India Cements to invest Rs 2,100 cr

By 2011, India Cement plans to add eight more million tonnes to its existing capacity that would give the company a pan-India presence.     

India Cements Joint President Marketing Rakesh Singh said future capacity additions include a two mtpa factory at Jhunjunu in Rajasthan and another plant of 1.5 to 2 mtpa in Himachal Pradesh.     

At present, the company has four cement plants in Andhra Pradesh and three in Tamil Nadu with a total capacity of 9 million tonnes per year.     

Currently there were about 8,000 stockist in the South and Maharastra of which 30 to 35 per cent were exclusive stockist of Sankar and Coromandel brands and the rest were multi-brand dealers.     

About six-seven per cent of the total sales went to bulk consumers and major builders, the supply of which were made through mega-seized tankers and the remaining quantity were sold in the bags of 50 kg each, he said.     

Although India Cements was manufacturing high grade cements, only blended cements (Pozolona, Portland cement) were very popular in the market, accounting for 73 per cent of the total sales.     

More than 90 per cent of the cement bags were made of High Density Poly Eutherene(HDPE) and to satisfy a segment of customers in Kerala and Chennai city the cement stock were packed in paper bags, he said.