Economy & Market

Cement Cracks

Published

6 years ago

January 5, 2020

admin

An unprecedented lockdown have made companies across the board to device uncon-ventional methods to run business here on.

The course of a river can change over night, that is true in the case of almost all business sectors across the world. Cement is neither insulated nor isolated from the strong currents of COVID-19.

Real estate and infrastructure the two key employment generators in the country. With the pandemic spreading like a wild fire, has impacted them fiercely. Though the year 2019 has been a mixed bag for the Indian real estate industry, it was expected that the segments would lead the revival of the Indian economy from the second quarter of FY21.

Major contributors of real estate like steel and cement have been impacted too. The country wide lockdown has halted the manufacturing activities of cement, steel and other building materials. The impact its seen on sourcing of building material and labour.

However, things have taken a new direction with nation getting into a complete lockdown extending over a month. The major movements were seen in commercial real estate in the last year is expected to be a downward ride this year. A report released by global consulting firm, KPMG titled "Possible impact of COVID-19 on the Indian Economy’ says, "With possible slowdown in the US and European economies, the existing demand for commercial real estate may either get curtailed or postponed till H2 of the current year."

In the first week of March 2020 when the last financial year was coming to a close, the prediction for cement segment was that the FY 21 would be healthy. The report released by rating agency CRISIL in March 2020 says,"Cement maker profitability to remain healthy next fiscal at 20 percent next fiscal on an expected recovery in demand driven by the infrastructure and affordable housing sectors, stable realisations, and benign input prices."

The report further stated, this fiscal (FY21), operating profitability is expected to touch a seven-year high of approximately 21 percent, which translates to a 350-400 basis points (bps) on-year surge.

All appeared rosy and promising but in less than a month the entire scenario changed. The same agency released another report (April 2020) saying, "Covid-19 has cast a long shadow over a much-anticipated mild recovery in Indian economy in fiscal 2021. Along with external factors such as weak global demand, supply disruptions, and global financial shocks, the economy is grappling with lockdown, factory shutdowns, reduced discretionary spending, and delayed capex cycle."

The report further elaborated on two scenarios for recovery for cement sector, "All this is expected to affect construction, and thereby cement demand. Given the uncertainty in the current environment, we have based our analysis on two possible scenarios based on spread and containment period of the pandemic. 1) Our baseline view assumes lockdown/ other social distancing measures to continue till April end and construction activity to resume in mid-May, and 2) Our pessimistic view assumes extended vulnerability to the virus with construction activity beginning only in the second half of this fiscal."

Though the reports were not so encouraging, KPMG report suggested the possible way forward.

Courtesy: KPMG report

While the companies companies laments on the losses that happened over the past few years, they also at the same time prepared the employees and the team to move to a new business regime atet is being redefined by COVID -19 attack. Let us hear from some of the stalwarts of the industry how they utilised the lockdown period efficiently and fruitfully.

Anil Banchhor, MD and CEO, RDC Concrete India
During the lockdown time, we conduct daily toolbox talk meetings with the workers and our own staff. All Business Head, Business Manager and the Plant in charges are all part of this Tool Box Talk. The discussion includes precautions to be taken on health and safety. The team leaders were given the task of creating a document on the wellbeing of the employees like recording, whether any one has cough, fever, sore throat or another symptoms? This also carries information about the family members as well.

It is also important to have regular communication with staff and workers to keep the morale of the workforce high with positivity, as a underlining theme.

We also focused on skill development of various level employees. The critical issues are given attention and preparing ourselves to move forward post COVID-19. Our focus is also readying the workforce in multi-tasking. The aim is to enable each person capable of doing different department jobs. To make this possible we have designed a lot of modules that are accessed by employees from home. Once the modules are completed the employees are required to go thru the test like any other training programme.

Plant in-chargers / Reporting Managers have been talking to labourers on day today basis. Some workers are stuck in the plants, and for them all rations and essential items are provided.

After the Janta curfew, we were certain of a lockdown. We used the few days in-between to replace the non IP based cameras with IP cameras, overlooking all assets and particularly office and cement godown.

At the same time we have conducted a mask making competition involving the family members of employees. These masks are bought by the company and that would be distributed to the workforce once the lockdown is over.

Jagdish Chandra Toshniwal, MD, Wonder Cement
We kept our employees engaged in different works and used video platform to communicate with them on a regular basis.

Marketing teams are to be prepared for future with plans in case of continuation of lockdown. National heads are tasked to prepare contingency plans. Similarly the network partners are also being reached out in order to maintain confidence. The lockdown period has been utilised on closing the financial year and performance reprisal. In this time we have also conducted training programs through OEM’s which was long pending. There were discussions on how to improve the plant performance, also on an annual plan and maintenance. The overall aim is to bring in efficiency. All this was possible as the workforce was diced into small groups of four to five people.

We are slowly restarting the offices. It will not be 100 per cent of the workforce. We will continue working on development jobs, training jobs and future plans. First, only 20 to 25 per cent of the workforce will be asked to resume work. For eg; we have 3 kilns, we will start only 1 kiln because we don’t expect demand to come immediately. Thermal scanning and sanitisation and social distancing are the new norms. With 2/3 of the workforce, it would be easily controllable at the gate. We will ensure all government guidelines be strictly followed like wearing a mask at work. Also every employee has to give a declaration about their places of visit in the last 15 days.

In office we will work in two shits to spread the manpower and to avoid crowding. Meeting will continue to be through digital mode like video chats. Will focus on safety as the utmost priority.

Subhash Sethi, Chairman, SPML Infra
As soon as the lock down was announced all work both offices and project sites were-closed and employees was advised not to travel. Started remote working with the support of digital applications. Our teams spread across different cities held discussions and review meetings kept us abreast with the situation. We have in fact resumed project execution work in some states after the government has relaxed working of important sectors related to water and power projects.

The technological intervention in the construction industry and the use of robotics and automation were existed at the emerging stage but with the lock down and new working norms, it has expedited the trend. I believe that once the impediment of corona virus will end, the construction industry will witness the application of service robotics and high level of automation of functionalities. It will also embrace new digital technologies that have significant long-term benefits. The R&D spending which was minimal in construction sector is bound to increase with enhanced spending on information technology and new software solutions. For the difficult nature of work in construction sector, big efforts will be needed to increase the level of automation and to coordinate with involved processes in order to improve its productivity.

There is going to be a very strict protocol related to regular health check-ups of workers, cleaning and disinfection of work spaces with maintaining proper distance between each employee. We will also encourage all our employees and other staff members to wear face masks at all times and practice proper healthcare practices. Our teams, clients and partners are fully inspired and committed to continue developing the critical infrastructure for drinking water, wastewater and electricity for the well-being of our people.

Puneet Vidyarthi, Brand Leader, CASE India
The company has devised video calls twice a week with the Business Unit HR Head. It is a great way to liaise with the whole team and share anecdotes etc, which keep us connected and simulates a regular work day, with catch up sessions.

There were daily messages like the Thought for the day / motivational messages to bring positivity among the work force. Webinars were conducted 4 times a week (Tuesdays to Fridays) with topics ranging from professional to personal well-being and self-help.

Weekly Updates from the rest of the world (CNH ecosystem). E-meetings with the management team (Once a month): This is like an online town hall.

E-Training for Dealers: Product training and refresher courses are conducted weekly. These are online training sessions where dealers log in from home. Both customers and dealers were given information how to store the construction equipment during lockdown. Communication from leadership on measures taken to alleviate the circumstances such as extension of warranties etc. Critical communication from leadership to dealers and how CNH will help them bounce back soon as this is over – involves relaxation of certain protocols. To prospects generated over last month (not customers yet) bi-weekly communication to stay in touch and assure them that our offer still stands.

– Renjini Liza Varghese

Concrete

PROMECON introduces infrared-based tertiary air measurement system for cement kilns

Published

15 hours ago

May 20, 2026

admin

The new solution promisescontinuous, real-time tertiary air flow measurement in cement plant operations.

PROMECON GmbH has launched the McON IR Compact, an infrared-based measuring system designed to deliver continuous, real-time tertiary air flow measurement in cement plant operations. The system addresses the longstanding process control challenge of accurate tertiary air monitoring under extreme kiln conditions. It uses patented infrared time-of-flight measurement technology that operates without calibration or maintenance intervention.

Precise tertiary air measurement is a critical requirement for stable rotary kiln operation. The McON IR Compact is engineered to function reliably at temperatures up to 1,200°C and in the presence of abrasive clinker dust. Its vector-based digital measurement architecture ensures that readings remain unaffected by swirl, dust deposits or drift. Due to these conditions conventional measurement systems in pyroprocess environments are often compromised.

The system is fully non-intrusive and requires no K-factors, recalibration or periodic readjustment, enabling years of uninterrupted operation. This design directly supports plant availability and reduces the maintenance overhead typically associated with process instrumentation in high-temperature zones.

PROMECON has deployed the McON IR Compact at multiple cement facilities, including Warta Cement in Poland. Plant operators report that the system has aided in identifying blockages, optimising purging cycles for gas burners, and supplying accurate flow data for AI-based process optimisation programmes. The practical outcomes include more stable kiln operation, improved process control, and earlier detection of process disturbances.

On the energy side, real-time tertiary air data enables reduction in induced draft fan load and helps flatten process oscillations across the pyroprocess. This translates to lower fuel and energy consumption, fewer unplanned shutdowns, and a measurable reduction in NOx peaks. This directly reflects on the downstream cost implications for plants operating SCR or SNCR systems for emissions compliance.

Concrete

Filtration Technology is Critical for Efficient Logistics

Published

6 days ago

May 15, 2026

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Niranjan Kirloskar, MD, Fleetguard Filters, makes the case that filtration technology, which has been long treated as a routine consumable, is in fact a strategic performance enabler across every stage of cement production and logistics.

India’s cement industry forms the core for infrastructure growth of the country. With an expected compound annual growth rate of six to eight per cent, India has secured its position as the second-largest cement producer globally. This growth is a result of the increasing demand across, resulting in capacity expansion. Consequently, cement manufacturers are now also focusing on running the factories as efficiently as possible to stay competitive and profitable.
While a large portion of focus still remains on production technologies and capacity utilisation, the hidden factor in profitability is the efficiency of cement logistics. The logistics alone account for nearly 30 per cent to 40 per cent of the total cost of cement, making efficiency in this segment a key lever for profitability and reliability.
In the midst of this complex and high-intensity ecosystem, filtration often remains one of the most underappreciated yet essential enablers of performance.

A demanding operational landscape
Cement production and logistics inherently operate in some of the harshest industrial environments. With processes such as quarrying, crushing, grinding, clinker production, and bulk material handling expose the machinery to constant high temperatures, heavy loads, and dust, often the silent destructive force for engines.
The ecosystem is abrasive, and often one with a high contamination index. These challenging conditions demand equipment such as the excavators, crushers, compressors, and transport vehicles to perform and perform efficiently. The continuous exposure to contamination across every aspect like air, fuel, lubrication, and even hydraulic systems causes long-term damage. Studies have also shown that 70 to 80 per cent of hydraulic system failures are directly linked to contamination, while primary cause of engine wear is inadequate air filtration.
For engines as heavy as these, even a minor contaminant has a cascading effect; reducing efficiency, performance and culminating to unplanned downtime. Particles as small as 5 to 10 microns, far smaller than a human hair (~70 microns), can cause significant damage to critical engine components. In an industry where margins are closely linked to operational efficiency, such disruptions can significantly affect both cost structures and delivery timelines.

Dust management: A persistent challenge
Dust is a natural by-product in cement operations. From drilling and blasting in the quarries to packing in plants, this fine particulate matter does occupy a large space in operations. Dust concentration levels in quarry and crushing zones often create extremely high particulate exposure for equipment. These fine particles, when enter the engines and critical systems, accelerates the wear and tear of the component, affecting directly the operational efficiency. Over time every block fall; engine performance declines, fuel consumption rises, and maintenance cycles shorten. In this case, effective air filtration is the natural first line of defence. Advanced filtration systems are designed to capture high volumes of particulate matter while maintaining consistent airflow, ensuring that engines and equipment operate under optimal conditions.
In high-dust applications, as in cement production, even the filtration systems are expected to sustain performance over extended periods without the need of frequent replacement. This becomes crucial in remote quarry locations where access to frequent maintenance may be limited.

Fluid cleanliness and system integrity
Beyond air filtration, fluid systems also play a crucial role for equipment reliability in cement operations. Fuel systems are required to remain free from contaminants for efficient working of combustion and injection protection. Additionally, lubrication systems also need to maintain the oil purity to reduce friction and prevent any premature wear of moving parts. The hydraulic systems, which are key to several heavy equipment operations, are especially sensitive to contamination.
If fine particles or water enters these systems, it can lead to reduced efficiency, erratic performance, and eventual failure of the system. Modern filtration systems are designed with high-efficiency media capable of removing extremely fine contaminants, with advanced fuel and oil filtration solutions filtering particles as small as two to five microns. Multi-stage filtration systems further ensure that fluid performance is maintained even under challenging operating conditions.
Another critical aspect of fuel systems is water separation. Removing moisture helps prevent corrosion, improves combustion efficiency and enhances overall engine reliability. Modern water separation technologies can achieve over 95 per cent efficiency in removing water from fuel systems.

Ensuring reliability across the value chain
Filtration plays a critical role across every stage of cement logistics:
• Quarry operations: Equipment operates in highly abrasive environments, requiring strong protection against dust ingress and hydraulic contamination.
• Processing units: Crushers, kilns, and grinding mills depend on clean lubrication and cooling systems to sustain continuous operations.
• Material handling systems: Pneumatic and mechanical systems rely on clean air and fluid systems for efficiency and reliability.
• Transportation networks: Bulk carriers and trucks must maintain engine health and fuel efficiency to ensure timely deliveries.
Across these operations, filtration plays a vital role; as it supports consistent equipment performance while reducing the risk of unexpected failures.
Effective filtration solutions can reduce unscheduled equipment failures by 30 to 50 per cent across heavy-duty operations.

Uptime as a strategic imperative
In cement manufacturing, uptime is currency. Downtime not only delays the production, but it also greatly impacts the supply commitments and logistics planning. With the right filtration systems, contaminants are kept at bay from entering the
critical systems, and they also significantly extend the service intervals.
Optimised filtration can extend service intervals by 20 to 40 per cent, reducing maintenance frequency while maintaining consistent performance across demanding operating conditions. Filtration systems designed for heavy-duty applications sustain efficiency throughout their lifecycle, ensuring reliable protection with minimal interruptions. This leads to improved equipment availability, lower maintenance costs, and more predictable operations, with well-maintained systems capable of achieving uptime levels of over 90 to 95 per cent in challenging cement environments.

Supporting emission and sustainability goals
With the rising environmental awareness, the cement industry too is aligning with the stricter norms and sustainability targets. In this scenario, the operational efficiency is directly linked to emission control.

Air and fuel systems that are clean enable
much more efficient combustion. They also reduce emissions from both the stationary equipment and transport fleets. Similarly, with a well-maintained fluid cleanliness, emission systems function better. Poor combustion due to contamination can increase emissions by 5 to 10 per cent, making clean systems critical for compliance.
Additionally, efficient and longer lasting filtration systems significantly reduce any waste generation and contribute to increased sustainable maintenance practices. Extended-life filtration solutions can reduce filter disposal and maintenance waste by 15 to 20 per cent. Smart and efficient filtration in this case plays an important role in meeting the both regulatory and environmental objectives within the industry.

Advancements in filtration technology
Over the years, there has been a significant evolution in the filtration technology to meet the modern industrial applications.
Key developments include:
• High-efficiency filtration media capable of capturing very fine particles without restricting flow
• Compact and integrated designs that combine multiple filtration functions
• Extended service life solutions that reduce replacement frequency and maintenance downtime
• Application-specific engineering tailored to different stages of cement operations
Modern multi-layer filtration media can improve dust-holding capacity by up to two to three times compared to conventional systems, while maintaining consistent performance. These advancements have transformed filtration from a basic maintenance component into a critical performance system.

Adapting to diverse operating conditions
The cement industry of India operates across diverse geographies. Spanning across regions with arid regions with higher dust levels, to the coastal areas with higher humidity, challenges of each region pose different threats to the engines. Modern filtration systems are thus tailored to address these unique challenges of each region.
Indian operating environments often range from 0°C to over 50°C, with some of the highest dust loads globally in mining zones.
Additionally, filtration technology can also be customised to variations which then align the system design with factors like dust load, temperature, and equipment usage patterns. Equipment utilisation levels in India are typically higher than global averages, making robust filtration even more critical. This approach ensures optimal performance and durability across different operational contexts.

Impact on total cost of ownership
Filtration has a direct and measurable impact on the total cost of ownership of equipment.
Effective filtration leads to:
• Lower wear and tear on critical components
• Reduced maintenance and repair costs
• Improved fuel efficiency
• Extended equipment life
• Higher operational uptime
Effective filtration can extend engine life by 20 to 30 per cent and reduce overall maintenance costs by 15 to 25 per cent over the equipment lifecycle. These benefits collectively enhance productivity and reduce lifecycle costs. Conversely, inadequate filtration can result in frequent breakdowns, increased maintenance expenditure, and reduced asset utilisation.

Building a more efficient cement ecosystem
With the rising demand across various sectors, the cement industry is expected to expand at an unprecedented rate. This growth is forcing the production to move towards a more efficient and resilient system of operations. This requires attention not only to production technologies but also to the supporting systems that enable consistent performance. Filtration must be viewed as a strategic investment rather than a routine consumable. By ensuring the cleanliness of air and fluids across systems, it supports reliability, efficiency, and sustainability.

The road ahead
The future of cement logistics will be shaped by increasing mechanisation, digital monitoring, and stricter environmental standards. The industry is also witnessing a shift towards predictive maintenance and condition monitoring, where filtration performance is increasingly integrated with real-time equipment diagnostics.
In this evolving landscape, the role of filtration will become even more critical. As equipment becomes more advanced and operating conditions more demanding, the need for precise contamination control will continue to grow. From quarry to construction site, filtration technology underpins the performance of every critical system. It enables equipment to operate efficiently, reduces operational risks, and supports the industry’s broader goals of growth and sustainability. In many ways, it is the unseen force that keeps the cement ecosystem moving, quietly ensuring that every link in the value chain performs as expected.

About the author
Niranjan Kirloskar, Managing Director, Fleetguard Filters, is focused on driving innovation, operational excellence, and long-term business growth through strategic and people-centric leadership. With a strong foundation in ethics and forward-thinking decision-making, he champions a culture of collaboration, accountability, and technological advancement.

Concrete

Cement’s Next Fuel Shift

Published

6 days ago

May 15, 2026

admin

Jignesh Kindaria highlights how Thermal Substitution Rate (TSR) is emerging as a critical lever for cost savings, decarbonisation and competitive advantage in the cement industry.

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.