helps reduce friction and increase efficiency in sliding mechanisms
On paper, these read as technical specifications. On the plant floor, they translate into gearboxes that run cooler, oil that lasts longer between changes, and energy that is not lost to friction it should never have had to overcome.

Proof from an Indian cement plant
These benefits are not theoretical. A cement manufacturer in Tamil Nadu was using a conventional mineral-based gear oil in a premium transmission gearbox. The oil could not handle the heavy load and friction inside the gearbox, causing it to break down faster than expected, and the plant was changing it every 2,000 hours, far more often than ideal. Using oil analysis, ExxonMobil identified that the oil’s viscosity had dropped and that
the gearbox was running hotter than it should, due to contamination.
Mobil recommended Mobil SHC™ 632, a PAO-based ISO VG 320 oil with greater viscometric properties and a low traction coefficient, delivering better film thickness at high temperatures and good flowability at low temperatures. Following the changeover, ExxonMobil’s Field Engineering Services also provided SIGNUM used oil analysis and thermal inspection to track the ongoing condition of both the equipment and the lubricant.
The results were measurable and significant**:
• 1 per cent increase in energy efficiency
• 3°C reduction in gearbox temperature
• Oil drain interval extended by four times
• Annual savings of INR 4,76,772
A 1 per cent efficiency gain may sound
modest in isolation, but on equipment that runs continuously, every day, every year, that margin compounds into meaningful savings, exactly the kind of return a plant can point to when justifying a lubricant decision.

What this means for India’s cement industry
As cement plants across India continue to face pressure on both energy costs and uptime, gearbox lubrication remains one of the most direct and controllable levers available. The results from this single Indian operation make the case clearly: the right lubricant does more than protect equipment, it actively improves the economics of running it.

Fill with Mobil™. Fill with Confidence.
For more information, visit www.mobil.in/business

*Energy efficiency relates solely to the performance of Mobil SHC 600 when compared to conventional (mineral) reference oils of the same viscosity grade in circulating and gear applications. The technology used allows up to 3.6 per cent efficiency compared to the reference when tested in a worm gearbox under controlled conditions. Efficiency improvements will vary based on operating conditions and application.
**This Proof of Performance is based on the experience of a single customer. Actual results can vary depending upon the type of equipment used and its maintenance, operating conditions and environment, and any prior lubricant used.
Exxon Mobil Corporation has numerous affiliates, many with names that include ExxonMobil, Exxon, Esso, and Mobil. For convenience and simplicity, those terms, and references to ‘corporation,’ ‘company,’ ‘ExxonMobil,’ ‘EM,’ and other similar terms are used for convenience and may refer to one or more specific affiliates or affiliate groups.

For more information, visit www.mobil.in/business

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Concrete

Cement Demand Strong As Prices Remain Stable

Volumes rise amid steady trade pricing and higher fuel costs

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Channel checks show cement demand remained healthy with volume growth estimated at six to seven per cent in July and August 2026. Trade prices were broadly stable while non-trade prices were volatile in the East, and attempted hikes were rolled back amid higher competition. Average fuel costs rose in August by five to nine per cent, lifting spot petcoke and coal prices.

All-India trade price remained flat month on month in August as increased rake supplies and competition offset early increases. Monsoon related demand softness limited sustained hikes and dealers indicated further attempts would depend on demand trends. Combined July and August volumes were estimated at six to seven per cent, supported by infrastructure spending while retail housing remained weather sensitive.

In the South, a Rs20 a bag hike in August did not hold and prices stayed flat month on month, while dealers planned Rs25 to Rs30 a bag from fifth September 2026 but with uncertain sustainability. In the East, trade prices were unchanged and non-trade prices corrected by Rs15 to Rs20 a bag amid weak construction in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha.

The West remained most resilient on pricing and demand despite attempted hikes of Rs10 to Rs15 a bag, and Gujarat saw relatively better volumes in August. North and Central markets kept prices range bound as players focused on ramping up utilisation of new capacity, with schemes of up to Rs2 to Rs3 a bag used to meet month-end targets. Overall construction activity improved as the monsoon eased, aiding a pickup in several states.

Fuel cost pressures persisted, with South African coal at USD114 a t and petcoke around USD146 to USD147 a t in August, while spot imported petcoke and coal were higher. Imported coal consumption cost stood at Rs2.07 per Kcal and petcoke at USD2.11 per Kcal. Analysts estimate the all-India trade spread to decline by Rs90 to Rs100 a t quarter on quarter, weighing on near-term profitability and they prefer UltraTech Cement (UTCEM), JK Cement (JKCE) and Grasim Industries (GRASIM).

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Concrete

Aditya Birla Group Launches Ultravolt Wires And Cables Business

UltraTech extends building solutions into electrical wiring

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Aditya Birla Group has entered the wires and cables market through Ultravolt, extending UltraTech’s move from building materials into building solutions. The shift builds on UltraTech Building Solutions, a multi-category platform that already addresses customers across different stages of construction and extends beyond cement into ready-mix concrete, waterproofing, tile-fixing solutions and mortars.

The company intends to enter with scale, seeking presence across 100,000 retailers in more than 500 districts and availability through 5,000 plus UltraTech Building Solutions (UBS) outlets. The portfolio spans house wires, light-duty cables, communication cables, solar cables and low-tension and industrial cables to meet changing electrical requirements driven by solar installations, communications infrastructure and industrial automation.

An upstream advantage begins in the Group’s metals ecosystem, with conductor quality central to product performance. Ultravolt wires will use TruePure Copper, defined as 99.97 per cent pure electrolytic-grade annealed copper sourced from Hindalco, providing greater control over raw material quality and provenance and supporting electrical performance, safety and durability.

The business also targets the electrician community as a decisive influence on product choice and installation quality. The Wires and Cables Business has launched a Skill India Electrician Training Programme in partnership with the Electronics Sector Skills Council of India that aims to train and certify more than 40,000 electricians across India over the next year, focusing on safe wiring practices, correct installation and advanced wire technologies and offering Skill India-aligned certification and identification credentials.

The move combines market opportunity, UltraTech’s construction ecosystem, manufacturing capability and Group-level resources. A large Gujarat facility, advanced machinery and in-house testing and research and development underpin the product strategy, which is designed for both traditional and emerging applications. The ambition is to build a scaled national brand and become one of the top two players within five years, making the Group an integral participant in modern building infrastructure.

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Concrete

Ramco Cements Mine Restoration Gets Global Biodiversity Certification

Pandalgudi mine restoration receives Advanced Certification from TGBS

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The ecological restoration of Ramco Cements’ limestone mine at Pandalgudi in Virudhunagar district, Tamil Nadu, has received international recognition with the site being awarded Advanced Certification by The Global Biodiversity Standard (TGBS). The recognition makes Pandalgudi the first site in Peninsular India to receive the certification and places it among globally recognised biodiversity restoration projects.
TGBS, recognised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), assesses biodiversity restoration projects based on scientific evaluation and their contribution to ecosystem recovery and local communities. The certification is supported by more than 250 scientists and academics worldwide.
Spread across over 500 acres of worked-out mine areas, the restoration project includes a certified 234-acre site. Initiated in 2018 with technical support from Auroville Botanical Gardens, the project began plantation activities in 2019 and is expected to be completed by 2027. More than 430,000 native trees and shrubs belonging to 150 ecologically significant species have been planted at the site.
The restored mine, which was once a barren landscape with limited biodiversity, has recorded over 72 bird species and 53 butterfly species. The project has also captured an estimated 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over the past seven years, supporting broader sustainability and carbon reduction goals.
Opened officially in 2022, the site has attracted more than 13,000 visitors through educational programmes for schools, colleges and training institutions. The restoration initiative has also contributed to the development of the Rajapalayam Masterplan and supported Tamil Nadu’s carbon neutrality ambitions.
Commenting on the achievement, Mr P. R. Venketrama Raja, Chairman, Ramco Group, said the company aims for the Pandalgudi restoration project to serve as an inspiration and blueprint for the mining industry in India. Dr David Bartholomew, CEO, The Global Biodiversity Standard, highlighted the project’s long-term commitment to biodiversity recovery and independent assessment of ecological outcomes.
The certification reinforces Ramco Cements’ focus on sustainable mining practices and ecological restoration as part of its commitment towards a carbon-neutral future.

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