Displaying items by tag: India
India: NCL Industries’ cement production rose by 36% year-on-year to 1.02Mt in the half year to the end of September 2018 from 0.75Mt in the same period in 2017. Its cement despatches increased by a similar amount to 1.02Mt from 0.75Mt. The company operates in cement, cement-based boards, ready-mixed concrete, prefabricated structures and hydroelectric power.
Star Cement imports fly ash via Bangladesh
08 October 2018India: Star Cement has imported over 1200t of fly ash from NTPC Kahalgaon in Bihar. The ash was transported by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) via Bangladesh to Pandu Port in Assam, according to the Financial Express newspaper. The water route was chosen due to a lack of railway links in India's north-eastern states.
Supreme Court to hear pleas by cement producers as fine repayment schedule continues
08 October 2018India: The Supreme Court has agreed to examine a plea by cement producers about a charge of cartel-like behaviour made by real estate developers and upheld by the Competition Commission of India (CCI). However, the court has insisted that the payment schedule of the fine imposed will have to be upheld while the appeal proceeds, according to the Economic Times newspaper. The accused cement producers have been ordered to deposit 10% of the fine.
10 cement companies – including India Cements, Ramco Cements, Nuvoco Vistas Corporation, Ambuja Cement, ACC, Jaiprakash Associates, Century Textiles and Industries and UltraTech Cement – were accused by the Builders' Association of India and the CCI in 2010 of cartel-like behaviour. They were then fined US$905m or 0.5% of their net turnover. The producers first tried to appeal with the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) but the tribunal dismissed their plea against the CCI finding in late July 2018.
Oil prices hitting packaging prices for Indian cement producers
02 October 2018India: High crude oil prices are forcing packaging costs to rise for cement producers. Data sourced from Capitaline shows that Ambuja Cements’ packaging material cost rose by 19% year-on-year in the 2018 financial year, according to the Mint business newspaper. Similarly, Shree Cement’s packaging costs rose by 9%. Both companies use high-density polyethylene bags, which are affected by the cost of oil. Crude oil prices have risen by around 24% to far in 2018 to above US$80/barrel.
JSW Cement starts building grinding plant in Odisha
25 September 2018India: JSW Cement has started building a 1.2Mt/yr cement grinding plant at Kalinganagar Industrial Complex in the Jajpur district of Odisha. The unit will be used to produce Ordinary Portland Cement and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), according to Projects Today. The project had been on hold since 2016 due to issues with the land. The unit is expected to be operational by September 2020.
Indian cement producers complain about Pakistani imports
24 September 2018India: Shailendra Chouksey, president of the Cement Manufacturers Association, has complained about imports of cement from Pakistan damaging the local industry. He told the Indo-Asian News Service that cement from Pakistan was up to 15% cheaper than Indian cement. There has been no customs duty on cement imports from Pakistan since 2007, making it competitive in comparison to local production, especially in states that neighbour Pakistan. By comparison, imports of cement to Pakistan face a duty of 11%.
Data from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade shows that 1.68Mt of cement was imported into India during the 2017 – 2018 financial year that ended in March 2018. 1.27Mt or 76% of this total was imported from Pakistan.
Indian producers have also complained about the high rate of the local Goods and Services Tax (GST) in the country. They are hoping to reduce the rate to 18% from 28% at present.
India Cements chief predicts upturn for southern market
21 September 2018India: N Srinivasan, the vice-chairman and managing director of India Cements, predicts that cement demand is improving in the south of the country. At the company’s annual general meeting in Chennai he said that demand for cement is expected to improve the 70% capacity utilisation rate recorded in the 2017 – 2018 financial year, according to the Financial Express newspaper. The region had a cement production capacity of 160Mt/yr but demand was only up to 80Mt.
He added that India Cements reported a utilisation rate of 71% in the previous financial year and that this had improved to 80% in the first quarter of the current year. He also expected that the second quarter would be better despite floods in Kerala and a transporters' strike.
Dalmia Cement sets carbon negative target of 2040
18 September 2018India: Mahendra Singhi, the group chief executive officer (CEO) of Dalmia Cement, says that the company aims to be carbon negative by 2040. Singhi made the announcement at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, US, according to the Indo-Asian News Service. The cement producer is planning to increase its low-carbon product portfolio and use more ‘green’ fuels and raw materials in all of its 14 plants in India.
Dalmia Cement is the first Indian cement company to join RE 100 and it is committed to a target of 100% renewable electricity use. Singhi said that the major challenge is to convert the climate risks into business opportunities while sustaining business growth for the benefit of present as well as future stakeholders. Singhi was previously the Indian co-chair of the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI).
Singhi said that Dalmia Group has been able to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to 526kg/t of cement on a group average and to 342kg/t in its eastern operations. According to the CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project) cement sector report in April 2018, Dalmia Bharat achieved the first rank in CDP's low carbon transition league.
Bharathi Cement launches fast setting product in Karnataka
17 September 2018India: Bharathi Cement has launched its BharathiUltraFast product for the market in Karnataka. The OPC 53 cement product promises faster pre-casting work, even in humid conditions, high early strength and a low heat of hydration to minimise crack formation.
The cement producer is a subsidiary of Vicat. The French company acquired a 51% stake in Bharathi Cement in 2010. It also owns Kalburgi Cement, formerly known as Vicat Sagar Cement. Bharathi Cement operates a 5Mt/yr integrated plant at Nallalingayapalli in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh and Kalburgi Cement runs a 2.75Mt/yr plant at Chatrasala in Kalaburagi district of Karnataka. Both plants market their products under the brand name ‘Bharathi Cement.’
New Chairman for India’s NCCBM
12 September 2018India: The National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCCBM), has appointed Mahendra Singhi, Group CEO of Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd as its new Chairman. Mr Singhi has been a part of the board of Governors of NCCBM since 2013.
Commenting on the occasion, NCCBM Director General, Ashutosh Saxena, said, "We are fortunate to have someone of Mr Singhi’s calibre and experience to lead NCCBM. We are at a critical phase of development of our centres of excellence and we need renewed leadership to successfully implement our research, strengthen our technology initiatives and take advantage of the opportunities ahead for sustainable development of cement and construction sector. Mahendra Singhi is a technology visionary with a proven track record of execution. Furthermore, as a member of NCCBM’s board of governors for the past five years, he has a deep understanding of its capabilities and potential."
A prominent figure in the Indian manufacturing industry, Mahendra Singhi has played a prominent role in the growth and development of the country’s cement sector over the last 40 years. Beginning in 1978 with Birla Group, he has held leadership positions with major cement companies: Shree Digvijay Cement, UltraTech Cement and Shree Cement, in various capacities. He led Shree Cement before his present appointment. He serves as co-chair of the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) in India and Vice-President of Cement Manufacturer’s Association (CMA).
On his appointment Mahendra Singhi said, "I am really honoured to be trusted with the top job at NCCBM, after successfully completing five wonderful years of association with the council. It has been a tremendously rewarding journey over the years of my work in the cement industry. It would be my utmost endeavour to promote research and scientific work connected with waste to wealth, cement and building materials trade and industry and I am certain that together with NCCBM, we will make huge strides and carry out many ambitious projects to make impact on society worldwide."