Concrete

Emerging trends in precast is indicative of way forward

Published

6 years ago

January 6, 2020

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Prashant Jha, Chief RMX, Nuvoco Vistas

What are the emerging trends in precast?
Depending on the load-bearing structure of the building, some of the emerging trends in precast systems are:
Large-panel systems: The designation "large-panel system" refers to multistory structures composed of large wall and floor concrete panels connected in the vertical and horizontal directions so that the wall panels enclose appropriate spaces for the rooms within a building.

Frame systems: Precast frames can be constructed using either linear elements or spatial beam-column sub-assemblages. Precast beam-column sub-assemblages have the advantage that the connecting faces between the sub-assemblages can be placed away from the critical frame regions; however, linear elements are generally preferred because of the difficulties associated with forming, handling, and erecting spatial elements.

Slab-column systems with shear walls: These systems rely on shear walls to sustain lateral load effects, whereas the slab-column structure resists mainly gravity loads. There are two main systems in this category:

Lift-slab system with walls
Prestressed slab-column system

Modular system: In case of smaller single units, this system is helpful. Some of the advantages are;

Entire unit is cast in a factory and installed at site.
Suitable for toilet blocks or individual rooms
Monolithic casting guarantees waterproofing at junctions

In precast, which segment do you cater to the most?
Nuvoco has contributed and provided solutions to the Infrastructure, mainly Mass Rapid Transit System such as the Noida Metro and the Mumbai Metro projects.

Noida metro project: Nuvoco supplied 243,700 CuM of concrete for Noida Metro, for its NC 01 -elevated viaduct and 8 elevated stations, and NC 02 – elevated viaduct and 7 elevated stations. 3 dedicated captive plants were set up for the project with a concrete output of 250 CuM/hr, with one plant for the casting of U girders. The main challenges included on time productivity, de-shuttering and lifting of the precast modules, controlling the temperature and shrinkage, and aesthetic finish. Each of the girders were with the specification of 5 m wide, 27 m long, with a height of 1.8 m, a thickness of 150 – 200mm, and a volume of 50 – 60 CuM. This was pre-stressed, using 52 to 109 cables as per design. Nuvoco used its high performance early strength concrete, Robuste, of M55 Grade, for the project, ensuring the U Girders achieved a strength of 12 – 14 Mpa at 12 hrs for early de-shuttering. As a result, it successfully erected 200 U-shaped girders in May 2016.

Mumbai metro project: The Mumbai Metro Line – 3, connecting Cuffe Parade to SEEPZ, with 26 underground stations and one at-grade station. The requirement was for package 4, that comprised the three underground stations. Nuvoco set up a captive plant at the site, along with a transit mixer, for the production of 2,48,000 CuM of concrete. This was used for the construction of 6082 m twin bored tunnels with a diameter of 5.80 m. The tunnel sections are 1.4 m long, 1 m wide, and 275 mm in height, with a volume of 1.4 m3. Precast was used to provide a protective lining and reinforcement to the structure. The primary challenge was supplying high early strength concrete of 12 Mpa at 12 hrs without steam curing for de-shuttering. Insert. The project also needed to ensure extremely low Chloride penetration and migration to offer a service life of 150 Years, along with controlled shrinkage, and a customised aesthetic finish. Nuvoco has been able to address these needs by using a combination of two of its products, Instante and Robuste, of M50 Grade.

The industry took a leap with smart products in cement. Can you elaborate on the smart product portfolio of Nuvoco?
Nuvoco’s offers 14 ready-mix concrete products and their variants. They can be customised to suit any specific construction need and provide multiple benefits. Our concrete flagship brands encompass:

Agile, the self-compacting and self-consolidating concrete with a high-quality surface finish
Artiste, a range of decorative concrete that combines freedom of design with low maintenance and high durability.
Xlite, the low-density concrete that reduces structural weight and lowers thermal conductivity.
InstaMix, our ready-to-use bagged concrete and mortar offerings are designed to deliver cost-effective, easy-to-use construction solution in any location.

– RENJINI LIZA VARGHESE

Quote from Dalmia Cement for World Environment Day

Mahendra Singhi, MD & CEO, Dalmia Cement Bharat Limited, who is best known for being an avid advocate of sustainability, said, "The recent crisis, which impacted the entire world, has brought several dramatic changes to the environment from the past two months with a steep fall in global carbon emissions. We have to now explore how – as per our conscious low consumption practices – we can ensure that this reduction is not transient but results in low carbon economy. This crisis has further made all of us to realise that nature is a source of solace, an inspiration, and a teacher and the utmost need to protect it. This Environment Day, let us all come together and commit ourselves to simplest lifestyles as nature tends to act in the simplest way. I believe we still have the opportunity to reshape and redesign our world in a more. Sustainable way and I urge all global players, to not only work towards creating a greener environment, but also healthy lifestyles for all."

Concrete

Ultra Concrete Age

Prof. A. S. Khanna (Retd., IIT Bombay) on how Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) improves strength, durability and lifecycle performance.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 1, 2026

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The need of present time is stronger buildings, industrial or common utility buildings, such as Malls, Railway stations, hospitals, offices, bridges etc. For this, there is need of long durable, tough and stable concrete, which could stand under normal and seismic conditions. Tough railway bridges are required for bullet trains to pass without any damage. Railway tunnels, sea-links, coastal roads, bridges and multistorey buildings, are the need of the hour. The question comes, is the normal cement called OPC is sufficient to take care of such requirements or better combination of cements and sand mixtures is required?

Introduction

A good stable building structure can be made with a good quality of cement+sand+water system. Its quality can be enhanced by keeping the density of admixture higher (varies from 30 in normal buildings to bridges etc to 80). Further enhancement in the properties of various cements admixtures is made by adding several additives which give additional strength, waterproofing, flexibility etc. These are called construction chemicals…

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Concrete

NCB Signs MoU With Cement Manufacturer To Boost Construction Skills

Partnership to deliver nationwide training and certification

Published

2 weeks ago

March 31, 2026

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The National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB) has signed a memorandum of understanding with a leading cement manufacturer to strengthen skill development and capacity building in the construction sector. The agreement was formalised at NCB premises in Ballabgarh and was signed by the Director General of NCB, Dr L. P. Singh, and the head of technical services at UltraTech Cement Limited, Er Rahul Goel. The collaboration seeks to bring institutional resources and industry expertise into a structured national training effort.

The partnership will deliver structured training and certification programmes across the country aimed at enhancing the capabilities of civil engineers, ready?mix concrete (RMC) professionals, contractors, construction workers and masons. Programme curricula will cover material quality testing, concrete mix proportioning, durability assessment and sustainable construction practices to support improved construction outcomes. Emphasis is to be placed on standardised assessment and certification to raise practice levels across diverse construction roles.

Practical learning elements will include workshops, site demonstrations, technical seminars and exposure visits to plants and RMC facilities to strengthen applied skills and on?site decision making. The Director General indicated confidence that a large number of professionals and workers would be trained over the next three to five years under the initiative. The partnership is designed to complement flagship government schemes such as the Skill India Mission and to align training outputs with national infrastructure priorities.

By combining the council’s technical mandate with industry experience, the initiative aims to develop a more skilled and quality?conscious workforce capable of meeting rising demand in infrastructure and housing. NCB will continue to coordinate programme delivery and quality assurance while industry partners provide practical exposure and technical inputs. The collaboration is expected to support long?term capacity building and more sustainable construction practices nationwide.

Concrete

JSW Cement Commissions Nagaur Plant, Enters North India

New Rajasthan unit boosts capacity to 24.1 MTPA and expands reach

Published

2 weeks ago

March 30, 2026

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JSW Cement has strengthened its national presence by commencing production at its greenfield integrated cement plant in Nagaur, Rajasthan, marking its entry into the north Indian market.

With this commissioning, the company’s installed grinding capacity has increased to 24.1 MTPA, while total clinker capacity, including its joint venture operations, stands at 9.74 MTPA.

The Nagaur facility comprises a 3.30 MTPA clinkerisation unit and a 2.50 MTPA cement grinding unit, with an additional 1.00 MTPA grinding capacity currently under development. Strategically located, the plant is positioned to serve high-growth markets across Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the NCR.

The project has been funded through a mix of equity and long-term debt, with Rs 800 crore allocated from IPO proceeds towards part-financing the unit.

Parth Jindal, Managing Director, JSW Cement, stated that the commissioning marks a key milestone in the company’s ambition to become a pan-India player. He added that the project was completed within 21 months and positions the company to achieve its targeted capacity of 41.85 MTPA by FY29.

Nilesh Narwekar, CEO, JSW Cement, highlighted that the expansion aligns with the company’s strategy to tap into rapidly growing northern markets driven by infrastructure development. He noted that the company remains focused on delivering high-quality, eco-friendly cement solutions while progressing towards its long-term capacity goal of 60 MTPA.

The Nagaur plant has been designed with sustainability features, including co-processing of alternative fuels and a 7 km overland belt conveyor for limestone transport to reduce road emissions. The facility will also incorporate a 16 MW Waste Heat Recovery System to improve energy efficiency and lower its carbon footprint.

JSW Cement, part of the JSW Group, operates across the building materials value chain and currently has eight plants across India, along with a clinker unit in the UAE through its joint venture.