Economy & Market

Prices to come down

Published

15 years ago

May 31, 2011

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Cement prices may come down in the coming months due to reduced offtake as an upshot of the onset of monsoons, when construction activities slow down, and the spike in housing loan rates that is round the corner. The cement companies have also witnessed diminishing demands from infrastructure and real estate sectors. However, ballooning costs of raw materials, which constitute about 70-75 per cent of the cost of cement production, will continue to put a squeeze on margins of cement manufacturers.During the January to March 2011 quarter, a sharp increase in coal prices and railway freight charges had nudged cement prices up by 8-12 per cent from the December 2010 levels. Prices of coal, which constitute 20 per cent of the raw material costs, saw a steep increase in March – in a multi-layered price increase. Holcim Group companies ACC and Ambuja Cements have reported 6 per cent and 12 per cent drop in month-on-month sales at 2.05 million tonne (mt) and 1.86 mn t in April. Ambuja Cements’ sales in April were down 3 per cent compared with 1.91 mt registered last year. Apart from coal, cement makers had to fork out an additional Rs 8 per tonne for coal transportation through the Indian Railways. There could be a marginal dip in cement consumption from the housing sector due to the interest rate hike – this sector (including commercial buildings) accounts for almost 60-65 per cent of India’s total cement consumption.

Concrete

WCA Welcomes SiloConnect as associate corporate member

Published

1 day ago

April 13, 2026

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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

1 day ago

April 13, 2026

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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

1 day ago

April 13, 2026

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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.