Displaying items by tag: Rajasthan
Birla Corporation benefits from blended cement sales
06 February 2019India: Birla Corporation’s earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose due to increased sales of blended cement in the last quarter of 2018. Blended cements represented 89% of its total sales volumes compared to 85% in the same period in 2017.
The company’s net sales grew by 14.6% to US$653m in the nine months to the end of 2018 from US$569m in the same period in 2017. Its EBITDA rose by 17.1% to US$96.8m from US$82.7m. Its cement production increased by 10.5% to 9.86Mt from 8.92Mt and its cement sales increased by 9.9% to 9.79Mt from 8.92Mt. It said that better sales in key markets had offset raw material price rises such as petcoke, coal and diesel. It noted that the price of diesel had risen by over 20% in the reporting period although it had started to soften in the most recent quarter.
The cement producer held a ground breaking ceremony in late January 2019 for a new plant being built by its RCCPL subsidiary at Yavatmai district in Maharashtra. The 3.9Mt/yr unit has an investment of US$342m and it includes a 40MW captive power plant and a 10.6MW waste heat recovery (WHR) system. Commissioning is scheduled for the 2021 – 2022 financial year. The company is also planning to upgrade RCCPL’s plant at Kundanganj with 1.2Mt/yr of additional production capacity. Other new projects include a 12.25MW WHR system at Maihar that is expected to be commissioned in mid-2019. It is building solar power plants at Maihar, Chanderia and Satna with 11MW, 3.6MW and 1.2MW capacity respectively. Birla Corporation also said that restrictions on using explosives placed on limestone mining at Chanderia in Rajasthan had increased its costs.
Binani Cement renamed UltraTech Nathdwara Cement
14 December 2018India: UltraTech Cement has renamed its Binani Cement subsidiary UltraTech Nathdwara Cement. The leading Indian cement producer finally acquired Binani Cement in late November 2018 when the Supreme Court supported the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal’s (NCLAT) approval of its bid for Binani Cement following a legal fight with a consortium led by Dalmia Bharat group.
Binani Cement’s production assets include a 4.85Mt/yr integrated plant at Nathdwara and a 1.4Mt/yr grinding plant at Neem ka Thana, both in Rajasthan. The company also operates plants in China and the UAE. UltraTech Cement’s acquisition will increase its production capacity in the north of the country to around 24Mt/yr, increase its access to limestone reserves and offer it synergies in logistics and procurement.
JSW Cement targeting northern India after initial public offering
14 December 2018India: JSW Cement is planning to target the north and north-east of the country after a proposed initial public offering (IPO) in 2020. The company is looking for acquisitions in the region to meet its production capacity target of 20Mt/yr by 2020, according to a company executive quoted by the Economic Times newspaper. The cement producer has purchased two limestone mines via auction at Nagaur in Rajasthan and one in Gujarat. It is also considering building new cement plants near the mines. The company has a production capacity is 12.8Mt/yr at present.
Ambuja Cements approves extension to Marwar Mundwa plant project
13 December 2018India: The board of Ambuja Cements has approved an extension to its Marwar Mundwa integrated plant project in Rajasthan. The clinker production capacity of the plant has been increased to 3.1Mt/yr and an additional 1.8Mt/yr cement grinding capacity has been added. The total investment of the project has been increased to around US$326m. A waste heat recovery (WHR) unit has also been added to the project. Once completed the plant will increase the subsidiary of LafargeHolcim’s production capacity of 31.5Mt/yr.
Dalmia Bharat to pursue northern market after Binani disappointment
26 November 2018India: Dalmia Bharat is reported to be planning a 4Mt/yr greenfield cement plant in Rajasthan to cover the north Indian market. It was earlier reported to have secured limestone mining rights in the area surrounding Chittogarh and it has recently missed out on the purchase of northern cement maker Binani Cement to its rival Ultratech Cement.
Speaking to Business Standard, a Dalmia Bharat spokesperson said, “If we aren’t able to foray into North India via acquisition, we’ll do it via a greenfield project.” He added that the plant will start with a single 2Mt/yr line, with a second to be added later.
This new proposal gives Dalmia Bharat exposure to Rajasthan and neighbouring Gujarat, opening the wider nothern region up to the company. “The region is expected to register good growth in the next 10 years, which makes this market lucrative for us. It has always been our endeavour to be present across the country,” concluded the spokesperson.
Birla White to launch four new products by 2020
09 July 2018India: Birla White, a subsidiary of UltraTech Cement, plans to launch four new products by 2020. Research and development for the new products is underway at present, according to the Hindu newspaper. The white cement producer is also planning to increase its exports to 10% of its total volume by 2023. At present it exports 3% of its total volume. The company operates one cement plant at Rajashree Nagar in Rajasthan.
Wonder Cement orders two mills from Gebr. Pfeiffer
11 April 2018India: Wonder Cement has ordered two vertical mills from Germany’s Gebr. Pfeiffer for its Nardana plant in Rajasthan. The order includes a MVR 6000 C-6 mill for grinding slag cement and a MPS 3070 BK mill for grinding fuel. Delivery is scheduled for early 2019 and mid-2019 respectively.
The MVR mill will feature a total drive power of 5820kW. Mixed cements will be be ground to a fineness of up to 5% R 45µm. The grinding plant will be designed to process granulated blast-furnace slag with a target fineness of approximately 4500 cm²/g Blaine and blast-furnace cements with different proportions of granulated blast-furnace slag, fly ash and gypsum and different product fineness degree. Wonder Cement has requested the option to grind relatively hot clinker in the mill while at the same time being able to reduce the cement temperature, and alternatively to use cold clinker from stockpiles.
The core components such as the tension system and the grinding rollers will come from Gebr. Pfeiffer in Germany. The grinding bowl and the gearboxes for the mill and classifier will also be delivered from Europe. Gebr. Pfeiffer’s subsidiary, Gebr. Pfeiffer India, will provide the housing parts, the foundation parts and supports of the rollers as well as almost the entire high-efficiency classifier type SLS 5600 BC. Gebr. Pfeiffer India scope of supply will incorporate most of the equipment to complete the grinding plant including the plant fan.
The MPS mill will grind petcoke with a capacity of 40t/hr to a product fineness of 2% R 90µm. It will come with a SLS BK classifier, allowing both coal and petcoke to be ground in the mill, dried with process gases and then classified in the integrated classifier. Due to the high abrasiveness of Indian coal, the mill will be designed with appropriate wear protection.
Most components of the coal mill will be supplied by Gebr. Pfeiffer India. The housing and foundation parts, the grinding bowl and a large part of the power-transmitting parts will be manufactured in India. Setting up the new MPS mill is planned to coincide with the commissioning of the entire kin line.
LafargeHolcim to spend US$214m on new cement plant in Rajasthan
21 February 2018India: LafargeHolcim plans to spend US$214m towards building a new cement plant in the state of Rajasthan. The 3.1Mt/yr plant will be operated by its local subsidiary, Ambuja Cement, and it will target markets in the north of the country, including Delhi. Commissioning for the plant is scheduled for the second half of 2020.
"India is the second biggest global cement market and is forecasted to continue to see high growth rates. We are excited to invest in this highly attractive market to further strengthen our footprint and to reinforce our leading building materials position in India," said Jan Jenisch, Group chief executive officer (CEO) of LafargeHolcim.
Mangalam Cement to build waste heat recovery unit at Morak plant
16 February 2018India: The board of Mangalam Cement has approved plants to build a 11MW waste heat recovery unit at its Morak plant in Rajasthan. The subsidiary of BK Birla Group operates a single integrated plant.
JK Cement receives approval for upgrade at Mangrol plant
05 February 2018India: JK Cement has received approval for an upgrade at its Mangrol cement plant near Chittorgarh in Rajasthan. The plant will have an investment of US$312m, according to Accord Fintech. Following the expansion the plant will have a cement production capacity of 4.2Mt/yr. Cement grinding will be supported by units in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.