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Tag: cement industry

  • Ambuja Cements seals CCI nod for game-changing Orient Cement buyout

    Ambuja Cements seals CCI nod for game-changing Orient Cement buyout

    MUMBAI: Adani-backed Ambuja Cements Ltd, one of India’s top cement makers, has laid the groundwork by securing the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) approval for its acquisition of Orient Cement Ltd. With this regulatory nod, Ambuja is all set to mortar its dominance, brick by brick, as it paves the way for an industry power move that will set its expansion strategy in concrete.

    The deal, originally announced on 22 October 2024, involves a major takeover through a share purchase agreement. Ambuja Cements will acquire 7,76,49,413 equity shares, which make up 37.90 per cent of Orient Cement’s existing share capital. An additional purchase of 1,82,23,750 equity shares (8.90 per cent stake) will further bolster its holdings.

    But that’s not all—Ambuja is also rolling out an open offer to acquire up to 5,34,19,567 equity shares, representing 26 per cent of Orient Cement’s expanded share capital. The deal values the open offer at Rs 395.40 per share, putting serious weight behind Ambuja’s aggressive acquisition strategy.

    The green light from CCI came on 4 March 2025, with the regulator granting unconditional approval under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002. With no regulatory roadblocks, the cement giant is now positioned to finalise the transaction and accelerate its growth momentum.

    Ambuja Cements continues to make bold moves in the infrastructure and building materials sector. By bringing Orient Cement into its fold, Ambuja aims to boost its market presence and production capacity, cementing (pun intended) its leadership in India’s competitive cement industry.

    This strategic acquisition reinforces Ambuja’s commitment to expansion and efficiency. With regulatory hurdles cleared, the focus now shifts to execution—expect Ambuja to lay a stronger foundation for growth in the coming months.

  • Authenticity in the chaos: Taj Cement’s bold call for trust

    Authenticity in the chaos: Taj Cement’s bold call for trust

    MUMBAI: In a world overwhelmed by countless choices, where authenticity often gets lost in the noise, who do you trust? The Indian marketplace has long relied on a singular compass: trusted brands. They are the beacon in the chaos, offering not just products but promises of quality, integrity, and dependability.

    Amidst this landscape, Taj Cement—a name synonymous with reliability in construction—has launched a stirring new campaign, ‘The Honest Cement’, during its Annual Dealer’s Conference 2023-24 at Mayfair Resort, Sonapur. With its powerful message of trust and ethical practices, the campaign cuts through the noise, reminding us that true strength lies not just in the structures we build but in the principles that lay their foundation.

    Rooted in the enduring values of authenticity and quality, Taj Cement calls on the construction industry to embrace transparency and integrity, elevating its role as more than just a supplier of materials, but a trusted partner in building India’s future.

    The conference, attended by 300 dealers, served as a platform for Taj Cement to reaffirm its commitment to delivering reliable and durable products. Through this initiative, the company aims to empower builders, dealers, and consumers to make choices rooted in honesty, building not just stronger structures but also stronger communities.

    “At Taj Cement, we believe that honesty is the cornerstone of trust and lasting relationships. With The Honest Cement campaign, we aim to inspire everyone to uphold integrity and transparency at all levels. Just as our cement strengthens structures, our commitment to honesty strengthens communities and the bonds we share with our customers,” said Taj Cement, Group CFO, Sanjeev Surekha.

    As part of its refreshed positioning, Taj Cement unveiled redesigned packaging for its flagship products: Taj Dhalai Cement and Taj Premium Cement. The modernised design symbolises the company’s focus on innovation and enhancing customer experience, aligning with its broader vision of fostering trust and transparency.

    The Annual Dealer’s Conference featured interactive sessions on market trends, growth strategies, and the challenges facing the construction industry. These discussions reflected a collaborative approach, bringing together dealers and the top management to identify opportunities for collective success.

    The event also celebrated excellence within its dealer network, with top-performing dealers recognised for their invaluable contributions to the company’s growth.

  • Brand image also impacts B2B marketing: JK Cement’s Pushp Raj Singh

    Brand image also impacts B2B marketing: JK Cement’s Pushp Raj Singh

    NEW DELHI: Cement manufacturing brand JK Super Cement recently launched the campaign #YehPuccaHai to pay homage to construction workers, who have been continuously working during the pandemic. The campaign has already garnered 1.5 million views on YouTube and 25.5 million on Facebook and Instagram. It has also achieved 31 million impressions so far across social media platforms.

    JK Cement Ltd (Grey Cement Business) president marketing Pushp Raj Singh says that the campaign has been launched keeping rural audiences as well in mind. “We saw that people from rural areas had a great engagement with the campaign on TikTok and made 600 videos using the Yeh Pucca Hai song which garnered a viewership of over 22 million.”

    According to Singh, within the housing sector, rural housing may pick up faster than its urban counterpart while the latter will improve considerably in the coming months.

    In a chat with Indiantelevision.com Singh discussed the constraints the cement industry is facing in the pandemic, and how it will evolve in the post-Covid2019 era. He also touched upon the shift the brand has seen in marketing the products.

    Edited Excerpts: –

    What is your outlook on how the cement industry is going to evolve in the Post-Covid2019 era?

    The lockdown period was a definitely difficult period for us. However, with Unlock 1.0 announced by the government, construction activities have started and we have witnessed a good demand from the rural areas. The urban demand and the projects continue to remain subdued, which we hope will improve considerably in the coming months. With the easing of the lockdown restrictions, the transport sector is also improving and we hope that we are able to see a boost in our business for the upcoming months.

    In the post-Covid2019 era, we are definitely expecting to see a greater demand in both the cement and housing sector. We hope to see that workers gain more employment and are able to return back to their workplaces and contribute to the economy. We also wish to see a revival of the cement industry, in terms of increasing operations and getting our business fully functioning again.

    The government has put on hold all the big infrastructure projects due to financial constraints. Which sectors are going to drive the demand in the construction industry according to you?

    Infrastructure and road projects will be the first ones to get up and running.

    Do you think marketing strategies play a crucial role in a product like cement, where it caters more to B2B customers rather than B2C?

    Yes, they do. Whether they are B2C or B2B customers or clients, marketing strategies always help in building our brand presence and recall value.

    Today’s social customers and clients look for an understanding of what a brand stands for. The only way to accomplish this is with a strategic and consistent representation of the brand in every channel. Having a positive impression in the minds of our target audience and businesses translates directly into a lower cost of sales and a higher company valuation. A content strategy goes a long way in producing the kind of content that a B2B buyer seeks for. Also, in a B2B setup, the sales and purchase cycle lasts longer and the differences in products are complex, hence they need to be delivered using effective communication and marketing strategies.

    What kind of shifts you’ve seen in the marketing due to the pandemic?

    The biggest shift that we have witnessed in these times is the increased usage of digital marketing by all businesses, be it B2B or B2C. There could be permanent shifts in the supply chain and increased usage of e-commerce. Therefore, digital marketing strategies will play a crucial role in growing our business.

    Among marketers, from the traditional ATL and OOH marketing strategies, digital marketing strategies such as digital promotion and campaigns are significantly rising.

    Indian Cement industry consists mostly of regional players rather than national ones. What are the expansion plans of JK Super Cement?

    JK Cement started operations in the year 1975 by putting up the first cement manufacturing facility in Nimbahera in Rajasthan. We have never looked back from that time and continued to expand in Mangrol ( Rajasthan), Jhajjar ( Haryana ), Fujairah ( UAE ), Muddapur ( Karnataka ) and recently added one unit in Aligarh (UP) to be followed by another in Balasinor ( Gujarat – Operational from October 2020 ) and thus taking our capacity to 14.7 million MT. We shall continue to expand and our aim is to cross 20 million MT in the next few years.

    What is your marketing mix at this point in time?

    Our marketing mix consists of digital and rural marketing strategies. We have focused our efforts greatly on rural marketing and identified the strategies that work with the target audience. With this lockdown, digital penetration has also increased in rural areas and we are aligning our marketing strategies to cater to the same.

    According to a report by Kotak Institutional Equities (KIE), rural and pent-up demand has led to higher-than-expected volumes in May-June 2020 and segment-wise, housing is the largest contributor (about 60 per cent) followed by infrastructure and commercial projects. Within the housing sector, rural housing may pick up faster than its urban counterpart. This substantiates our efforts towards rural marketing strategies. We have also employed an SMS and WhatsApp campaign with our channel partners through which we are trying to reach out to more and more people.