Cement companies in India

Rising cement industry

Cement is a substance that is used to bind other materials together during construction. It is an indispensable material for building and construction work.

Cement is one of the core industries that plays a vital role in the growth and development of a nation. Cement industry is the most important industry in India, widely responsible for the economic growth of our country as India is the second largest producer of cement in the world and as it also provides employment to millions of people directly or indirectly. India is a developing nation so a lot of growth is seen here: growth in terms of technology, growth in infrastructure, growth in education, leading to the rise in demand of jobs thereby leading to the establishment of factories, plants and industries and thus, eventually leading to the rise of the cement industry.

The rate of growth of the cement industry over the past 20 years has been phenomenal. A large number of cement producers, both local and multinational, operate in India. According to the Global Cement Directory 2015 and independent research, in 2014 India had 174 integrated cement plants.

There are various types of cements:

• Portland cement
• Rapid hardening cement
• Quick setting cement
• Low heat cement
• Sulphate resisting cement
• High alumina cement
• White cement
• Coloured cement
• Oil well cement
• Hydrographic cement

Manufacturing of cement requires heavy, low value and weight loosing materials and is primarily a raw material oriented industry. There are a number of cement companies in India, situated in various parts of the country that are manufacturing cement since the Independence era.

There are companies that produce an array of products ranging from grey cement to white cement, from building products to building solutions and even ready to mix concretes. Most of these companies have highest quality standards and certifications such as ISO 9001 for quality systems, ISO 14001 for environmental management systems and OHSAS 18001 for occupational hazard and safety management systems. A few of such cement companies manufacture Ordinary Portland Cement' (OPC) and 'Pozzolana Portland Cement' (PPC) .These companies have global manufacturing capacity of million tonnes per annum.

Cement companies in India are mainly located in states of UP, MP, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Orissa. Portland cement is the main cement manufactured in cement companies in India.  It is the most commonly used cement for a wide range of applications. The applications cover dry-lean mixes, general-purpose ready-mixes and even high strength pre-cast and pre-stressed concrete. It is used as a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco, and most non-speciality grout. Several types of Portland cement are available with the most common being called ordinary Portland cement (OPC) which is grey in colour, but a white Portland cement is also available.

These companies take full care of the environment protection measures and so are located far off from the main city. Some of these companies have also has also pioneered the development of multiple bio-mass co-fired technologies for generating greener power in its captive plants