Economy & Market

Where is the silver lining?

Published

15 years ago

January 9, 2011

admin

This is a classical trough scenario for the cement sector. Things cannot get any more frustrating. Starting from the second half of 2010, the cement sector has been inundated with never ending woes: muted demand with only 4.5 per cent growth in initial months, excess capacity with only 75 per cent utilization, decline in realisations of as much as Rs 35 per bag and profitability declining at the rate of Rs 1,100 per tonne.Yet, things are not at glum as they appear. Take for example the promise from the finance minster that infrastructure spending will increase in the coming days. This is more emphasised by the fact that internal spending will have to boost the economy if India has to keep up its growth rate and insulate itself from the global turmoil. In conjunction, many other long-term demand drivers are still intact and this will ensure return of normal growth. Many cement manufacturers are confident that the worst is behind them and that prices will bounce back after the monsoon and drive profitability.Bleak as it currently looks, the industry has the capability to withstand the onslaught of varied negative factors and still come out trumps. Despite many analysts predicting dark days ahead for cement companies, shares of some of the larger companies have managed to hold their own while other sectors have dipped. Post the announcement of RBI on credit tightening, domestic benchmark indices have lost almost 12 per cent in value but cement stocks have not only stood steady some of them have appreciated. At the time of going to press, UltraTech Cement had gained 7.1 per cent since then and Ambuja Cements was up by 1.4 per cent and ACC gained 0.4 per cent.Good news from some companies that dispatches are also on the rise. Jaiprakash Associates has announced that its cement shipments in August rose 21 percent from a year earlier to 1.32 million tonne. ACC has announced that its production and dispatch figures for the month of August 2011 recorded an increase in sales at 1.88 million tonne compared to 1.57 million tonne in the corresponding period. Also the production increased from 1.56 million tonne to 1.88 million tonne.This is reassuring news for the industry. And hopefully, the days ahead will see better days for the sector.

Concrete

WCA Welcomes SiloConnect as associate corporate member

Published

5 hours ago

April 13, 2026

admin

The World Cement Association (WCA) has announced SiloConnect as its newest associate corporate member, expanding its network of technology providers supporting digitalisation in the cement industry. SiloConnect offers smart sensor technology that provides real-time visibility of cement inventory levels at customer silos, enabling producers to monitor stock remotely and plan deliveries more efficiently. The solution helps companies move from reactive to proactive logistics, improving delivery planning, operational efficiency and safety by reducing manual inspections. The technology is already used by major cement producers such as Holcim, Cemex and Heidelberg Materials and is deployed across more than 30 countries worldwide.

Concrete

TotalEnergies and Holcim Launch Floating Solar Plant in Belgium

Published

5 hours ago

April 13, 2026

admin

TotalEnergies and Holcim have commissioned a floating solar power plant in Obourg, Belgium, built on a rehabilitated former chalk quarry that has been converted into a lake. The project has a generation capacity of 31 MW and produces around 30 GWh of renewable electricity annually, which will be used to power Holcim’s nearby industrial operations. The project is currently the largest floating solar installation in Europe dedicated entirely to industrial self-consumption. To ensure minimal impact on the surrounding landscape, more than 700 metres of horizontal directional drilling were used to connect the solar installation to the electrical substation. The project reflects ongoing collaboration between the two companies to support industrial decarbonisation through renewable energy solutions and innovative infrastructure development.

Concrete

Cortec® Corporation applauded for its strong safety performance

Published

5 hours ago

April 13, 2026

admin

Cortec® Corporation has been recognised for its strong safety performance, receiving its sixth Governor’s Workplace Safety Award for its outstanding performance in 2025. As a Silver Achievement recipient, the company continues to maintain safety metrics well above national industry averages, an impressive accomplishment for a chemical manufacturing organisation. This achievement reflects Cortec’s proactive approach to workplace safety, focused on early hazard detection and employee involvement. The company will be formally recognised at the Minnesota Safety and Health Conference in May, highlighting how industrial companies are effectively strengthening workplace safety standards.