Displaying items by tag: India
India: Star Cement has launched a new clinker line at its Lumshnong, Meghalaya, cement plant. Capital Market News has reported that the line has a capacity of 3.3Mt/yr.
Adani Group further raises Ambuja Cements stake to 70%
22 April 2024India: Adani Group has enlarged its stake in Ambuja Cements from 67% to 70%. The Telegraph newspaper has reported that the group converted warrants into shares in the producer. As a result, it will invest an additional US$1bn in funding for Ambuja Cements, having previously infused funding worth US$2.4bn.
Ambuja Cements director and CEO Ajay Kapur said “This infusion of funds provides Ambuja flexibility for fast-track growth, capital management initiatives and best-in-class balance sheet strength.”
India: UltraTech Cement has concluded an agreement to acquire The India Cements’ 1.1Mt/yr Parli grinding unit in Maharashtra for US$37.8m. The plant will subsequently figure in a US$60.5m growth drive by the group, aimed at adding 3Mt/yr in new cement capacity in Maharashtra. Current on-going expansions and acquisitions are set to raise the Aditya Birla subsidiary’s capacity to 198Mt/yr.
UltraTech Cement expands with Gebr. Pfeiffer technology
16 April 2024India: UltraTech Cement will integrate vertical mill technology from Gebr. Pfeiffer for three new clinker production lines. Gebr. Pfeiffer SE and its Indian subsidiary, Gebr. Pfeiffer India, will fulfil a subsequent order.
At the Happy 3 plant, cement raw material grinding will be conducted using an MVR 5000 R-4 mill, equipped with a 5300kW drive, capable of grinding about 705t/hr to a product fineness of 1.5% R 212µm. Additionally, three MPS 3550 BK mills, each with a 1300kW gearbox, will grind about 45t/hr of petcoke or 90t/hr of coal. These mills come with an integrated SLS 3750 BK classifier.
Gebr. Pfeiffer's MVR mills are distinct in their use of rollers according to the R=C principle. This design allows the same rollers to be used with parts for both raw meal and cement grinding. The MVR 5000 R-4 mill at Happy 3 features four actively redundant rollers, maintaining about 70% production capacity during maintenance. Gebr. Pfeiffer equips MVR mills with maintenance-oriented condition monitoring systems, enabling the implementation of digital maintenance strategies.
Handling of the order will be a collaborative effort between Gebr. Pfeiffer SE and Gebr. Pfeiffer India with all customer support and plant planning managed by Pfeiffer engineers in Noida. Core components like gearboxes, grinding bowls and roller suspensions will be shipped from Europe, while other parts like foundations and classifiers will be provided by the Indian subsidiary. Support for the plants will be managed by the customer support centre in Noida, accessible via remote data or on-site personnel.
India: Kerala has converted approximately 48,000t of non-recyclable waste into refuse-derived fuel (RDF) for use in cement plants, from the period of January - December 2023. The Department of Local Self-Government reported that 29,826t originated from the government sector and 18,205t from the private sector. The material was collected from households and shops, separated at collection facilities and sent to cement plants for co-processing. The local authorities managed the collection and separation of dry waste.
The state has ‘significantly’ invested in infrastructure for dry waste storage, with 167 resource recovery facilities, 1981 collection facilities, 20,904 mini collection facilities, and 57 storage warehouses over 45,522m2. The Haritha Mithram mobile app has led to an increase in door-to-door waste collection and the volume of dry waste processed. The state has added 41 more warehouses so far in 2024 to manage the increased waste collection.
Ambuja Cements to acquire grinding unit in Tamil Nadu
15 April 2024India: Ambuja Cements will acquire the grinding unit of My Home Group in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, for US$49.6m. The unit has a capacity of 1.5Mt/yr. The acquisition is spread across a 24.6-hectare site near Tuticorin Port and comes with a long-term fly ash agreement.
The CEO of Cement Business at Adani Group, Ajay Kapur said "In addition to the infrastructure and geographical advantages, Ambuja Cements will also inherit the existing dealer network and retain current employees, facilitating a smooth transition and enabling the rapid ramp-up of utilisation."
The total cement capacity of Adani Group now stands at 78.9Mt/yr.
Counterfeit cement raid in Jahangirabad
09 April 2024India: Jahangirabad police have raided a cement warehouse, seizing 437 bags of counterfeit cement. The owner has been arrested under the Copyright Act of the Indian Penal Code.
The raid followed a complaint from Delhi resident Raunak Joshi, head of a company identifying fake and adulterated products. Joshi reported unauthorised sales of cement under the UltraTech brand in Jinsi Square, Jahangirabad. The police's operation at Mohammad Siddiqui's shop and warehouse uncovered the counterfeit cement, some falsely labelled as UltraTech and others with different brand labels.
JK Cement launches in Bihar
08 April 2024India: JK Cement has entered the East Indian market with the official launch of its grey cement business in Bihar. The company's initial phase targets nine districts in Southern Bihar, introducing its flagship JK Super Cement.
Deputy managing director and CEO Madhavkrishna Singhania said “Our initial focus will be on covering nine districts of Southern Bihar. With the upcoming Prayagraj plant coming online, we plan to swiftly expand our reach to encompass other districts in the near future. Additionally, we are actively exploring the possibility of setting up a plant in Bihar by 2025, further solidifying our commitment to the region."
Ramco Cements expands Odisha unit
04 April 2024India: Ramco Cements has doubled the production capacity at its Jajpur plant in Odisha to 1.8Mt/yr. The company commissioned its Line II on Monday 1 April 2024 and started commercial production, adding 900,000t/yr to the plant's capacity. Additionally, an 18MW thermal power plant in Kolimigundla will be commissioned soon.
India: Adani Group subsidiaries ACC and Ambuja Cement have both appointed Manish Mistry as company secretary. He succeeds Hitesh L Marthak in both posts, who is taking another job in the group.
Mistry has over 18 years of experience in corporate laws compliance, secretarial and legal roles. Before joining Adani Group in 2022, he worked for Bell Ceramics, Alembic Group, Cadila Group and GACL. He is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India in New Delhi, a graduate in commerce and law from the M S University of Vadodara and is a qualified Cost & Management Accountant (CMA).