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Our endeavour is to increase customer engagement

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Hemanshu Hashia, Country Head, Safety Jogger India, and Piyush Bose, Business Head, Joseph Leslie & Co. LLP discuss the various aspects of safety equipment required for smooth adaptability of HSE operations in a highly intensive industry such as cement manufacturing. Leslico is the strategy consultant to Safety Jogger India.

Tell us about the safety gear that you manufacture and their components and use at a cement plant? What is the quality standard that is followed for the safety gear?
Safety Jogger manufactures footwear, which acts as a basic protection gear for workers in the cement plants. This industry has a high unpredictable risk averse environment, thus, all the safety footwear that we manufacture is in accordance with the global quality standards and Indian BIS standards. Apart from safety shoes, Leslico manufactures other PPE parts like safety helmets, safety eyewear, safety ear protection and specialised work wear along with safety gloves, which are relevant to the cement industry.
Cement industry is one of the biggest providers in the India construction movement. The safety starts from the head and goes up to the toes and we call it the head-to-toe protection. It talks about head protection, face protection, eye protection, respiratory protection, garments, hand protection and the safety shoes, which make for an important part of the safety gear for the cement industry working professionals and Leslico are at the top of the list.
The major consumables in the cement industry are: head protection, hand protection and foot protection. Apart from these there are other parts that form a part of the PPE kit, which protect from high heat, dust environment and respiratory protection. We have a wide range of head protection products suited for cement industry workers at different levels. Every product is certified to its relevant quality standard. We offer products that offer global standards of quality. Being in the global era, we believe that our PPE should also be global. Hence, our products are approved and certified to at least 70 per cent of the global domain, i.e., ANSI Standards, ASTM International Standard, EU Standards and the BIS norms.
Our safety jogger shoes have been tested in accordance with three global quality standards namely, BIS 15298, EN 20345, ASTM 2413-18. Each standard has its own advantages. The BIS and European Norms test products according to impact resistance, the ASTM Norms also test them according to compression resistance. Certain components have slip resistance, however, that is a subjective term, and all the standards have a different set of tests and approval for the same. So, a composition of a good product should not only have the certification requirements but also the important takeaways like properties of water repellent upper and compression resistance requirements.
In India, typically safety equipment manufacturers have been following only one standard of norms for their quality tests. However, the times have changed and globally the demand is for all standard certifications in one product. Therefore, we are also educating the users of safety equipment in India to ask for global quality standard norms and are making it available for them at the same price.
We look at the hazards and the people working in the cement industry. There are multiple people visiting the cement plants in various capacities. The pandemic and post pandemic era have made people aware and more conscious of their safety and hygiene.
We have a product named TigerGrip Overshoes by Safety Jogger, which is something a visitor to the plant can wear over their shoes. This is to avoid them wearing previously worn shoes and raise concerns of hygiene. It can be washed easily and prevents contamination due to sweat or any other impurities. Safety Jogger has a software that allows us to accommodate and determine shoe size 4 to 11 within just four SKUs of this product. This is a revolution in the safety industry.
Safety is lifesaving equipment. From a consumer’s point of view, we often know specifications of consumer durables that we want, but as the safety equipment market is crowded, there is a lot of confusion on what the consumer of these equipment wants.

What is the tolerance of your personal protective gear when exposed to harsh conditions at the cement plants?
Tolerance is the measure where performance of a product comes into picture. Safety gears are meant to withstand the harshest of conditions. Which means that when a standard of a product is made, it is made to harsh conditions where the impact can come from any side to it. For example, a high heat application product is supposed to protect the worker from heat. But given a situation where accidently, some molten metal comes to the clothing, it should also be resistant to this condition. Thus, what the industry needs today against its existing practices is to go 20 per cent higher than the minimum tolerance required.
All their safety gear specifications should be driven in a manner where they have to withstand the minimum tolerance required. The BIS requires a product to have a minimum of 14mm clearance in a size 8 show after an impact of 200J on the toe cap. Safety Jogger toe caps have a minimum tolerance of 17mm to 22mm along with compression resistance tests. Our safety shoes are tested at an impact of 240J against 200J to ensure maximum safety for its users. It is by default a higher tolerance level than the minimum required standard. The outsole of the shoe, a very important part, ensures slip resistance which is also tested at 20 per cent over and above set standard. Along with these resistance features, we also do a tolerance test for penetration resistance for the shoe. This protects its users from getting injured with any objects like nails etc., by penetration in their feet. Thus, the safety factor is built into our shoes.
Another example for withstanding harsh conditions would be the testing of a helmet. In real scenarios, it is not necessary that the helmet is hit only from the top. It can be hit from any angle. Leslico products protect the wearers of head protection from vertical as well as lateral impacts. We also have electrical insulation of 20KV.
To further ensure the users of our shoes, anyone who is wearing the Safety Jogger shoes are protected by an insurance amount of $5 million. This is a global insurance we do for every user. The real question is how will the end customer check the tolerance of the protective gear that they are using. For that, they need to deep dive into the minimum required tolerances and also understand what the markets have to offer.
Our products are available globally and maintain the same tolerance levels for every single one of them. Safety PPE works with trust and to gain trust, any manufacturer cannot cut corners. It becomes our duty to ensure that those wearing our safety gears are protected under the harshest of conditions and go back home safely.

What is the role of technology in understanding the safety requirements and subsequently making equipment for the industry?
We are one of the biggest safety shoe manufacturers globally, which makes it imperative to use technology and assess gaps in safety in the industry and act upon it.
For example, our shoes come with a barcode and with a phone’s QR code scanner, the barcode can be scanned and can be connected to the internet, thus giving all the information of the shoe. This scanner can determine the type of shoe, its use and tolerance levels. This barcode also allows the user to give feedback directly to us and helps us address the issues and experience of the users for the shoe and make the product even better. The information is shared with teams across the globe.
We also have a Safety Jogger foot sizer app, which allows you to check your foot size with a picture of your foot. This way you will end up getting the correct size of the shoe for yourself.
We use powerBI. With this, we check our performance at the user end. For example, the cement industry uses our products. With the powerBI, we can check the popular models of shoes used, feedback on each shoe by user, the sales and prices of the product in the industry. It gives us an industry based snapshot and information, based on which we can tweak our designs and make products better suited to the cement industry.
This app also allows us to forecast the requirements of our products. Since these products – gloves, helmets, safety shoes etc., are life saving products and critical to industries, it allows us to stock them up and make them available to the customer as soon as they raise a requirement for the same. We understand that PPE enables the functioning of processes at cement plants. We maintain stock so that there is no lag due to the non-availability of safety gear as that is a huge cost to the organisation as well.

What are the key preventive measures for the cement plants?
One of the main challenges with the cement industry is the training with safety equipment. So, training at the local level or grassroot level is the challenge. Care for the shoe needs to be taught to the user so as to maintain its longevity. Industry experts should be invited to give these training sessions to the workers at the plant level and the sessions should be interactive to ensure that there are no doubts in the use of our safety gear.

Tell us about some innovative or upcoming safety gear by your organisation that can be beneficial for the cement industry.
One of the critical projects that we are working on is a high heat application product. It has the required approval standards along with wearer comfort.
The wearer comfort refers to the breathability of the fabric and the wearing of the product. It is a seven layer suit, which is usually very heavy and we are trying to bring down its weight by 50 per cent. This is a product in the pipeline.
Leslico is going to be coming up with Global Product Recyclability. In this work system, we recycle old helmets by turning them into granules and then making a new product out of them. This is our drive for sustainability. Our endeavour is to increase customer engagement, to make the safety industry and cement industry safe places to work. We are setting this
up and trying to build it up commercially for better results.
Globally, every shoe manufactured leaves a carbon footprint globally. We have understood that lower the carbon footprint, more is its demand. At Safety Joggers, we have manufactured a shoe where we have used plastic bottles that have been thrown away in the ocean. Our experts collect these bottles and make shoes that are recyclable. My dream is to make a standard safety shoe for the Indian cement industry as it reduces waste, reduces carbon emission and has a long lifecycle as well.
In 2022, we launched our own ‘Make in India’ campaign and in November we started manufacturing shoes in India itself. We did great sales and have also started exporting these shoes to approximately 20 countries globally. We are trying to explore the Indian market extensively and are trying to make the most of the available opportunity. It is a proud moment for us as Indians.

-Kanika Mathur

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Adani’s Strategic Emergence in India’s Cement Landscape

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5 days ago

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September 16, 2025

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Milind Khangan, Marketing Head, Vertex Market Research, sheds light on Adani’s rapid cement consolidation under its ‘One Business, One Company’ strategy while positioning it to rival UltraTech, and thus, shaping a potential duopoly in India’s booming cement market.

India is the second-largest cement-producing country in the world, following China. This expansion is being driven by tremendous public investment in the housing and infrastructure sectors. The industry is accelerating, with a boost from schemes such as PM Gati Shakti, Bharatmala, and the Vande Bharat corridors. An upsurge in affordable housing under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) further supports this expansion. In May 2025, local cement production increased about 9 per cent from last year to about 40 million metric tonnes for the month. The combined cement capacity in India was recorded at 670 million metric tonnes in the 2025 fiscal year, according to the Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA). For the financial year 2026, this is set to grow by another 9 per cent.
In spite of the growing demand, the Indian cement industry is highly competitive. UltraTech Cement (Aditya Birla Group) is still the market leader with domestic installed capacity of more than 186 MTPA as on 2025. It is targeted to achieve 200 MTPA. Adani Cement recently became a major player and is now India’s second-largest cement company. It did this through aggressive consolidation, operational synergies, and scale efficiencies. Indian players in the cement industry are increasingly valuing operational efficiency and sustainability. Some of the strategies with high impact are alternative fuels and materials (AFR) adoption, green cement expansion, and digital technology investments to offset changing regulatory pressure and increasing energy prices.

Building Adani Cement brand
Vertex Market Research explains that the Adani Group is executing a comprehensive reorganisation and consolidation of its cement business under the ‘One Business, One Company’ strategy. The plan is to integrate its diversified holdings into one consolidated corporate entity named Adani Cement. The focus is on operating integration, governance streamlining, and cost reduction in its expanding cement business.
Integration roadmap and key milestones:

  • September 2022: The consolidation process started with the $6.4 billion buyout of Holcim’s majority stakes in Ambuja Cements and ACC, with Ambuja becoming the focal point of the consolidation.
  • December 2023: Bought Sanghi Industries to strengthen the firm’s presence in western India.
  • August 2024: Added Penna Cement to the portfolio, improving penetration of the southern market of India.
  • April 2025: Further holding addition in Orient Cement to 46.66 per cent by purchasing the same from CK Birla Group, becoming the promoter with control.
  • Ambuja Cements amalgamated with Adani Cement: This was sanctioned by the NCLT on 18th July 2025 with effect from April 1, 2024. This amalgamation brings in limestone reserves and fresh assets into Ambuja.
  • Subject to Sanghi and Penna merger with Ambuja: Board approvals in December 2024 with the aim to finish between September to December 2025.
  • Ambuja-ACC future integration: The latter is being contemplated as the final step towards consolidation.
  • Orient Cement: It would serve as a principal manufacturing facility following the merger.

Scale, capacity expansion and market position
In financial year-2025, Adani Cement, including Ambuja, surpassed 100 MTPA. This makes it one of the world’s top ten cement companies. Along with ACC’s operations, it is now firmly placed as India’s second-largest cement company. In FY25, the Adani group’s sales volume per annum clocked 65 million metric tonnes. Adani Group claims that it now supplies close to 30 per cent of the cement consumed in India’s homes and infrastructure as of June 2025.
The organisation is pursuing aggressive brownfield expansion:

  • By FY 2026: Reach 118 MTPA
  • By FY 2028: Target 140 MTPA

These goals will be driven by commissioning new clinker and grinding units at key sites, with civil and mechanical works underway.
As of 2024, Adani Cement had its market share pegged at around 14 to 15 per cent, with an ambition to scale this up to 20 per cent by FY?2028, emerging as a potent competitor to UltraTech’s 192?MTPA capacity (186 domestic and overseas).

Strategic advantages and competitive benefits
The consolidation simplifies decision-making by reducing legal entities, centralising oversight, and removing redundant functions. This drives compliance efficiency and transparent reporting. Using procurement power for raw materials and energy lowers costs per ton. Integrated logistics with Adani Ports and freight infrastructure has resulted in an estimated 6 per cent savings in logistics. The group aims for additional savings of INR 500 to 550 per tonne by FY 2028 by integrating green energy, using alternative fuel resources, and improving sourcing methods.

Market coverage and brand consistency
Brand integration under one strategy will provide uniform product quality and easier distribution networks. Integration with Orient Cement’s dealer base, 60 per cent of which already distributes Ambuja/ACC products, enhances outreach and responsiveness.
By having captive limestone reserves at Lakhpat (approximately 275 million tonnes) and proposed new manufacturing facilities in Raigad, Maharashtra, Adani Cement derives cost advantage, raw material security, and long-term operational robustness.

Strategic implications and risks
Consolidation at Adani Cement makes it not just a capacity leader but also an operationally agile competitor with the ability to reap digital and sustainability benefits. Its vertically integrated platform enables cost leadership, market responsiveness, and scalability.

Challenges potentially include:

  • Integration challenges across systems, corporate cultures, and plant operations
  • Regulatory sanctions for pending mergers and new capacity additions
  • Environmental clearances in environmentally sensitive areas and debt management with input price volatility

When materialised, this revolution would create a formidable Adani–UltraTech duopoly, redefining Indian cement on the basis of scale, innovation, and sustainability. India’s leading four cement players such as Adani (ACC and Ambuja), Dalmia Cement, Shree Cement, and UltraTech are expected to dominate the cement market.

Conclusion
Adani’s aggressive consolidation under the ‘One Business, One Company’ strategy signals a decisive shift in the Indian cement industry, positioning the group as a formidable challenger to UltraTech and setting the stage for a potential duopoly that could dominate the sector for years to come. By unifying operations, leveraging economies of scale, and securing vertical integration—from raw material reserves to distribution networks—Adani Cement is building both capacity and resilience, with clear advantages in cost efficiency, market reach, and sustainability. While integration complexities, regulatory hurdles, and environmental approvals remain key challenges, the scale and strategic alignment of this consolidation promise to redefine competition, pricing dynamics, and operational benchmarks in one of the world’s fastest-growing cement markets.

About the author:
Milind Khangan is the Marketing Head at Vertex Market Research and comes with over five years of experience in market research, lead generation and team management.

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Precision in Motion: A Deep Dive into PowerBuild’s Core Gear Series

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1 month ago

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August 16, 2025

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PowerBuild’s flagship Series M, C, F, and K geared motors deliver robust, efficient, and versatile power transmission solutions for industries worldwide.

Products – M, C, F, K: At the heart of every high-performance industrial system lies the need for robust, reliable, and efficient power transmission. PowerBuild answers this need with its flagship geared motor series: M, C, F, and K. Each series is meticulously engineered to serve specific operational demands while maintaining the universal promise of durability, efficiency, and performance.
Series M – Helical Inline Geared Motors: Compact and powerful, the Series M delivers exceptional drive solutions for a broad range of applications. With power handling up to 160kW and torque capacity reaching 20,000 Nm, it is the trusted solution for industries requiring quiet operation, high efficiency, and space-saving design. Series M is available with multiple mounting and motor options, making it a versatile choice for manufacturers and OEMs globally.
Series C – Right Angled Heli-Worm Geared Motors: Combining the benefits of helical and worm gearing, the Series C is designed for right-angled power transmission. With gear ratios of up to 16,000:1 and torque capacities of up to 10,000 Nm, this series is optimal for applications demanding precision in compact spaces. Industries looking for a smooth, low-noise operation with maximum torque efficiency rely on Series C for dependable performance.
Series F – Parallel Shaft Mounted Geared Motors: Built for endurance in the most demanding environments, Series F is widely adopted in steel plants, hoists, cranes, and heavy-duty conveyors. Offering torque up to 10,000 Nm and high gear ratios up to 20,000:1, this product features an integral torque arm and diverse output configurations to meet industry-specific challenges head-on.
Series K – Right Angle Helical Bevel Geared Motors: For industries seeking high efficiency and torque-heavy performance, Series K is the answer. This right-angled geared motor series delivers torque up to 50,000 Nm, making it a preferred choice in core infrastructure sectors such as cement, power, mining, and material handling. Its flexibility in mounting and broad motor options offer engineers’ freedom in design and reliability in execution.
Together, these four series reflect PowerBuild’s commitment to excellence in mechanical power transmission. From compact inline designs to robust right-angle drives, each geared motor is a result of decades of engineering innovation, customer-focused design, and field-tested reliability. Whether the requirement is speed control, torque multiplication, or space efficiency, Radicon’s Series M, C, F, and K stand as trusted powerhouses for global industries.

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Driving Measurable Gains

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1 month ago

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August 16, 2025

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Klüber Lubrication India’s Klübersynth GEM 4-320 N upgrades synthetic gear oil for energy efficiency.

Klüber Lubrication India has introduced a strategic upgrade for the tyre manufacturing industry by retrofitting its high-performance synthetic gear oil, Klübersynth GEM 4-320 N, into Barrel Cold Feed Extruder gearboxes. This smart substitution, requiring no hardware changes, delivered energy savings of 4-6 per cent, as validated by an internationally recognised energy audit firm under IPMVP – Option B protocols, aligned with
ISO 50015 standards.

Beyond energy efficiency, the retrofit significantly improved operational parameters:

  • Lower thermal stress on equipment
  • Extended lubricant drain intervals
  • Reduction in CO2 emissions and operational costs

These benefits position Klübersynth GEM 4-320 N as a powerful enabler of sustainability goals in line with India’s Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) guidelines and global Net Zero commitments.

Verified sustainability, zero compromise
This retrofit case illustrates that meaningful environmental impact doesn’t always require capital-intensive overhauls. Klübersynth GEM 4-320 N demonstrated high performance in demanding operating environments, offering:

  • Enhanced component protection
  • Extended oil life under high loads
  • Stable performance across fluctuating temperatures

By enabling quick wins in efficiency and sustainability without disrupting operations, Klüber reinforces its role as a trusted partner in India’s evolving industrial landscape.

Klüber wins EcoVadis Gold again
Further affirming its global leadership in responsible business practices, Klüber Lubrication has been awarded the EcoVadis Gold certification for the fourth consecutive year in 2025. This recognition places it in the top three per cent
of over 150,000 companies worldwide evaluated for environmental, ethical and sustainable procurement practices.
Klüber’s ongoing investments in R&D and product innovation reflect its commitment to providing data-backed, application-specific lubrication solutions that exceed industry expectations and support long-term sustainability goals.

A trusted industrial ally
Backed by 90+ years of tribology expertise and a global support network, Klüber Lubrication is helping customers transition toward a greener tomorrow. With Klübersynth GEM 4-320 N, tyre manufacturers can take measurable, low-risk steps to boost energy efficiency and regulatory alignment—proving that even the smallest change can spark a significant transformation.

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