Displaying items by tag: India

India: Village leaders from Maharashtra’s Chandrapur District began a hunger strike on 17 November 2023 with the stated aim of ensuring that UltraTech Cement continues to deliver on its commitments to its host communities. Specifically, the demonstration sought to make the producer distribute funding for roadbuilding projects across 12 villages surrounding its 3.6Mt/yr Awarpur cement plant. The Hitavada newspaper has reported that UltraTech Cement agreed to the strikers’ demands on 19 November 2023. In addition to the funding, the company will give preferential treatment to industrial training institute (ITI) and polytechnic students lodging at the selected villages when allocating apprenticeships and training places and make some of its land available for community uses.

India: ABG Shipyard plans to sell Vadraj Cement, which owns a decommissioned clinker unit and grinding unit, as well as quarries and a jetty, in Kutch, Gujarat. The National Company Law Tribunal took over winding up proceedings for the former cement producer in September 2023. The Economic Times newspaper has reported JSW Cement, Adani Group and steel producer ArcelorMittal Group as potential buyers for the business. It expects Vadraj Cement to attract a price of US$240 – 300m, against debts of US$841m.

India: JSW Group subsidiary JSW Infrastructure has won a contract to build a new deep-water port at Keni in Karnataka on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis. India Blooms News Service has reported that the port will support export terminals for local cement plants and limestone mines, alongside other industries.

India: ICICI Bank has made an invocation of Jaiprakash Associates’ shares in relation to its debts. The Economic Times newspaper has reported that the producer owes US$360m to the bank. ICICI Bank is part of a consortium of banks owed a total of US$3.52bn by Jaiprakash Associates.

India: JK Cement expressed its heartfelt condolences to the family of Jitendra Singh, who died in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, on 12 November 2023. Singh was formerly chief information officer at the company. He served from August 2016 to August 2023.

JK Cement said that Singh made an ‘unerasable mark’ on the group. It added “The technology industry has been subjected to loss as it lost a respected leader. The sudden nature of Mr Singh’s demise has left a void that will be challenging to fill. The condolences pour in not only from colleagues and industry peers but from all those who had the privilege of interacting with him.”

India: Grasim Industries recorded sales of US$3.63bn during the three-month period up to 30 September 2023. This represents a 10% year-on-year rise from the corresponding quarter of the previous financial year. Its profit rose by 15% year-on-year, but fell by 26% quarter-on-quarter to US$140m.

India: Shree Cement has appointed Suresh Rathi as its Chief Logistics Officer and Sushrut Pant as its Head of Marketing.

Rathi is a mechanical engineer who holds a master of business administration (MBA) in finance. He holds over 30 years experience in supply chain, finance project management and information technology in the building materials, mining and metal sectors.

Pant holds a MBA from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad. He has worked in the fast-moving consumer goods and cement sectors.

UAE: India-based UltraTech Cement has issued a US$73.5m corporate guarantee in favour of Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank. Reuters has reported that the guarantee covers credit facilities availed by the group’s subsidiary UltraTech Middle East Investments.

India: JK Cement raised its second-quarter sales in the 2024 financial year by 23% year-on-year to US$331m. Over the same period, its profit grew by 62% to US$21.4m.

India: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) will carry out a pan-India market study into the cement industry. The Hitavada newspaper has reported that the study will cover supply structure, pricing dynamics and other aspects of the market. The CCI says that it is conducting the study in order to investigate potential collusion, ensure fair competition and protect consumers’ rights, as well as to obtain insights into the state of the cement market across different regions of India.

The CCI said “Cement is a critical input in crucial sectors of the economy, such as housing and infrastructure. These sectors have well-known forward and backward linkages with a range of other industries, thereby having the potential to influence the overall growth trajectory of the economy.”