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A volatile market leads to hedging of price

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Jatin Shah, Chief Technical Officer and Managing Director, TDD, Colliers India, discusses the various aspects of the construction business that are getting affected by the fluctuations in cement prices and input costs.

How has the rise in cement and building materials costs impacted your business?
Cement price as per last report has risen by about 9 per cent in October 2022 compared to March 2022. Other components like steel, aluminium, copper etc., which are significant contributors
also remain volatile. The construction cost has gone up due to various factors like labour cost and cost of transport coupled with material
price volatility. This remains a concern for the developer, contractors and will continue to impact the industry.

As the costs are expected to remain volatile for a few more months, is there any change in your strategy or approach towards the launch of new projects?
The volatile market will impact developers.
The launch of projects by grade A developers will not be impacted as these developers do command a premium. However, the projects in tier II cities and grade B developers will witness a restraint unless there is some stability in the market, since they operate on thin margins. Apart from on-going Russian-Ukraine conditions, we may observe challenges due to a new surge in Covid-19 infections in some countries.

Tell us about the impact on the timely delivery of developer projects.
Developers (grade A) will continue to deliver their projects. Thanks to RERA and incremental involvement of end buyers and investment from funds, projects will be delivered with only small delays. The impact, as mentioned earlier, will mostly be on the grade B developers or the projects planned in tier II cities where possibly a wait and watch policy may happen.
How has consumer behaviour changed with a change in property costs? Do you expect the demand to decrease?
The residential sector has seen a good run
since the pandemic. Sales momentum has remained intact despite the rise in construction costs and property prices, led by robust demand for home ownership and schemes offered by developers during the festive season. However, led by increased property prices and rise in interest rates, we might see some moderation in demand in the short term. The demand might see a drop in affordable and mid-segment, while the demand for the luxury segment is expected to remain firm.

What is the major challenge that you have come across with the rising costs and how are you combating the same?
A volatile market leads to hedging of prices.
We recommend the developers to remain watchful for bulk procurement and approach projects with just-in-time approach, tweak contracts to bring in more materials linked to basic prices and take contractors into confidence. The transparency between developer and contractors at this stage will insulate both from the issues of fluctuating prices. Additionally, the selection of material, of suppliers and vendors should be reviewed holistically and not only be driven by the ‘lowest price’ concept.

How do you envision the future of real estate development and consumer behaviour with the rising cost of cement and other construction materials?
Real estate investments will continue to remain in focus and a preferred investment vehicle. Focus may shift to investments in grade A assets or projects by grade A developers where end buyer / user has the confidence on projects being
completed in time and with quality. While developers are expected to step ahead with caution, consumers might also adopt a wait and watch approach for decision making.

-Kanika Mathur

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Concrete

Molecor Renews OCS Europe Certification Across Spanish Plants

Certification reinforces commitment to preventing microplastic pollution

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Molecor has renewed its OCS Europe certification for another year across all its production facilities in Spain under the Operation Clean Sweep (OCS) voluntary initiative, reaffirming its commitment to sustainability and environmental protection. The renewal underlines the company’s continued focus on preventing the unintentional release of plastic particles during manufacturing, with particular attention to safeguarding marine ecosystems from microplastic pollution.

All Molecor plants in Spain have been compliant with OCS Europe standards for several years, implementing best practices designed to avoid pellet loss and the release of plastic particles during the production of PVC pipes and fittings. The OCS-based management system enables the company to maintain strict operational controls while aligning with evolving regulatory expectations on microplastic prevention.

The renewed certification also positions Molecor ahead of newly published European regulations. The company’s practices are aligned with Regulation (EU) 2025/2365, recently adopted by the European Parliament, which sets out requirements to prevent pellet loss and reduce microplastic pollution across industrial operations.

Extending its sustainability commitment beyond its own operations, Molecor is actively engaging its wider value chain by informing suppliers and customers of its participation in the OCS programme and encouraging responsible microplastic management practices. Through these efforts, the company contributes directly to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 14 ‘Life below water’, reinforcing its role as a responsible industrial manufacturer committed to environmental stewardship and long-term sustainability.

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Coforge Launches AI-Led Data Cosmos Analytics Platform

New cloud-native platform targets enterprise data modernisation and GenAI adoption

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Coforge Limited has recently announced the launch of Coforge Data Cosmos, an AI-enabled, cloud-native data engineering and advanced analytics platform aimed at helping enterprises convert fragmented data environments into intelligent, high-performance data ecosystems. The platform strengthens Coforge’s technology stack by introducing a foundational innovation layer that supports cloud-native, domain-specific solutions built on reusable blueprints, proprietary IP, accelerators, agentic components and industry-aligned capabilities.

Data Cosmos is designed to address persistent enterprise challenges such as data fragmentation, legacy modernisation, high operational costs, limited self-service analytics, lack of unified governance and the complexity of GenAI adoption. The platform is structured around five technology portfolios—Supernova, Nebula, Hypernova, Pulsar and Quasar—covering the full data transformation lifecycle, from legacy-to-cloud migration and governance to cloud-native data platforms, autonomous DataOps and scaled GenAI orchestration.

To accelerate speed-to-value, Coforge has introduced the Data Cosmos Toolkit, comprising over 55 IPs and accelerators and 38 AI agents powered by the Data Cosmos Engine. The platform also enables Galaxy solutions, which combine industry-specific data models with the core technology stack to deliver tailored solutions across sectors including BFS, insurance, travel, transportation and hospitality, healthcare, public sector and retail.

“With Data Cosmos, we are setting a new benchmark for how enterprises convert data complexity into competitive advantage,” said Deepak Manjarekar, Global Head – Data HBU, Coforge. “Our objective is to provide clients with a fast, adaptive and AI-ready data foundation from day one.”

Supported by a strong ecosystem of cloud and technology partners, Data Cosmos operates across multi-cloud and hybrid environments and is already being deployed in large-scale transformation programmes for global clients.

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India, Sweden Launch Seven Low-Carbon Steel, Cement Projects

Joint studies to cut industrial emissions under LeadIT

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India and Sweden have announced seven joint projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions in the steel and cement sectors, with funding support from India’s Department of Science and Technology and the Swedish Energy Agency.

The initiatives, launched under the LeadIT Industry Transition Partnership, bring together major Indian companies including Tata Steel, JK Cement, Ambuja Cements, Jindal Steel and Power, and Prism Johnson, alongside Swedish technology firms such as Cemvision, Kanthal and Swerim. Leading Indian academic institutions, including IIT Bombay, IIT-ISM Dhanbad, IIT Bhubaneswar and IIT Hyderabad, are also participating.

The projects will undertake pre-pilot feasibility studies on a range of low-carbon technologies. These include the use of hydrogen in steel rotary kilns, recycling steel slag for green cement production, and applying artificial intelligence to optimise concrete mix designs. Other studies will explore converting blast furnace carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide for reuse and assessing electric heating solutions for steelmaking.

India’s steel sector currently accounts for about 10–12 per cent of the country’s carbon emissions, while cement contributes nearly 6 per cent. Globally, heavy industry is responsible for roughly one-quarter of greenhouse gas emissions and consumes around one-third of total energy.

The collaboration aims to develop scalable, low-carbon industrial technologies that can support India’s net-zero emissions target by 2070. As part of the programme, Tata Steel and Cemvision will examine methods to convert steel slag into construction materials, creating a circular value chain for industrial byproducts.

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