High cost, price war led to sale of India Cements: Srinivasan to staff
Business Standard|July 30, 2024
Long before the news of Kumar Mangalam Birla-controlled UltraTech Cement acquiring India Cements hit the media, its managing director, Narayanaswami Srinivasan, delivered a poignant farewell speech to the company's employees on Sunday morning.
SHINE JACOB
High cost, price war led to sale of India Cements: Srinivasan to staff

His voice, heavy with emotion and the weight of five and a half decades in the cement industry, resonated with the sense of an era drawing to a close.

He attributed the company's sale to a confluence of adversities: The relentless price war waged by competitors that "can crush" India Cements, and the firm's inability to liquidate its land holdings to navigate through a financial crisis. The sale, he admitted, was a last resort.

Addressing an audience of select 300 employees, the 79-year-old industry veteran was probably bidding adieu to a long career punctuated by both triumphs and tribulations. Yet, even as the chapter closed on his tenure, he sought to reassure his audience—there is "no need for anybody in India Cements to feel insecure or threatened".

"I am going to leave India Cements," he declared. "The reason is that our competitors can crush us with lower prices. With a slightly higher cost of production, we had taken all steps to reduce our costs."

India Cements' story is deeply entwined with the post-Independence industrial fabric of India.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 30, 2024 من Business Standard.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 30, 2024 من Business Standard.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من BUSINESS STANDARD مشاهدة الكل
IT stocks suffer biggest one-day fall in six weeks
Business Standard

IT stocks suffer biggest one-day fall in six weeks

Accenture promotion delay, past Fed rate cuts cited

time-read
2 mins  |
September 19, 2024
Business Standard

Cabinet clears 'One Nation, One Poll' and host of proposals in farm to space

Soon after completing 100 days in office, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has taken a series of decisions that would have political and economic implications for the country.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 19, 2024
Tata Power to scale up internal RE component supply chain
Business Standard

Tata Power to scale up internal RE component supply chain

Plans to manufacture key parts rather than buying them

time-read
1 min  |
September 19, 2024
Business Standard

IT staffers' FY25 salary hikes may be 5.5-8%

Experts say top performers may continue to see increases ranging from 12-18%

time-read
2 mins  |
September 19, 2024
Business Standard

RInfra pares debt by 87% to ₹475 cr

Anil Ambani group firm Reliance Infrastructure (RInfra) and its subsidiary Reliance Power (RPower) have cleared a major part of their debt, with RInfra reducing its standalone external borrowing by almost 87.6 per cent to ₹475 crore, down from ₹3,831 crore as on June, according to stock exchange notices.

time-read
1 min  |
September 19, 2024
'No plans to phase out Kwid until rules allow'
Business Standard

'No plans to phase out Kwid until rules allow'

Renault India, which saw a 33 per cent decline in sales in 2023, is facing a challenging 2024. The company's Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer VENKATRAM MAMILLAPALLE, discusses the firm's revival plans, launch strategy, and the future of the Kwid in an interaction with Shine Jacob in Chennai. Edited excerpts:

time-read
2 mins  |
September 19, 2024
25-year-old company veteran Samir Kumar has cart full as he takes reins at Amazon India
Business Standard

25-year-old company veteran Samir Kumar has cart full as he takes reins at Amazon India

Amazon has announced that Samir Kumar, a 25-year veteran of the company, will assume the role of head of its India consumer business effective October 1, 2024.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 19, 2024
ZEEL refutes $940 mn Disney Star claim over ICC TV rights deal
Business Standard

ZEEL refutes $940 mn Disney Star claim over ICC TV rights deal

Star India on Monday filed a statement of case seeking $940 million damages from Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL) over the terminated ICC TV rights deal, the latter said in a stock exchange filing.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 19, 2024
Business Standard

Best option is to double down on mkt strategy: P&G India

Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Healthcare (PGHH) and Gillette India (GI), both listed entities of Procter & Gamble India, noted in their investor calls that despite near-term macroeconomic challenges, an above normal monsoon will help revive demand in India.

time-read
1 min  |
September 19, 2024
Business Standard

'Irreparable loss for us': EY India on death of CA

The death of 26-year-old chartered accountant Anna Sebastian Perayil is \"tragic\" and an \"irreparable loss\" for EY India, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 19, 2024