Concrete

PRAKASH J RAJA is the proprietor of King's Trade Links. He has been a dealer since 1988.

Published

15 years ago

July 31, 2011

admin

"We started off as an entity catering to BMC contractors and gradually shifted focus towards loose cement in bulk catering to commercial RMC units and big infrastructural entities," said Raja. When asked about the largest selling cement, Raja replied that Holcim Group as a combined entity are the frontrunners. Their supply chain logistics in loose is terrific and they have a resounding response from the consumers in terms of high quality of concrete they can generate. When asked about the largest selling grade of cement, Raja replied, "RMC plants have 100 per cent demand for OPC as it gives them freedom to create different qualities of mixed designed concrete by using fly ash in tandem. Higher grades and blended cement are used in multi-floored buildings and specialised work contracts, there is steady demand in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities for the same". About volatility in prices, Raja said, "volatility is a two way circus. In the downward spiraling market, the consumers fragment their orders in small quantities as they anticipate a further lowering of prices, whereas during the up trending market, the supply side is brimmed with orders and hence there is a supply crunch. Consequently, it affects our cycle". The company caters to more than 25 RMC plants in Mumbai region. "Besides this we also cater to several builders and works contractors. We do not stock cement as we are into non-trade sales promotion and act as del credere for the promotions we make," said Raja. To improve sales, Raja suggested that sales can be improved by providing timely supplies and matching competent rates backed by steady quality standards. When asked about the ways to improve better packaging, Raja replied, "the loss in pilferage has now become minimal in bags owing to better supervision and transparency in weighing procedure. Bulkers with vacuumed seals provide a good measure against any such pilferage or even natural loss during transit". To speedup, delays at check post, Raja suggested, a pre-paid smart card device, can be very useful, which will help the procedure of lining up and waiting would reduce drastically.

Concrete

UltraTech Cement FY26 PAT Crosses Rs 80 bn

Company reports record sales, profit and 200 MTPA capacity milestone

Published

16 hours ago

April 29, 2026

admin

UltraTech Cement reported record financial performance for Q4 and FY26, supported by strong volumes, higher profitability and improved cost efficiency. Consolidated net sales for Q4 FY26 rose 12 per cent year-on-year to Rs 254.67 billion, while PBIDT increased 20 per cent to Rs 56.88 billion. PAT, excluding exceptional items, grew 21 per cent to Rs 30.11 billion.

For FY26, consolidated net sales stood at Rs 873.84 billion, up 17 per cent from Rs 749.36 billion in FY25. PBIDT rose 32 per cent to Rs 175.98 billion, while PAT increased 36 per cent to Rs 83.05 billion, crossing the Rs 80 billion mark for the first time.

India grey cement volumes reached 42.41 million tonnes in Q4 FY26, up 9.3 per cent year-on-year, with capacity utilisation at 89 per cent. Full-year India grey cement volumes stood at 145 million tonnes. Energy costs declined 3 per cent, aided by a higher green power mix of 43 per cent in Q4.

The company’s domestic grey cement capacity has crossed 200 MTPA, reaching 200.1 MTPA, while global capacity stands at 205.5 MTPA. UltraTech also recommended a special dividend of Rs 2.40 billion per share value basis equivalent to Rs 240.

Concrete

Towards Mega Batching

Optimised batching can drive overall efficiencies in large projects.

Published

2 days ago

April 28, 2026

admin

India’s pace of infrastructure development is pushing the construction sector to work at a significantly higher scale than previously. Tight deadlines necessitate eliminating concreting delays, especially in large and mega projects, which, in turn, imply installing the right batching plant and ensuring batching is efficient. CW explores these steps as well as the gaps in India’s batching plant market.

Choose well

Large-scale infrastructure and building projects typically involve concrete consumption exceeding 30,000-50,000 cum per annum or demand continuous, high-volume pours within compressed timelines, according to Rahul R Wadhai, DGM – Quality, Tata Projects.

Considering the daily need for concrete, “large-scale concreting involves pouring more than 1,000–2,000 cum per day while mega projects involve more than 3,000 cum per day,” says Satish R Vachhani, Advanced Concrete & Construction Consultant…

To read the full article Click Here

Concrete

Andhra Offers Discom Licences To Private Firms Outside Power Sector

Policy allows firms over 300 MW to seek distribution licences

Published

3 days ago

April 27, 2026

admin

The Andhra Pradesh government will allow private firms that require more than 300 megawatt (MW) of power to apply for distribution licences, making the state the first to extend such licences beyond the power sector. The policy targets information technology, pharmaceuticals, steel and data centres and aims to reduce reliance on state utilities as demand rises for artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Approved applicants will be able to procure electricity directly from generators through power purchase agreements, a change officials said will create more competitive tariffs and reduce supply risk. Licence holders will use the Andhra Pradesh Transmission Company (APTRANSCO) network on payment of charges and will not need a separate distribution network initially.

Licences will be granted under the Electricity Act, 2003 framework, with the Central and State electricity regulators retaining authority over terms and approvals. The recent Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025 sought to lower entry barriers, enable network sharing and encourage competition, while the state commission will set floor and ceiling tariffs where multiple discoms operate.

Industry players and original equipment manufacturers welcomed the policy, saying competitive supply is vital for large data centre investments. Major projects and partnerships such as those involving Adani and Google, Brookfield and Reliance, and Meta and Sify Technologies are expected to benefit as capacity expands in the state.

Analysts noted India’s data centre capacity is forecast to reach 10 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 and cited International Energy Agency estimates that global data centre electricity consumption could approach 945 terawatt hours by the same year. A one GW data centre needs an equivalent power allocation and one point five times the water, which authorities equated to 150 billion litres (150 bn litres).

Advisers warned that distribution licences will require close regulation and monitoring to prevent misuse and to ensure tariffs and supply obligations are met. Officials said the policy aims to balance investor requirements with regulatory oversight and could serve as a model for other states.