Economy & Market

Increasing Process Efficiency

Published

2 years ago

April 17, 2024

admin

The efficient handling of cement, from production to transportation, is paramount. This article is a case study about the transformative impact of ELGi’s oil-free compressors adopted by a leading Indian cement major.

India is the second-largest cement-producing country in the world1, accounting for more than 8 per cent of the global installed capacity2. The cement industry is vital to global infrastructure development, providing the building blocks for our roads, bridges and buildings. With a major infrastructure push from the government and technological advancements for environment-friendly processes, the cement industry is looking forward to promising growth potential. Also, with the excellent quality and quantity of limestone deposits throughout the country, the cement industry promises enormous growth potential.
Initiatives by the Government of India, such as the expansion of railways, housing for all and smart cities, combined with the additional requirement of cement for urban households, will lead to more consumption in the coming years. Cement is a sector that relies heavily on industrial machinery and processes to ensure efficient production. Among this crucial equipment is the air compressor, which plays a pivotal role in cement transportation.

Cement production in India
With the increase in overall requirement for cement, there is also a need for time-efficient and quick processes to meet the ever-growing demands. Manufacturing cement involves complex processes such as mixing, drying and grinding a mixture of clay, limestone and silica into a composite mass. This mixture is then heated and burnt in a preheater and kiln. Following this, when the mixture is cooled in an air-cooling system, clinker is produced, a semi-finished form of cement. The clinker is cooled by air and ground with gypsum to form cement. The material’s bulky nature results in high transportation costs that have led cement manufacturers to set up clinker units near limestone mines and grinding units near coastal areas to help cut down logistics costs considerably. However, some challenges need to be resolved to enhance process efficiency.

Customer challenge
A prominent Indian cement major with numerous plants and units spread across different countries looked out for an efficient compressed air solution to facilitate unloading cement from ships into bulkers and transferring cement to their plant silos. It is vital to quickly load and unload the cement to avoid holding the ship for too long in the dock and prevent penalties. Further, bulkers are used for transporting cement to the cement silos, which also requires swift implementation to avoid trucks lining up. While handling large volumes of material, transporting cement through pipes is more efficient than packing in bags. Compressed air is crucial for quickly loading and unloading cement from trucks.

Application of compressed air
A single silo has the capacity of accommodating nine trucks filled with cement. For unloading, pipes are connected to the trucks. A pipe with compressed air discharged at two bars of pressure goes into the truck, and another pipe is connected to move the cement into the silo. Once the pressure reaches zero, it signals that the entire material has been transferred to the silo, and the pipe is removed. A similar process transfers the cement from ships to trucks. It is crucial that the equipment doesn’t break down during the entire process and the air supply is sufficient. The downtime also needs to be minimal to maintain operational quality and speed.

Smart savings
The cement major chose ELGi air compressors because they were indigenous with low maintenance costs. The cement major shifted from reciprocating air compressors to ELGi’s OF 132 L oil-free screw air compressors after a careful audit of their needs.
ELGi’s solution reduced power consumption and faster cement transfer, supported by quick customer service response and reliable technical support. The ELGi team also retrofitted its existing variable-frequency drives (VFDs) on its air compressors to regulate motor speed for cases when there was less cement than usual to unload. As bulkers unloaded faster with ELGi compressors, fewer bulkers were needed overall, thus resulting in huge savings.
Here are some key benefits of the shift to ELGi’s Oil Free Compressed Air Solution:

ELGi’s Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) system makes operating air compressors easy.
Earlier, it would take 45 minutes to unload a truck, but after using ELGi air compressors, unloading time reduced to 20 minutes, a drop of 50 per cent.
Since ELGi air compressors use less energy, the customer’s power consumption is reduced, translating into significant cost savings.

ELGi’s oil-free and energy-efficient air compressors helped the cement major to increase its productivity. Ship unloading into bulkers and bulkers unloading into cement silos at the plant both happened quicker than earlier, resulting in substantial time and cost savings. Low maintenance costs and reduced power consumption also increased efficiency.
The cement manufacturer has switched to ELGi air compressors for its plants all over India. As the cement industry grows, ELGi air compressors will continue to enable the Indian cement major to transport cement faster, ensuring high energy efficiency, productivity and significant energy and maintenance cost savings.

References
1 beeindia.gov.in
2www.ibef.org

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Wonder Cement appoints Mahesh Singh as VP Corporate Brand Communication

Published

5 days ago

October 9, 2026

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Singh brings 20+ years of brand and marketing experience, and will lead integrated corporate brand communication initiatives at Wonder Cement

New Delhi

Wonder Cement, a leading cement manufacturer, has appointed Mahesh Singh as Vice President – Corporate Brand Communication. In his new role, he will oversee corporate brand strategy and communication, including digital and performance marketing, public relations, trade, events, exhibitions, sports and experiential marketing.

Singh brings over two decades of experience across marketing and communications, with roles spanning the automotive industry, agencies and entrepreneurship. He spent more than a decade with Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, working across integrated communication, media, digital, retail and consumer engagement. His stint also included helping build the company’s digital marketing capabilities.

He moved to dentsu X India as Vice President – Strategy & Planning, working across categories such as automotive, auto components, electric vehicles, FMCG, consumer electronics, BFSI, apparel and brand consulting. His responsibilities included media and marketing strategy, product launches, content, performance marketing and consumer activations.

Singh subsequently took an entrepreneurial route with Radiant Brands before joining Shriram Ltd (SPR Autotech) as Head – Marketing & Communications. There, his remit included brand and corporate strategy, communications, PR and ORM, retail identity, loyalty programmes and events.

At Wonder Cement, Singh will be responsible for bringing together the company’s corporate brand communication initiatives across digital, performance marketing, PR, trade, sports and experiential platforms. The role will focus on creating an integrated approach to communication across consumers, trade partners and other key stakeholders.

The appointment brings to Wonder Cement a marketer whose career has spanned the brand, agency and entrepreneurial sides of the communications ecosystem.

Wonder Cement, part of the RK Group, is a cement manufacturer with roots in Rajasthan and a focus on quality, trust and transparency. The company has grown to six manufacturing plants, and a cement capacity of 21.5 MTPA. With more than 2,000 employees and a network of over 5,000 dealers, its operations span manufacturing, distribution and customer engagement, with a focus on consistent product quality and efficient execution.

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JSW Cement commissions additional 1 MTPA grinding unit at Nagaur

Published

6 days ago

October 8, 2026

admin

With this commissioning, JSW Cement’s total cement grinding capacity has increased to 25.10 MTPA,
Mumbai

JSW Cement, one of India’s leading green cement producers and part of the diversified JSW Group, today announced the successful commissioning of an additional 1.00 MTPA cement grinding unit at Nagaur, Rajasthan. The commissioning marks another significant milestone in the Company’s growth strategy.

With this commissioning, JSW Cement’s total cement grinding capacity has increased to 25.10 MTPA, while its total clinker manufacturing capacity, including clinker capacity at its joint venture, JSW Cement FZC, stands at 9.74 MTPA.

JSW Cement had commenced operations in North India in March 2026 with the Nagaur Integrated Plant, comprising a 3.30 MTPA clinkerisation unit and 2.50 MTPA cement grinding unit. With the commissioning of the additional 1.00 MTPA cement grinding unit, the plant’s total cement grinding capacity has increased to 3.50 MTPA, enhancing the company’s ability to cater to the growing cement demand across Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the National Capital Region (NCR). The expansion has been funded through a strategic mix of equity and long-term debt.

During the quarter ended 30th September 2026, JSW Cement has also commissioned the Alternate Fuel Handling System and the Waste Heat Recovery system (WHRS) at the Nagaur Integrated Plant.

Nilesh Narwekar, CEO, JSW Cement, said: “The commissioning of additional 1.00 MTPA grinding capacity at Nagaur is a key strategic priority for us and will accelerate JSW Cement’s expansion into North India. We look forward to servicing the growing needs of the region and contributing to the economic growth of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the NCR area. I am delighted to share that the company has commissioned this grinding unit within the expected timeline, showcasing our project execution capabilities. Further, the Alternate Fuel Handling System and the Waste Heat Recovery system (WHRS) are expected to substantially reduce our production costs going forward.”

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UltraTech becomes first Indian cement firm to cross 2 GW green energy

Published

7 days ago

October 7, 2026

admin

UltraTech Cement has crossed 2 GW of captive green energy capacity, with renewables and waste heat recovery meeting 48 per cent of its power needs.

Mumbai

UltraTech Cement Limited has surpassed 2 GW of installed green energy capacity for captive use, becoming the first cement company in India to achieve the milestone. The Aditya Birla Group company commissioned 116.55 MW of wind capacity at its Inter-State Transmission System-connected wind-solar hybrid project in Barmer, Rajasthan, along with 10 MW of Waste Heat Recovery System capacity at Sarlanagar Cement Works in Karnataka.

With these additions, UltraTech’s cumulative installed green energy capacity has reached 2,024 MW. This includes 1,580 MW of renewable energy capacity and 444 MW of waste heat recovery capacity, together meeting around 48 per cent of the company’s current power requirements.

The company said the milestone reflects the progress of its long-term energy transition strategy. In FY27 so far, nearly one-third of UltraTech’s 76 manufacturing units in India have maintained green energy utilisation above 50 per cent of their electricity requirements, while five units have crossed 95 per cent.

K C Jhanwar, Managing Director, UltraTech Cement Limited, said, “Crossing the 2 GW green energy milestone is the result of a strategy we have pursued consistently over the past decade. Cement is an energy-intensive, hard-to-abate sector, and showing that reliability and growth can go hand in hand with a rapid shift to green energy sets a benchmark for the industry. With nearly half of our power needs now met through green energy, we are significantly less exposed to fossil fuel supply constraints and power price volatility. As we scale up renewables, waste heat recovery and battery storage across our operations, we are building an energy foundation for stable, long-term growth.”

UltraTech commissioned 430 MW of green energy capacity in FY26 and continues to expand its renewable energy and waste heat recovery portfolio.

The company is also progressively integrating Battery Energy Storage Systems across its operations to improve renewable energy utilisation and supply reliability.

In 2025, UltraTech operationalised what it described as India’s first on-site hybrid round-the-clock renewable energy project at Sewagram Cement Works in Gujarat. The project combines solar, wind and battery storage.

As part of its decarbonisation strategy, UltraTech said it has not invested in new captive thermal power capacity for either greenfield projects or brownfield expansions at its integrated units for more than a decade.

The company said its expanding green energy portfolio is helping reduce dependence on conventional grid electricity and fossil fuel-based power, while lowering exposure to fluctuations in coal and electricity prices.

UltraTech aims to increase green energy’s share in its total power mix to 85 per cent by 2030. As a member of RE100, it has also committed to meeting 100 per cent of its electricity requirement through renewable sources by 2050.

UltraTech Cement, the cement flagship of the Aditya Birla Group, has a total grey cement capacity of 210.1 MTPA and white cement and putty capacity of 3.5 MTPA. The company is also a signatory to the GCCA Climate Ambition 2050 and has committed to the GCCA Net Zero Concrete roadmap.