This issue contains COVER STORY: Brand Matters - India is witnessing a glut of brands in the cement industry. In this scenario, it is important to be a recognised brand and have a fair voice. With a sizeable increase in multi-brand outlets, branding is gradually emerging as a powerful tool that can drive sales. VIEW from Vivek Deshpande, Joint President Brands & Marketing Strategies. Ambuja Cement, Faisal Alam, President—Sales & Marketing, Kalyanpur Cement and many more. FOCUS: Merger of Equals. GUEST COLUMN: Dr K Murugan MD & CEO, UL DQS India. GREENSENSE: DCM Shriram - Going beyond products and profit. INTERACTION: Pratik Shah, General Manager, Shivji Valji. ICR CONCRETE: Green Concrete. PLANT AND MACHINERY: S Meena Kumar Manager, Sales and Marketing (Minerals & Cement), ABB India. TECHNOLOGY: New modular washing systems

COVER STORY:
Mergers & Acquisitions
Poised for growth through consolidation
A bold statement that cement industry is poised for growth when at present the capacity utilisation is between 65 to 70 percent.

Future of M&A in cement industry 
Jagdeep Verma of Holtec Consulting.

Imperatives for Indian Cement companies in current slowdown  
Amit Ganeriwalla and Rahul Sanghvi of Bosten Consulting Group. 

JSW 
Press report on the expansion plans of cement
maker.

FEATURE:
Pyro Processing 
What after Petcoke? 
India annually consumes around 27 MT of pet coke.

TERI
Build ups in pyro-processing
Snowman is common problem faced in cement kiln

ECONOMY & SUSTAINABILITY 
Procyon Mukherjee, Environment vs. Development

CORE SECTOR REPORT 
Monthly Report courtesy CARE Ratings

OPINION:
Is India on track to meet its Paris
Commitments 
Kapil Subramanian for Down to Earth 
Centre for Science & Environment

PERSPECTIVE:
Dr Rajen Mehrotra. 
Skill development initiatives in India

Cover Story is on Ready Mixed Concrete and concrete products. Cement is converted into either Concrete or Concrete products. How this transformation takes place and what are different properties obtained through conversation. How is the business unfolding and what are the challenges, its all interesting to know. 

Feature is on Gypsum. Gypsum is an essential ingredient of cement. Without gypsum one will not be able to make use of cement. Gypsum controls the hardening of cement. Today gypsum poses many challenges in terms of its availability. How gypsum works in the cement is another story. Gypsum has also many decorative applications. Let us go through and know more. 

COVER STORY: MINING
Transforming mining safe & productive 
Underground mining is an extremely tough mining method with various risk factors involved.
But the evolution of digital technologies and automation, and the technologically advanced equipment are transforming the underground mining operations safe and productive.

Responsible Mining 
Create exclusive mining zones and simplify clearances, which will come with in-principle statutory clearances for grant of mining lease to curtail delay in commencement of mining operations.

We deliver equipment, techs collaborative support” 
Kush Tandon of Caterpillar Global Mining elaborates on the underground mining methods, equipment and technologies.

“Adoption of continuous miners in
underground coal is growing” 
Shib Bhowmik of Komatsu Mining Corp,elaborates on the company’s solutions to the industry and the market scenario.

FEATURE: CEMENT GRINDING
Grinding still draws interest 
Grinding is a conventional process in the cement industry and still draws a lot of interest. It is mainly due to costs involved in the process. ICR tried to give a perspective of the existing scenario coupled
with the two interviews from experts.

Ceramic grinding media, a new entrant in cement grinding circle” 
Biswajit Dhar spoke on the present scenario of capex in the cement industry with respect to capacity enhancement in existing plants.

VIEWPOINT
IoT, AI & era of cutting-edge lubrication 
Even as automation & digitisation are transforming the manufacturing eco-system, ExxonMobilTM is harnessing emerging technologies to redefine lubrication solutions.

COVER STORY
THE RAW MATERIAL DILEMMA
The refractory industry is looking for a favourable mining policy to reduce import dependency, even as it is skeptical about the quality of domestic raw materials.

“We supplied about 20,000 MT of basic refractories in India”
RHI Magnesita is now a market leader in the supply of refractories to the cement industry in India.
Parmod Sagar of RHI Magnesita (India) tells how its focus on innovative technologies has helped it stay ahead of the curve.

“There is lack of high quality raw materials in India”
Sameer Nagpal of Dalmia OCL touches upon the growth rate of refractories in the Indian market for the last three years.


FEATURE:
BLENDED CEMENTS
Blending Green and Grit
Blended cements are slowly but steadily increasing their presence felt in the market. With the introduction of composite cement, the industry’s green commitment is getting reinforced further.

“Most manufacturers have started moving towards blended cements”
Nilesh Narwekar of JSW Cement shares the historical growth rates of PSC & PPC.

“Composite cement helps conserve our natural resources”
Raakesh Jain of Nuvoco Vistas Corp, speaks on the company’s overall product mix in OPC, PPC and PSC.

“The growth rates of PPC & PSC have been pretty steady”
Ujjwal Batria of Dalmia Cement (Bharat) discusses the current demand and supply scenarios of these two commodities - fly ash and slag.

INTERACTION
“We have a target to go beyond 20% TSR by 2025”
Berthold Kren of Geocycle India discusses about the AFR initiatives of the industry, its advantages and where India stands by this yardstick.

Our cover story on Occupational Safety titled ‘Putting Safety Ahead of Production’ looks into the state of occupational Safety in India vs. global benchmarks and finds that occupational safety and health is gaining popularity among cement companies as it proves to be a business case for them when huge costs and reputation are at stake on the flipside.

Our feature on Lab Automation titled ‘Customer Specs are getting Tougher’ explains that with increasing quality consciousness among industry players to gain competitive edge, customer specification of equipment is getting stringent day by day.

Our cover story on Bagging & Packaging titled ‘Bags Still Hold Fort’ looks into latest B&P trends in India and the benefits they can bring for cement companies. Despite entry of latest technologies like BOPP, woven bags are expected to see rise in their demand due to its cost advantge, it finds. 

 

Our feature on Lubricants titled ‘Enter Specialists’ explains how companies have given way to specialists in their lubrication management, and with which we can hope that plants may not encounter as many downtimes n the years to come. Under ‘Opinion’ column an article titled ‘Revival of Small Scale Cement Manufacturing’ is published. Market Watch discusses how the recent reversal in price hikes and discounts queer the pitch for cement demand.

COVER STORY

PRIMING PREMIUM BRANDS

All the major players are jumping on to the bandwagon of ‘Premium Brands’ in order to reap benefits they offer viz. pricing power and profitability.



“Our branding distinguishes unique customer benefits”

Madhumita Basu, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer, Nuvoco Vistas Corp, speaks on the history of Nuvoco’s premium brands and how they have transformed over the years.



“Dalmia is at forefront of innovation on product & packaging”

Ujjwal Batria, Chief Operating Officer, Dalmia Cement (Bharat), speaks on the various factors that have played a strong role in the company’s branding exercises, and importance of packaging

in premium brands.





FEATURE: GEARS & DRIVES

Rising up to Application Demands 

Innovation is an ongoing process for G&D equipment manufacturers, where meeting application demands and trying to overcome common challenges is a priority.



“Our products can help industry earn carbon credit”

R Haridoss, Vice President (Sales & Marketing),Power Build, speaks on the market for gears and drives for the cement industry, and the range of transmissions that cement plants need.



Gebr. Pfeiffer vertical mills with MultiDrive® 

The MultiDrive®, which has proven successful in industrial operation since 2008, was developed by Gebr. Pfeiffer in cooperation with Siemens/ Flender especially for the MVR mill.

COVER STORY:
MULTI-FUEL KILNS COME OF AGE:
Fluctuations in prices of various fuels and regulatory pressures are making manufacturers to choose machines that can be adapted to various fuels based on cost and other advantages.

Coal: Still Burning 
Commercialisation of coal mining answers India’s energy security problem. As major coal producers like Indonesia look to limit production and focus on energy security for domestic requirement, the time is ripe for the Indian coal mining sector to commercialise coal mining and secure country’s energy security concerns.

FEATURE:
WATER CONSERVATION:
Getting water positive Water is getting to be a scarce commodity day by day. Industry has to take a cue and take initiatives to conserve water in right earnest.

“One should not look for short-term solution” 
Bhaskar Bhattar, Director, VEXL Environ Projects Private Limited, speaks about the water treatment and conservation solutions provided by the company.
Water reuse – Sustainable solution for water security Taking a serious note of the cascading effect a water stressed scenario can have, it is imperative to realise the potential of the limited water resources
available, in other words, water must be reclaimed.

INTERVIEWS:
“Customer is the initial point of our innovation” 
Madhumita Basu, Chief of Marketing, Innovation, Strategy and IT, Nuvoco Vistas Corp, speaks on the company’s contribution to World One project, and the channel partners.

“Cement demand is growing but is still beyond the reach of many” 
PK Ghosh, Chairman, ERCOM Engineers, discusses on where do Indian cement manufacturers stand compared with those in other countries in achieving high level of energy efficiency.

Our cover story on Alternative Fuels and Raw Materials (AFR) titled ‘Reaping Twin Benefits’ looks into AFR usage trends in India and the benefits it can bring by creating win-win situation for cement companies and urban local bodies by promoting better waste management practices. Adoption of alternative fuels as a means of increasing cost competitiveness is gaining ground in India, but the industry has a long way to go before achieving 25% TSR, it finds. 

 

Our feature on Energy Efficiency titled ‘Slow, but steady’ explains that despite making several strides in the overall energy efficiency the industry is yet to tap 60 per cent of the potential in WHRS. Under ‘View Point’ column an article titled ‘Technology Trends in Grinding Systems’ is published. Market Watch discusses how the recent reversal in price hikes and discounts queer the pitch.

COVER STORY:
THE STRATEGIC LINK! 
The cement industry is at a turning point. As the industry is changing, companies are generating value by concentrating on their micromarkets.

“Influencers play a major role in distribution channels”
Nilesh Narwekar, CEO, JSW Cement, speaks on various innovations tried out by the company to make its entire distribution channel an exciting proposition.

“RMC is certainly an important distribution element” 
Rajnish Kapur, Business Head-Grey Cement, JK Cement, says that unless there is an economy of scale, RMC will not be successful.
Optimising logistics cost through innovations  From learner to leader: See how Shree Cement with the help of automation, machine learning and predictive analysis has optimised its supply
chain management.

FEATURE: GRINDING:
Clinker grinding technology in cement manufacturing 
“Satellite grinding units are cost-effective proposition” 
Pratap Kumar Ghosh, Group MD, Ercom Engineers, is of the opinion that we have to study the consumption centres as well as the availability of other additives, cementitious products.

“Ball mills are here to stay” 
Makarand Marathe, Director–Cement Division, ThyssenKrupp System Engineering India, says, “Vertical mills are (by far) the best and most efficient method than semi finished or
combicircuit for energy efficiency.

INTERVIEW:
“Cement sector growth depends on the infrastructure sector” 

Nitin Vyas, MD and CEO, Beumer India, believes that if Indian cement industry adopts inland water transport, the industry can save
around Rs 4-5 per bag.

VIEWPOINT:
Utilisation of Synthetic Gypsum from FGDs 
The article discusses the quality of limestone requirements for FGD with expected quality of synthetic gypsum generated from power plants.

COVER STORY
READY TO ROLL
Ready-mix concrete segment is banking on the government’s environmental initiatives to take off from the present level of activity in a big way

Yet to reach all corners 
The organised segment continues to focus on innovative special concrete, quality and timely delivery, while the unorganised players tend to reduce the operating costs by lower compliances
tax evasions and employing unskilled labour at cheaper costs, says Atul Desai.

FEATURE: MATERIAL
TRANSPORT
Innovative Technology 
Though blowers and conveyors are being used for short and long distance material transport respectively in cement companies, the innovative
air cushion technology promises to be cost effective in the long run.

Friction-free conveyors are the way to go” 
Frank Wang, General Manager, and U.K. Mullick, Chief Consultant of Sagta, say it is a maintenance free and environment friendly
technology.

VIEWPOINT
Optimising Concrete Precasting 
Precast concrete technology adds value and reduce cost of the project as compared to cast in-situ built.

INTERVIEW
“We wish to share best practices by encouraging collaboration” 
Benjamin Sporton, CEO, GCCA discusses how the global body seeks to develop and strengthen
the sector’s contribution to sustainable construction.

“Next phase of capacity enhancement to come from greenfield projects” 
Dr Shailendra Chouksey, Whole-Time Director,JK Lakshmi Cement says that infrastructure creation will drive demand growth of cement.

PERSPECTIVE
Taking Freight Forward to 2019 
Some of the key trends in freight digitisation and investments across the industry have been discussed in the article.

COVER STORY:
Moving towards Industrie 4.0
Though Indian cement manufacturers are adopting automation in certain pockets in their manufacturing process, soon adopting the comprehensive and latest Industrie 4.0 technologies is the way forward.

The future is digital & digitalisation
FLSmidth spokesperson shares the company’s
investment plans for C&A cement vertical for
creating manufacturing capacity in India.


FEATURE: BRANDS:
Changing hues of brands 

Though brand pundits are brushing aside cement terming it as a ‘commodity’, Indian cement companies are focusing on brand building for hogging the consumer’s mind space, even among
bulk users.

“Our focus is on rural & semi-urban areas through aggressive campaigns” 
Raghavpat Singhania, Special Executive, JK Cement, speaks on the history of their brand and how it has transformed over the years.

“Branding is a priority in the retail segment” 
TM Suresh Kumar, Assistant Vice President – Marketing, Bharathi Cement, shares the most interesting brand messages conveyed for cement, and how it has played out as compared
to its competitors.

OPINION:
Slowly Picking Up Pace 
The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment, 2015 has brought in major changes in the MMDR Act with the purpose of bringing transparency and certainty in
the process of allocation of mines..

VIEWPOINT:
Utilisation of Synthetic Gypsum from FGDs 
This article discusses the quality and quantities of limestone requirements for FGD with expected quality of synthetic gypsum generated from power plants.

PERSPECTIVE:
Waste Heat Recycle in Cement Plant 
Some of the “waste heat recycle” measures are discussed in this article

Cover Story: Revival of Investments: Registering a 13 per cent growth in H1FY19,cement industry is going back to the drawing board with expansion plans.
Interview: “We believe in generating ideas internally” 56Abhinav Bisen, Jt Managing Director of Insmart Systems, speaks on the innovative products and solutions for the Indian cement industry.
Market Watch: Prices remain unchanged despite demand upswing 60 With cement industry growing over 13 per cent in H1FY19, capacity utilisation is picking up pace.

Also, Interviews, Case Studies, Technology and more…

COVER STORY
The Skilling Challenge
The skill challenge of cement industry is only a small subset of the larger national objective of achieving demographic dividend that our large youth population can bring us.

Manpower Development for Indian
Cement Industry 
Indian cement industry is among the best in the world when it comes to energy efficiency.
However, specialised training is essential to face and overcome certain unique challenges of the Indian cement industry.

Social Dialogue for Effective
Industrial Relations 
Each enterprise has a history of industrial relations and knowledge of the history facilitates in developing enterprise specific strategy for an effective industrial relations climate in the present
and the future.

Summarising the Skills Challenge 
KP Krishnan, Secretary from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Chairman of the National Skill Development Agency (NSDA), Government of India, discusses the
formidable task of upgrading India’s skills deficit swiftly and inclusively to Aashna Agarwal, Content Coordinator at Gateway House.

FEATURE: LUBRICANTS
Improving efficiency 
Lubrication plays an important role in construction and mining industry, and its market is growing at a rate of 2-2.5 per cent annually.

Evolution in Open Gear Lubrication 
Pros and cons of current open gear lubricants are discussed by Klaus Holz, Head of Technical Service, FUCHS LUBRITECH GmbH.

“We see double-digit growth for industrial lubricants” 
Rajesh Nagar, Managing Director & CEO, GS Caltex India Pvt Ltd.

“We have the proven lubricants and expertise for industry” 
Glen Sharkowicz, Director of Brand Strategy - Commercial marketing, South Asia Pacific, ExxonMobil, Asia Pacific Pte Ltd.

Predictive Analysis of Lube Oils 
A case study from Fluid Analysis Consulting & Trading Co (FACT), Hyderabad.

Cover Story
Sustainability in Mining
In line with the rising environmental sensitivity all around, the cement industry is also embracing resource conservation, sustainable technologies, UNO’s development goals and building sustainable communities.

Making our reserves last longer 
Modern mining practices can help us optimise consumption of scarce raw materials, says Bhanu Bhatnagar of Adani Cementation Ltd.

Towards Building
Sustainable Communities 
‘District Mineral Foundation (DMF) proposing to use a part of mining cess for development of mining districts has a long way to go for achieving its objectives, says CSE’s status report.

Role of corporates towards SDGs 
The new agenda of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasises a holistic approach to achieve sustainable development for all covering every facet of living for individuals, says Dr Rajen Mehrotra.eastern parts of the country due to easy availability of slag from steel plants.

Utilisation of High Silica Low
Grade Limestone 
Various feasible dry beneficiation techniques and alternate cement production by using low grade high silica limestone are discussed in this article by HKN Bhattacharjee and GC Mishra of AKS University,
Satna (Madhya Pradesh), India.

Sustainability Matrix: Monomer Case 
Located in the remote Pilbara region of northwestern Australia, SINO iron ore project is the largest monomer mining project in Australia to be invested by China.

Hoping for revival 
After positive judicial interventions in mining activity, things are getting back to normal for mining equipment industry, even as greenfield  projects are hard to come by.

“Lease financing is still at a nascent stage” 
- Partha Mookherjee, Head – Mining Equipment Business, Larsen & Toubro Limited

COVER STORY:
Gunning for lower downtime
For minimising downtime, techniques like gunning and shotcreting are being adopted, instead of using pre-fired bricks in refractories.

FEATURE:
Blended Cement: An Eco-Friendly Option 
Today’s blended cements have its origin in the old
Roman construction. Due to technological advancements [now] the similar cements are
available in the new forms.


INTERVIEW:
“Construction sector should shift from bricks to blocks” 
Sourabh Bansal, Managing Director & Co-founder, Magicrete, speaks on the market size of AAC blocks and how it is growing.

VIEWPOINT:
The Curious Case of Cement Cartel 
NCLAT upheld a ruling of CCI that slapped a Rs 6,700-crore penalty on 11 cement manufacturers and CMA for alleged cartelisation.

COVER STORY
Concrete Products: Shaping Cement’s Future 
The global precast concrete market was valued at approximately $100 billion in 2016 and is projected to expand at a CAGR of more than 5 per cent from 2016 to 2025.

Hume Pipes in Swachh Bharat Abhiyan 
Pipes manufactured by The India Hume Pipe Co Ltd are in accordance with IS 458: 2003 and is used as non pressure pipe with NP1, NP2, NP3 and NP4 class.

Optimising Concrete Precasting 
Precast concrete technology adds value and reduce cost of the project as compared to cast in-situ built.

OPINION
Binani Cement Insolvency:
A Never Ending Saga 
The case of Binani Cement, which underwent many ups and downs and legal tussles in the courtrooms, has already celebrated its first anniversary.

VIEWPOINT
The Shifting Sands of Cement Industry 
India is now the world’s second-largest market for cement after China both in terms of production and distribution.

FEATURE
Robots Takeover Quality & Safety at plants 
Traditional laboratory processes have given way to robotics for ensuring quality control and avoiding health hazards in 24x7x365 operation of cement plants.

“The entire lab automation system is based on sample analysis” 
Vivek Chawla, Whole-time Director & CEO, Emami Cement Limited, speaks on the growth outlook for the Indian cement industry.

“It pays back in 3 years” 
Jagdish Chandra Toshniwal, Managing Director, Wonder Cement Ltd, discusses the seamless integration provided by their system.

A Cheaper & Safer Alternative 
FLSmidth offers a range of simpler equipment configurations to suit specific needs and budgets

TECHNOLOGY
A New Grinding Aid for Cement 
The article describes the performance of a newly-developed early strength enhancement technology (HES), a key ingredient in OPTEVA™ HE.

SPECIAL REPORT
Delayed Sowing, a Concern

GST-A Journey, not destination
GST has scored a few goals – subsuming multiple taxes and a common rate structure - over the last one year. But for achieving simplification and reaping its full efficiency, it has a long way to go.

“GST rate of 18% on cement would have driven up retail demand” 
Maneesh Agrawal, Chief Financial Officer, Nuvoco Vistas Corp Ltd

“Industry is saving considerably on storage & transportation cost” 
Ashish K Nainan, Research Analyst –Industry Research, CARE Ratings

“Eventually we all got on board & it is functioning very smoothly” 
Sanjay Ladiwala, The Tandur & Shahabad Stone Co., Cement Dealers

“Except for changing rates, there is no problem with GST by now” 
Nikesh Parekh, Span Cements, Cement Distributors

FEATURE: BAGGING
The next-gen cement packing 
Cement is a product that is consumed in large volumes next to only food grains. Therefore packaging of cement becomes extremely important.
“Entire packing line is changing towards full automation” 
Nitin Vyas, Managing Director & CEO, BEUMER India.

INTERVIEW
Certainty of growth though boom still not in sight 
Makarand Marathe, Director, Cement Division, Thyssenkrupp Industries India (tkII)

ICR CONCRETE
Optimisation of Concrete Cost for Metro Projects 
An attempt is made to develop a systematic approach for estimating the quantity of concrete and optimisation of concrete cost based on a case study.

CASE STUDY
Enhancing productivity 
Use of synthetic bearing lubricant helps increase oil drain interval by more than 2.5 times, thereby resulting in savings of over $27,677/kiln.

COVER STORY
Revival is in the Offing
The demand growth trend picked up steam in FY18. Expectations are rife that FY19 will consolidate these gains and result in higher capacity utilisation, if not pricing power.

“India has miles to go in cement consumption” 
Anoop Kumar Saxena, CEO - VICAT in India

“Green shoots seen in housing segment last fiscal”
 Binod Kumar Modi, Senior Analyst, Reliance Securities

“Cement consumption to grow at 6-7% over the next 3-5 years” 
Madhumita Basu, Chief of Sales, Marketing & Innovation, Nuvoco

“Affordable housing & infra to boost demand in FY19” 
Ashish K Nainan, Research Analyst - Industry Research, CARE Ratings

Cement Makers Bullish on FY2019
Cement is never used as cement alone but is always converted to a value-added product in practice. Therefore application of cement becomes extremely important.

FEATURE: SIZE REDUCTION
The Limestone Challenge  
With limited life left for the use of limestone as a major raw material for cement, every day there is a new challenge to use the material. Mainly the quality of limestone is a challenge.

Limestone Crushing Made Easy 
Present day mining equipment comfortably handles huge chunks of up to 1,800 mm size ROM stones to be fed as input to crushing system.

Limestone Crushing in India 
Thyssenkrupp Industries India Pvt Ltd, Pimpri, Pune (henceforth tkII) offers a variety of solutions to different types of limestones, which are geographically located in different areas of India.

VIEWPOINT
Impact of VUCA on enterprises 
VUCA is an acronym that is presently being increasingly used to describe or reflect as a terminology impacting enterprises and how various functions of the enterprise cope in handling the same, says Dr Rajen Mehrotra.

MONSOON IMPACT
Forecast Augurs Well for Rural Demand 
FY19 will see the third consecutive year of normal monsoon bolstering demand for cement for rural housing.

Concrete Making Materials 
Cement is never used as cement alone but is always converted to a value-added product in practice. Therefore application of cement becomes extremely important. The cement producers have a dedicated department that looks into the applications of product. Now onwards, we shall try and cover it through a series of articles in a structured way.

RMC business will see a growth of 7-10% in the next 5 years” 
Arun Shukla, Chief of RMX & Aggregates, Nuvoco Vistas Corporation

INTERACTION
“We will Focus on Utilising Sustainable Biomass” 
Berthold KRen, Business Head, Geocycle India 

MARKET WATCH
Demand Uptrend Persists, amid Price Pressures 
Budget FY2019 has provided higher rural credit target, increased MSP, and allocation for rural, agricultural and allied sectors, and stressed on continued focus on the PMAY and infrastructure investments

Our cover story on Alternative Fuels and Raw Materials (AFR) titled ‘Making Business Case’ looks into AFR usage trends in India and the benefits it can bring to the table in the form of financial and non-financial benefits. Adoption of alternative fuels as a means of increasing cost competitiveness is gaining ground in India, but the industry has a long way to go before achieving 25% TSR, it finds.


Our feature on Cement Channels titled ‘Bulking Up’ explains the growing trend in bulk cement deliveries against split bags to save on costs and curtail wastage. The Special Report on Bankruptcy Code titled ‘Bankruptcy Law – A Game Changer’ discusses why many cement companies coming under the hammer of NCLT, while the industry in general is doing well in terms of profitability. In the technical interview Dr Anjan K Chatterjee discusses global ‘Technology Trends in Cement Manufacturing’.

Our cover story on environmental protection norms titled ‘Yet to catch up’ looks into the progress of implementation of the set norms for the industry. Though the emission control norms have been revised and updated since 2014 and are considered not too stringent going by global benchmarks, the Indian cement industry and authorities are still in the process of finding a common ground. Relating to the same the theme, an article delves deep into ‘Advancements in fabric filtration technology.’ 

Our feature on refractory titled ‘Coating on refractory brick lining’ explains the importance of coating on the brick lining in the kiln and the skills it calls for. The technical article in the edition explains the ‘Use of high MgO limestone in Portland cement manufacturing.’

COVER STORY
Innovation at Work
Innovation is driving advancement of technologies and growth of the cement packaging segment globally. India must be able to take part and reap benefits from them.

“Hot air sealed block bottom bags most used for automation process” 
A spokesperson from Windmöller & Hölscher speaks on the challenges conventional cement packaging systems like PP, paper and HDPE bags are facing.

VIEWPOINT
Why Indian cement plants excel?
The Indian cement industry excels because of innovation. There is strong urge to think out of the box. The skill level is very high and training and retraining keep them abreast with the latest in
technology.

FEATURE: FILTER BAGS
An effective pollution control device 
Over a period of time, baghouse has overtaken ESP in pollution control. In many cement plants, ESPs are getting replaced with a baghouse. Let us see the advantages of baghouse.
Selection of proper filter media The fabric selection is based on process parameters with normal and worst duty conditions.

BUDGET 2018
Infra and housing proposals to spur cement growth 
Cement demand is expected to grow by 4 per cent to reach 300 million tonne in 2018-19. The number of infrastructure projects planned by the government are now in various phases where work is expected to
progress faster.


COVER STORY
AFR utilisation, a major challenge The major challenge for the technology suppliers has been with technologies, which are sized for higher capacities; but when the plants have to be operated
at reduced capacities (due to market conditions), they are expected to maintain the same efficiency parameters.

“Indian cement makers are highly tech-savvy” 
“Lower capacity utilisation has impacted overall efficiency” 
“Invest in right technology to maximise gains” 
“Large capacity VRMs with multi drives will be the preferred option” 
“Technological advancement has taken place with steady uniform pace”

EVENT REPORT - NCCBM
In Anticipation of Growth Momentum NCB’s ‘15th International Seminar on Cement,
Concrete and Building Materials’ witnessed nearly 1,000 delegates congregate in New Delhi
to deliberate on cement, concrete and construction technologies.

HK Vithlani of FUCHS,Mayank D Kamdar of Lilanand Magnesites,Sunil Kumbhar of ATS Conveyors India 
Thomas C Dannemiller of SABIA,Mogens Fons of Fons Technology, Dipankar Banerjee of Vesuvius 
Rakesh Sharma of AMCL and Rajesh Pathak of Raymond Bartlett Snow

VIEWPOINT
Cementing the future
Cements are no more just cementing materials;the innovation and durability of the materials has
also taken up the artistic space.


MARKET WATCH
JK Lakshmi, dark horse Vaibhav Agarwal of PhillipCapital assess the potential of JKLC.

COVER STORY
HOUSING FOR ALL
What’s in store for cement? 
Analysts across spectrum estimate that if only 25 per cent of houses are substituted, then the total incremental cement requirement per annum will be around 10 MT.

ANALYSIS
Housing For All by 2022: Will it be possible? 
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana has set huge targets that brings in huge opportunities and challenges.

A realisable dream
India’s ambitious ‘housing for all’ scheme is bumping up against some harsh realities.

VIEWPOINT
Will PPPs in affordable housing succeed?
Urbanisation is central to a country’s economy – and in India, the urbanisation rate corresponds to 60 per cent of the country’s GDP.

INTERVIEWS
“The sector will double business next year”
Ashok Mohanani, Chairman and Managing Director, Ekta World, says individuals want safer and more comfortable places to live, and the price needs to be affordable.

“Demand for affordable housing will improve
cement business”
Manju Yagnik, Vice Chairperson of Nahar Group,is of the opinion that the ‘Housing for All’ objective requires huge investment in infrastructure, a large-scale skill development programme, and a tremendous
financial support for timely implementation.

FEATURE
GREEN INITIATIVE
Opportunities galore
Greening of industry is a method to attain sustainable economic growth and promote sustainable economies.


MSW
Eliminating landfills 
The problem of tackling house hold waste is alarming and the infrastructure to handle that by the local bodies on the verge of collapse.

TECH TALK
IOT & data analytics: Opportunities forsmart logistics 
Yogesh Mehta, Joint Vice President (Commercial)& Head, Logistics at Shree Cement, was invited by Intercem, Dubai to speak on IOT- Data Analytics and the future.

COVER STORY
Safety First 
Cement and RMC are industrial activities that are equally vulnerable to any lapses that may occur in any other industrial activity. The cover story focuses on some of the past workplace incidents
that are significant.

VIEWPOINT  
Paradigm shift in RMC safety Challenges of creating a safe environment in “ready mix industry” is compounded by theinterlinked, but distinct environment

TECHNOLOGY– AFR
Journey of AFR with indigenous systems The AFR (alternative fuel and raw material) journey of Dalmiapuram and Ariyalur (Tamil Nadu) plants is dealt with, highlighting the key actions from an in-house team

OPINION
Stop, Think, Act
A serious workplace injury or death changes lives forever – for families, friends, communities, and coworkers too.

Developing a national occupational safety and health profile 
There is need to have systems, laws, education, commitment and compliances in place to ensure that individuals in India are safe at place of residence, place of work, while commuting, while enjoying leisure and while undertaking any other activity.

MARKET WATCH
Cement Industries wobble in Q2 With GST rolling over at the start of quarter of July-September 2017, the cement industry was caught off- guard about the new process, but more than euphoric on the One Nation One Tax regime.

Gear drives are the most practical and widespread type of mechanical transmission. These are used to transmit power – from negligibly small values to tens of thousands of kilowatts. Transmissions are used to produce various speeds of rotation of the final shaft while maintaining a constant speed of rotation of the drive motor. 

Municipal Solid Waste, MSW as it is called, has created serious problems in the last couple of years. Cement industry can offer cost effective solution to the problem of MSW

The current issue of ICR is based on the mining sector. The mining sector, in many countries, has been resilient despite the global financial crisis, and has contributed substantially towards the recovery of their economies. Can India now follow the footsteps of other countries? Also in the issue is story about wagon tippler. 

COVER STORY
The need for new-gen refractories A permanent cost reduction programme is running in every plant to optimise its competitiveness and profitability

TECHNOLOGY
Refractories face the challenge of AFR Despite a lot of talk about the usage of alternate fuels and raw materials (AFR) in a cement industry, AFRs are not easy to use as it comes with a set of problems.

INTERVIEW
The concept of refractories has evolved over time Sumanta Mukhopadhyay, General Manager – Technical, Dalmia Refractories Ltd.

CASE STUDY –CONVEYOR BELT
Pipe conveyor: An economically convincing alternative. For an economical and sustainable operation, Aalborg Portland [therefore] relies on alternative fuels and raw materials (AFR) in its Denmark lead plant to ignite the calciner and the main burner.

FEATURE – AUTOMATION
The quick fix solution for automation With the ever-increasing demand for quality products and stringent environmental policies and regulations, today’s manufacturing sector has been challenged like never before.

Testing Machine 
CTM data automation Compressive testing machine (CTM) measures an important physical property of cement

MARKET WATCH
Industry hopes for better performance in Q3 Cement sector analyst reviews the first quarter that ended on July 31, 2017 and takes a peep into the next quarter (August-November).

COVER STORY
Energy efficiency in clinker production The cover story captures the journey of an age-old system of grinding to the present one. It covers from mill internals to the use of grinding aids.

TECHNOLOGY
Achieving sustainable goals As urbanisation intensifies around the world, cement producers are looking for productivitybased solutions.

SPECIAL REPORT
Concrete Temperature For many cement companies in India, AFR represents an important business opportunity because it reduces fuel costs and CO2 emissions.

CASE STUDY 
Reducing energy consumption How an expert system from Lafarge works and helps the plant in reducing energy consumption.

PERSPECTIVE 
CEMENT COOLERS A Cool Unit  The essential characteristic of a grate cooler is a layer of clinker spread on a more-or-less horizontal perforated grate, through which cold air is blown. The article discusses the importance of grate coolers in cement industry.

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Indian Cement Review, the 25 year old, India’s first and only magazine catering exclusively to the cement industry, covers the latest updates and happenings of the industry from around the world. The magazine gives wide ranging technical articles, informative views of industry professionals, analysis and on-site case studies. It acts as a useful interface between the producers, manufacturers and the user fraternity of the cement industry, and is a must read magazine for the user industry, manufacturers & suppliers and auxiliary services providers. 

It is a must-read magazine for the

User industry – Cement Trader and Sellers, Infrastructure Developers, Building and Construction Companies, Cement Distributors and Suppliers 
Manufacturers and suppliers – Equipment suppliers, Machinery manufacturers, Cement Manufacturers 
Auxiliary services – Industry Analysis and Research Companies, Consultants, Logistics, Packaging, Town Planning and Urban Development Authorities, Infrastructure Finance Institutions, Component Companies. 
Indian Cement Review is totally revamped with enhanced production values including better quality, more colour and better design. It provides 

Latest updates and happenings from around the world 
In-depth analysis on the current topics 
Technical articles 
Interviews of industry captains 
Latest report on cement prices and dispatches 
On-site case studies 
Updates on projects, technology, tenders, and events 
Product launches and much more 
It acts as a useful interface between the producers, manufacturers and the user fraternity of the cement industry. 

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Indian Cement Review Magazine - May 2014

Indian Cement Review Magazine - May 2014

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