CEMENTING GROWTH

Under K.C. Jhanwar, UltraTech Cement is making all the right moves to increase capacity, moving into newer markets with a sharp focus on sustainability

- Krishna Gopalan

ASK K.C. JHANWAR what UltraTech Cement has been doing over the past three years and pat comes the reply: "Our philosophy is to work on a long-term vision and plan, which is value-accretive to all stakeholders." The company's Managing Director explains that this includes all spheres of the business from operational excellence to new product development, a high focus on green products and brand building. "None of this can be achieved without having high empowerment and agility across the organisation," says Jhanwar, a chartered accountant by training.

Cement is an intensely competitive business and UltraTech is the largest player-it has an installed capacity of 140 million tonnes per annum (mtpa); the Adani Group, through various entities, is the second largest at around 75 mtpa. "We have been on a significant growth trajectory for several years and expect this growth phase to continue. Our Chairman (Kumar Mangalam Birla) has announced the ambition of achieving a capacity of 200 mtpa and we want to convert that vision into reality," says the MD of UltraTech Cement, which is a part of the Aditya Birla Group.

To get to a capacity of 200 mtpa, the company will need to focus on key areas like supply chain management and, as Jhanwar puts it, specifically on logistics operations and cost optimisation, and ensure improved response time for consumers. "We are also committed to further build on brand UltraTech and strengthen our equity across all our stakeholders," says Jhanwar, a veteran of the Aditya Birla Group.