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Infrastructure development has to happen

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Ravindra Mate, CMO & President, ABG CementUnder the flagship company of ABG Shipyard, the company is all set to set up a cement plant in India in a couple of places like Thumbadi, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The company is in the process of setting up its most modern and eco-friendly 6 million tonne per annum cement plant and has Captive Limestone mines, Jetty and Desalination Plant. The capacities of all these units would be adequate to support the above 6 Million Tonnne Per Annum of Cement Production. Power will be supplied by ABG Energy Ltd located at nearby area. Very soon ABG Cement is expanding its manufacturing facilities to other parts of India as well as to other countries. The plants were about to come up in 2010 but got delayed.The area in which Cement Plant is coming up has adequate quantities of Limestone which is the basic raw material for manufacturing cement. The advantage of this location is the coastal area which will reduce the road transportation and helps for export/import of the raw material and finished product.ABG Cement is committed to utilise 100 per cent fly ash, produced by ABG Energy Ltd, for its cement manufacturing and all the cement and power plants are designed with energy efficient technology.Whilst ABG Cement is taking its baby steps in the cement industry, Ravindra Mate, CMO & President, ABG Cement talks to ICR about his perspective on the industry.When is your cement plant in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh expected to be commissioned? And inspite of the bad time what made you invest in the cement industry?
The plant in Gujarat is expected to start in the first quarter of FY14 whereas plant in Madhya Pradesh is still under planning phase. Investing in cement business has to be a long term perspective and necessary to be done at the time when the downturn is there. If you really see our total installed capacity is around 322 MT and we have to go long way to support the expected infrastructure developments in this county. Today we have almost reached to the bottom of the economy and whatever changes will happen be only for the betterment.How was the year 2012-13 for the cement industry?The year is little better than the previous year with a marginal increase in all India growth. The prices were more or less stable with ups and downs depending upon the seasonal change in demand. However the prices will start looking up in the last quarter of financial year due to increase in demand. Especially in case of West Zone where we are placed, the CAGR growth is more than 10 per cent and is expected to continue.How do you predict the year 2013-14?2013-14 may see some growth YOY as lot of infrastructure projects will be under implementation looking in to the elections approaching in 2014. As also not many capacities are expected to materialise, cement capacity utilization may see some improvements. On the front of prices they may improve due to increase in the input cost (especially energy and logistics).Now days it is becoming difficult to come-up with a greenfield projects due to environmental concerns and many other issues hence, more development will be on brownfield projects. The consolidation will also take place due to the above reason.Cartelisation is said to be one of the reasons responsible for this industry suffering a set back. What is your take on it?
According to me the demand and supply equation only decides the production and price level.What support in these circumstances would the industry require from the government?Fundamentally the development needs to take place. The GDP growth is quite low now and expected only to improve. This country is desperately in need of infrastructure support (especially road, rail and ports) from government which should co-exist with the likely development taking place in future. Industry also expects the support on tax concessions and other sops to attract the investment so as to boost the installed capacity to commensurate with the development of the country.It is said that the Pakistani Cement offered in the Indian market are of a better quality and are much cheaper as compared to us, Your views on the same?
We are producing the cement in India comparable to international standards. I believe the industry has taken up the matter with government on the duty levied on the imported cement.How technologically advanced is India when it comes to international standards of technologically?We have equally good technology standards at par with international standards.

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Concrete

Wonder Cement appoints Mahesh Singh as VP Corporate Brand Communication 

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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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Concrete

JSW Cement commissions additional 1 MTPA grinding unit at Nagaur

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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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Concrete

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

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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.

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