After a dip in February, the cement industry is once again likely to hit the double-digit growth trajectory in March, as demand for the building material is consistently strong. On the back of demand from the infrastructure space and realty, cement makers continued selling higher volumes of cement.
Addition of new capacities on the back of a fall in demand has led to a downturn in capacity utilisation in the industry.
Suresh P. Iyengar
Mumbai, Feb. 14
The Gujarat Government's decision to put its mining policy on the fast track will give a new lease of life to eight cement companies that plan to add 22 million tonnes of capacity.
NEW DELHI: Shree Cement on Wednesday said it would invest Rs. 1,000 crore in the current fiscal to expand its production capacity, including setting up two greenfield plants and installing four captive power plants.
Chandan Kishore Kant / Mumbai July 18, 2008, 0:36 IST
Step will help ensure a balance between demand and supply
ACC, UltraTech Cement and other Indian cement makers may cut capacity utilisation by as much as 8 per cent in the financial year ending March 2008 as demand slows and new capacities are added, industry experts and analysts said.
Making cement is energy-intensive. Energy accounts for a significant portion of the cost of producing cement. Most technological advancement, unsurprisingly, has been directed towards reducing its consumption. Unlike other industries in India, in which technological levels lag behind the best in the world, the cement industry is state of the art.
