Concrete

Success Story: Achieving industrial excellence with superior lubrication

Published

4 years ago

December 13, 2022

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Focusing on the holistic vision to enhance overall operations.

As a fast-developing economy, India is currently witnessing enhanced demand across sectors including commercial and industrial construction, housing, core infrastructure, etc. Along with rising consumer demand, there is a parallel growth in demand for industrial raw materials. Here, India is doing well to capacitate its industries towards fulfilling evolving market demand and as the second-largest producer of cement in the world, the Indian cement industry’s production capacity is expected to reach 550 MMT by 2025. As the cement industry grows, businesses here are drawing their attention on adopting methods that can aid energy-efficiency in operations while ensuring productivity and profitability. The cement industry encounters a common problem in bearing and industrial gearbox failures due to inadequate lubrication. Most cement plant applications, therefore, require adequate and superior-quality lubrication to increase reliability as well as to improve the total cost of ownership through high-performance and high-pressure lubricants.
Addressing this challenge with a holistic vision to enhance overall operations, MobilTM is providing exceptional performance gear and bearing oils which have been designed to provide outstanding results in equipment protection, oil life, and problem-free operations – aiding increased productivity
and efficiency.

Providing solutions through premium lubrication
Recently, Mobil became associated with one of India’s largest cement manufacturing companies based out of Tamil Nadu that covers operations across five integrated cement units and has 6 grinding units spread across several states. Operations at the company require the use of a variety of in-house processes and machinery, demanding specialised and advanced quality hydraulic fluids and gear oils for smooth functioning. They approached Mobil with challenges in short oil drain intervals (ODIs), hindered productivity, and increased maintenance cost from existing lubricant usage. They sought Mobil’s assistance in developing condition-based monitoring for their crucial applications, and to enhance technical knowledge of their equipment to help overcome troubleshooting activities.
After a careful review of the situation, Mobil recommended the use of MobilgearTM 600 XP 320, a part of the MobilgearTM 600 XP Series. The premium gear oils under this series provide high performance, have outstanding tolerance to extreme pressure, and come with superior load-carrying properties. Mobil advised the usage of these advanced gear oils for the organisation’s raw miller roller lubrication, kiln main drive gear box, and cement mil VRM gearbox. The advanced gear oils are equipped for evolving needs of high technology gear boxes and have enabled the cement firm to increase its ODI by 4.5-times in raw mill roller lubrication, 2.25-times in kiln main drive gearbox, and 2.5-times in its cement mill VRM gearbox. Mobil also recommended the MobilgearTM 600 XP 220 which helped them to increase the ODI by 2.5-times in their coal mill main drive gearbox, resulting in net savings of INR 1,14,750.
To boost the ODI for their cement mill roller hydraulics, the cement manufacturers adopted the Mobil DTETM 24 Ultra high-performance anti-wear hydraulic oil with extended oil life capabilities. This helped them increase ODI by 4-times. These product upgrades along with a thorough root cause analysis to resolve the chromium alert issue in their roller lubrication application and the sodium alert issue in the main drive gearbox that hindered their productivity made them document a total savings of INR 3,031,400 in the year 2021.

Advanced technology to cater to evolving needs
To improve reliability and productivity of the organisation’s critical equipment and ensure profitability at the same time, the company also utilised the Mobil ServSM suite of services. They deployed the Mobil ServSM Lubricant Analysis (MSLA) program for receiving regular updates and reports on operations to aid them in planning periodic maintenance and reducing machine downtime. The company faced difficulty in monitoring equipment remotely for real-time oil conditioning and reducing man-machine interaction – an imperative in today’s era of digitalisation. To tackle this issue, Mobil assisted with its advanced IIOT sensors which provides customised solutions and in-depth analysis to the cement company.
Mobil also organised technical lube training every year to enhance knowledge on specific applications, products and their maintenance, which enabled them to handle troubleshooting efficiently. Additionally, MSLA helped the cement giant to continuously track lubricant and equipment trends. This helped enforce proactive maintenance for important applications, which resulted in longer ODIs and, thus, improved productivity and profitability.
Mobil also utilised the Planned Engineering Service (PES) process to provide the best possible solutions. These solutions have enabled them to improve performance through a planned “best practice” approach to lubrication maintenance. PES is a robust and consistent methodology that enables Mobil to deliver services that add value. It has four steps – mutual planning, objective execution, benefit documentation, and annual business review. Moving ahead, the PES process will continue to unleash productivity of equipment and help the organisation achieve maximum potential of its assets.
Overall, a combination of superior product solutions along with servicing that guarantees productivity and profitability has enabled the cement firm to unlock greater levels of performance.

For more details, please visit mobil.co.in/business
(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.)

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Star Cement Named Preferred Bidder For Boro Lakhindong Block

Preferred bidder for limestone mining lease in Assam

Published

57 minutes ago

June 29, 2026

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Star Cement has been declared the preferred bidder for the mining lease for Boro Lakhindong West Block following e-auctions conducted by the Government of Assam. The block is located in Boro Lakhindong Village, Umrangso Tehsil, Dima Hasao District, Assam, and extends over an area of 123 hectares. The estimated limestone resource is 207.822 million (mn) tonnes (t), a quantity that will supply raw material for cement production and support the company’s manufacturing operations in the region.

The company is engaged in the manufacturing and selling of cement clinker and cement and distributes products across the north-eastern and eastern states of India. Star Cement operates plants and logistics networks that procure and process limestone to produce clinker for cement, and the addition of Boro Lakhindong is presented as a strategic enhancement of feedstock availability. The preferred bidder status secures rights to the specified lease area under the terms of the auction process.

Financial results for the company in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2026 showed a consolidated net profit rise of 20.24 per cent to Rs 1,481.0 mn on an 11.54 per cent increase in revenue to Rs 11,735.5 mn compared with the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Those results reflected higher sales volumes and revenue growth in the company’s primary markets and are cited in company disclosures accompanying the lease announcement. The reported performance provides context to the company’s ability to pursue and finance new mining lease opportunities.

Market reaction to the declaration was modest, with the scrip rising zero point thirty six per cent to trade at Rs 212 on the BSE. The award of the Boro Lakhindong lease concludes the e-auction process for the west block and assigns operational rights to Star Cement as the preferred bidder, subject to completion of statutory and contractual formalities.

Concrete

KERC Proposal To Cut Rooftop Solar Export Tariff Raises Concern

Consumers and advocates urge regulator to reconsider change

Published

57 minutes ago

June 29, 2026

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The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) has proposed a reduction in the tariff paid for surplus electricity that rooftop solar installations export to the grid, prompting concern among consumers, renewable energy advocates and industry specialists. The proposal arrives while the Central government and state governments are promoting clean energy adoption and offering subsidy schemes to encourage rooftop solar deployment. Thousands of households in Karnataka, particularly in Bengaluru, have invested substantial sums in rooftop systems to reduce reliance on conventional power and support state renewable targets.

Stakeholders have raised questions about the implications of a lower export tariff for the financial attractiveness of rooftop solar investments and the pace of the state transition to renewables. Industry analysts warned that a reduction in compensation for excess generation could discourage new installations and extend payback periods for existing systems. Current messaging from authorities, which simultaneously promotes adoption while proposing lower export rates, has been described by user groups as creating contradictory signals for consumers.

Experts argued that policy measures should focus on grid modernisation rather than reducing consumer benefits, with investments in transmission and distribution networks needed to manage higher volumes of distributed solar generation. Consumer groups and renewable advocates are preparing written submissions to the regulator and are urging retention of incentives that support household adoption of rooftop systems. KERC has invited public objections and suggestions as part of a consultation process that will determine the final tariff framework.

The outcome of the consultation is expected to influence the future growth of rooftop solar across the state and shape investor confidence in small-scale renewable projects. Residents who have already installed rooftop panels are monitoring developments closely because changes to compensation mechanisms may affect household finances and the speed of return on investment. Observers noted that coherent policy, aligned incentives and grid upgrades would be essential to sustain momentum in the rooftop solar sector.

Concrete

Indian Railways Plans Green Fly Ash Transport Network

Published

2 days ago

June 27, 2026

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Specialised rail logistics will move fly ash from power plants to infrastructure industries.

New Delhi

Indian Railways is planning a large-scale green logistics initiative to transport fly ash from thermal power plants to industries where it can be reused in infrastructure and construction activities.

The initiative was discussed during a review meeting chaired by Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw. Union Ministers of State for Railways V Somanna and Ravneet Singh Bittu were also present.

India generates nearly 340 million tonnes of fly ash every year from thermal power plants. The proposed initiative aims to create an efficient rail-based transport system using specialised containers and dedicated logistics arrangements to move fly ash safely from power plants to end-use industries.

Fly ash is widely used in road construction, cement manufacturing, brick production, concrete, blocks and boards. By improving its movement through the railway network, the initiative is expected to support better utilisation of this industrial by-product while reducing environmental concerns linked to storage and disposal.

The move also aligns with India’s circular economy goals by converting waste from thermal power generation into a useful raw material for the construction and infrastructure sectors. Wider availability of fly ash can help reduce material costs in areas such as bricks and cement, supporting more affordable infrastructure and housing development.

Through this initiative, Indian Railways aims to provide a cleaner, safer and more organised transport solution for fly ash, turning an environmental challenge into an infrastructure resource.