Displaying items by tag: India
Star Ferro and Cement appoints new CEO and CFO
24 September 2014India: Star Ferro and Cement has announced that the board of directors has appointed Sanjay Kumar Gupta as company CEO and Dilip Kumar Agarwal as company CFO, both with effect from 20 September 2014.
New LC3 cement mixture developed
24 September 2014India: Swiss, Indian and Cuban researchers have come together to develop limestone calcined clay cement (LC3), which can help reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of cement by almost 30%.
"The LC3 project is an example of scientific and technical collaboration between Switzerland and India. The innovative cement production process on which these institutions are working is of great economic and environmental significance," said Switzerland Ambassador to India Linus von Castelmur.
The LC3 is a synergetic hydration of clinker, calcined clay and crushed limestone to achieve the performance required from commercial cements, with clinker factors as low as 0.40. It also costs less than traditional types of cement.
"The testing and application phase is over, now it has to pass through standardisation committee before it is accepted by the industries. The research that has been done will not be patent protected but available to everyone," said Castelmur.
JSW Cement plans 4.3Mt/yr capacity cement plant in Karnataka
24 September 2014India: JSW Cement is considering the construction of a 4.3Mt/yr cement plant in Gulbarga, Karnataka. The company is optimistic about demand revival in the south of India, as economic activity picks up in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, according to SS Sandhu, associate vice president of JSW Cement.
At present, JSW Cement has 6.4Mt/yr of cement production capacity in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Sandhu said that the company already has land in Gulbarga and the region is rich in limestone. Another advantage is that supplies could be made from Gulbarga to cement markets in Maharashtra and Gujarat. Since the group company, JSW Steel, produces slag, JSW Cement could manufacture slag cement.
When asked about the economic slow-down, Sandhu conceded that there has been a contraction in construction activity in the south of the country, but that stability has now returned. A lot of projects are expected to come up in the near future in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, including ones at the new Andhra Pradesh capital that is planned at Vijayawada. The company expects that a pick-up in demand will drive its capacity utilisation to 75% by the end of the current fiscal year from 55 – 60% at present.
Chettinad Cement prepares for US$616m expansion plans
18 September 2014India: Chettinad Cement Corporation is moving forward with plans for projects in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka costing a total of US$616m.
The Indian cement producer is building a greenfield 3.5Mt/yr integrated cement plant in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh at a cost of US$181m. It is expanding its cement plant at Gulbarga in Karnataka to 5.75Mt/yr from 2.5Mt/yr and adding a 130MW captive thermal power plant at a cost of US$330m. It is also building two 2Mt/yr grinding plants and two 50MW thermal power plants at Solapur, Maharashtra at a cost of US$108m.
Chettinad Cement has received all the necessary clearances for its greenfield project in Andhra Pradesh and an expansion project in Karnataka, according to local media. The projects in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are expected to be operational within three years of the start of construction. The company has acquired 1000 acres for its proposed cement plant in Andhra Pradesh and 120 acres for its grinding plant in Maharashtra.
"In the last 20 years, the installed capacity of the cement units has increased from 1Mt/yr to 13.5Mt/yr. With the commissioning of new and expanded units, it is possible to scale up to 20Mt/yr,'' said Chettinad Cement Group Managing Director MAMR Muthiah.
Muthiah added that the company had a debt-equity ratio of 1:1. The upcoming projects will be financed through a combination of debt and internal accruals. Chettinad Cement is also considering expansion opportunities in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. At present, Chettinad Cement is currently operating at 50% of its production capacity due to 'sluggish' market conditions.
HeidelbergCement India’s director Bernd Scheifele resigns
17 September 2014India: HeidelbergCement has announced that Bernd Scheifele has tendered his resignation from the position of director of HeidelbergCement India with effect from 10 September 2014. Scheifele remains chairman of HeidlerbergCement's managing board.
Ambuja Cements launches Ambuja Plus in Gujarat
17 September 2014India: Ambuja Cements Ltd, a Holcim subsidiary company, has launched Ambuja Plus, a cement product, in the State of Gujarat. The product is created with an 'advanced' formula and offers 20% more strength than ordinary cement. Ambuja Plus is aimed primarily at small consumers and individual house builders.
Reliance Mutual Fund buys 3.26 million shares in Sanghi Industries
17 September 2014India: Reliance Mutual Fund has bought 3.26 million shares in Sanghi Industries for US$0.732/share via a bulk deal. Prior to the deal, Reliance Mutual Fund owned 71% of the shares, while institutions and non-institutions held 3.50% and 25.5% respectively.
Sagar Cements plans to acquire BMM Ispat cement business
12 September 2014India: Sagar Cements is reportedly planning to acquire cement business of Bangalore-based BMM Ispat Group. The deal is expected to be closed within two weeks with an approximate value of US$82.2m.
Bhavya Cements wins approval for 3Mt/yr cement grinding plant in Odisha
12 September 2014India: Bhavya Cements has received approval from the State Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA) for the construction of a 3Mt/yr capacity cement grinding plant in Dhenkanal, Odisha, with a capital investment of US$60m. Separately, Shree Cement also plans to set up a 3Mt/yr capacity cement plant in the same location for US$74.4m.
India: Spectrum Meghalaya Cement Company is planning a 2Mt/yr limestone mining project in West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh. The limestone will be used for its cement plant, which is being constructed adjacent to the mine. The project is waiting for its mining lease and mining work is expected to commence in 2015.