Page 5 - Cement Companies

Expect cement prices, demand to recover in second half of FY20: Srinivasan

He expects increased spending on infrastructure projects by the Centre and acceleration in infrastructure projects and development schemes by the new government in Andhra Pradesh to spur the industry

Birla Corp to increase focus on premium cement brands to boost profits

The company introduced several premium brands in the first quarter of the current fiscal year

Weak volumes take sheen off UltraTech Cement's Q1 show; stock falls over 2%

Better realisations though helped post strong profitability and helped company beat analysts' expectations

Pressure on cement companies amid price recovery delay due to higher supply

Analysts cautious on sector given the inadequate profit triggers

Cement companies on a capacity expansion spree; price rise uncertain

At present, almost every cement major in the country has announced a capacity expansion plan

ACC, Ambuja stocks gain about 3-5% each on improving growth outlook

Expansion in profitable regions expected to improve growth visibility and allay concerns on market share gain

UltraTech, ACC, Shree Cement see volume growth despite cost pressure

Higher sales volume and realisations did well to overcome cost pressure

No pricing respite yet for cement firms; higher realisations crucial

Ban on sand mining, especially in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Tamil Nadu, was one of the key reasons responsible for a lag in cement demand

Are cement companies headed for a change from petcoke to coal?

At a time when the Supreme Court has banned the use of petcoke in Delhi and the surrounding areas after hearing a public interest litigation on pollution, the cement sector is headed for a change in its raw material mix. As of now, there is little impact on the sector as no company operates any plant in the National Capital Region (NCR) but in case states like Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh come up with any such notification, cement companies in these states are likely to come under stress.According to India Ratings, such ban will be applicable only in those districts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan which fall under NCR; however if the state governments fail to issue a similar notification, then the ban will automatically be applied to the whole state. Senior officials from cement firms are unsure how things will pan out in the near future but they have started arranging for alternative fuels. Shree Cement, whose dependence on petcoke in the kiln is 100 per cent, is now ...