CEMENT

An Overview

Cement is one of the core industries which plays a vital role in the growth and expansion of a nation. It is basically a mixture of compounds, consisting mainly of silicates and aluminates of calcium, formed out of calcium oxide, silica, aluminium oxide and iron oxide. The demand for cement, depends primarily on the pace of activities in the business, financial, real estate and infrastructure sectors of the economy. Cement is considered preferred building material and is used worldwide for all construction works such as housing and industrial construction, as well as for creation of infrastructures like ports, roads, power plants, etc. Indian cement industry is globally competitive because the industry has witnessed healthy trends such as cost control and continuous technology upgradation.

The Indian cement industry is extremely energy intensive and is the third largest user of coal in the country. It is modern and uses latest technology, which is among the best in the world. Also, the industry has tremendous potential for development as limestone of excellent quality is found almost throughout the country.

Current Scenario

The Indian cement industry is the second largest producer of quality cement. Indian Cement Industry is engaged in the production of several varieties of cement such as Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC), Portland Blast Furnace Slag Cement (PBFS), Oil Well Cement, Rapid Hardening Portland Cement, Sulphate Resisting Portland Cement, White Cement, etc. They are produced strictly as per the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) specifications and their quality is comparable with the best in the world.

The Indian cement industry is the second largest in the world. It comprises of 140 large and more than 365 mini cement plants. The industry's capacity at the beginning of the year 2009-10 was 217.80 million tonnes. During 2008-09, total cement consumption in India stood at 178 million tonnes while exports of cement and clinker amounted to around 3 million tonnes.The industry occupies an important place in the national economy because of its strong linkages to other sectors such as construction, transportation, coal and power. The cement industry is also one of the major contributors to the exchequer by way of indirect taxes.

Cement production during April to January 2009-10 was 130.67 million tonnes as compared to 115.52 million tonnes during the same period for the year 2008-09. Despatches were estimated at 129.97 million tonnes during April to January 2009-10 whereas during the same period for the year 2008-09,it stood at 115.07 million tonnes.

Over the last few years, the Indian cement industry witnessed strong growth, with demand reporting a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.3% and capacity addition a CAGR of 5.6% between 2004-05 and 2008-09. The main factors prompting this growth in demand include the real estate boom during 2004-08, increased investments in infrastructure by both the private sector and Government, and higher Governmental spending under various social programmes. With demand growth being buoyant and capacity addition limited, the industry posted capacity utilisation levels of around 93% during the last five years. Improved prices in conjunction with volume growth led to the domestic cement industry reporting robust growth in turnover and profitability during the period 2005-09.

Consumption Growth during 2008-09

Even during the economic slowdown in 2008-09, growth in cement demand remained at a healthy 8.4%. In the current fiscal (2009-10) cement consumption has shot up, reporting, on an average, 12.5% growth in consumption during the first eight months with the growth being aided by strong infrastructure spending,especially from the govt sector. The trends in all-India consumption and the growth in consumption in the major cement-consuming States over the last five years are presented in below table:

Growth in Cement Demand

Source: Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA), ICRA Research

Key Drivers of Cement Industry

• Buoyant real estate market
• Increase in infrastructure spending
• Various governmental programmes like National Rural Employment Guarantee
• Low-cost housing in urban and rural areas under schemes like Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and Indira Aawas Yojana

Technological Advancements

Modernization and technology up-gradation is a continous process for any growing industry and is equally true for the cement industry. At present, the quality of cement and building materials produced in India meets international standards and benchmarks and can compete in international markets. The productivity parameters are now nearing the theoretical bests and alternate means. Substantial technological improvements have been brought about and today, the industry can legitimately be proud of its state-of-the-art technology and processes incorporated in most of its cement plants. This technology up gradation is resulting in increased capacity, reduction in cost of production of cement.

Future Outlook

Growth in domestic cement demand is expected to remain strong, given the revival in the housing markets, continued Government spending on the rural sector, and the gradual increase in the number of infrastructure projects being executed by the private sector. Thus, the trend in demand growth seen during the last five years is expected to continue over the medium term. Also, with Government targeting an over 8% GDP growth rate, cement demand should grow at 8-10% over the next few years.

The industry may be expected to add another 130-135 million tonnes of cement capacity in phases over the next four years, that is, during the period 2009-10 to 2012-13.

Major Players

• Ultratech Cement
• Century Cements
• Madras Cements
• ACC
• Gujarat Ambuja Cement Limited
• Grasim Industries
• India Cements Limited
• Jaiprakash Associates and
• JK Cements.
• Holcim
• Lafarge
• Heidelberg Cemex
• Italcementi

Statistics

Cement Production & Despatches (P)

Source: Cement Manufacturers’ Association

Policy Initiatives

FDI Policy: the cement sector has been gradually liberalized. 100 per cent FDI is now permitted in the cement industry.

Useful Web Links

• Cement Manufacturers Association