Cement players on growth path despite weak demand, pricing pressure

Ambuja reports lower volume growth in East, South; Shree Cement losing in North

The battle for market share in the Indian cement industry is intensifying, with some even among the top-four players reporting loss of volumes in certain regions.

Despite weak demand and pricing pressure, many of these producers remain focused on accelerating expansion.

Shree Cement, one of the top-four cement makers in India with 56 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) capacity, informed analysts earlier this week that it faced constraints in the northern market. This was “because we had two very powerful competitors (Ambuja Cement and UltraTech Cement) sitting with us there,” said company executives on a call.

The Bangur family-promoted cement