Steel and Tmt Bars

Steel Surge

In addition to boasting unprecedented growth rates, India’s steel industry is introducing innovative products and boosting the quality of construction in the country, reports CHARU BAHRI.

Steel is indispensable to infrastructure. And as successive five-year plans project higher investment in infrastructure, the demand for steel will only grow. For its part, the National Steel Policy formulated by the Indian Ministry of Steel envisages robust growth of the sector (see box). However, given that the Indian per capita consumption of steel is only 35 kg compared to the world average of 150 kg and 300 kg in China, we still have a long way to go to increase the use of steel in construction.

Product mixAs the focus on developing infrastructure across the country gains momentum, the steel industry has responded by adjusting its product mix. It seems to be increasingly focusing on the production of long products and simultaneously, the ratio of flat to long products seems to be narro-wing. Long steel products, such as steel and TMT rebars, are used in the construction and infrastructure industry. In contrast, flat steel products are largely used as inputs to make cold (or hot) rolled (steel) products, which are in turn used to manufacture consumer dur-ables and automobiles. It appears that the rising price of raw materials has led leading steel companies to innovate and expand their product mix. “The rise in input costs, including iron ore and coke, has exerted pressure on EBIDTA margins,” says Sajjan Jindal, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, JSW Steel Ltd. “To mitigate this squeeze and achieve higher growth than last year, we are looking at increasing the product mix and improving efficiency by reducing production cost too.”

The firstsIndeed, JSW Steel Ltd is the first Indian company to produce Galvalume sheets under technology licensing from BIEC International Inc, USA. Galvalume is a barrier-resistant aluminium and corrosion-fighting zinc patented alloy-coated steel sheet that boasts super-ior corrosion resistance and heat reflectivity. As such, the product is an upgrade over the company’s hot dip metal coating galvanising line. With over three decades of use resulting in over 40 billion sq ft of steel roofing worldwide, Galvalume has proven that its use in construction as a steel roofing system extends the service life of a building, reduces maintenance and makes for energy-efficient green buildings that entail lower heating and cooling costs. In fact, this latter property led to it being the favoured material for the construction of new buildings for the Olympic Games in Sydney, Athens and now in Beijing. “The local production of Galvalume in India, along with technical support from

BIEC International and the ZAC Association, will elevate quality levels for the product and its applications to the highest international standards,” says Jayant Acharya, Senior Vice-President - Sales & Marketing, JSW Steel Ltd. “This will benefit the rapidly growing Indian construction industry.”The industry is also poised to benefit from ComFlor by Corus Steel, a unique steel flooring product (see box), points out Darayus J Shroff, General Manager, Corus International (India) Pvt Ltd. “This is a first for the country as no other company is offering products like ComFlor at present,” he says. “Since being introduced in June 2007, ComFlor has gained high popularity in India because of the edge it offers over conventional concrete flooring. It is generally used for high rises (such as the Burj Dubai) and modern constructions because of the flexibility it offers. In India, it has already been used in the Hotel InterContinental in Mumbai and is currently being used in the construction of the ICICI business facility in Hyderabad.”

Brand equityThe launch of branded steel products for construction comes at a time when consumers are becoming increasingly brand conscious. According to Mayank Maheshwari, Director, SSH Agrotech (P) Ltd, customers are well-educated today and respond to advertisements by reputed brands on television or in the print media. “Steel rebars like TISCON, SAIL, Elegant and SRMB enjoy a brand status in the Indian market,” he says. “These bars are preferred over other brands available in the market.” But as Rajiv Singhal, COMS, Long Products, Tata Steel, says, “Although a brand assures consumers of good quality and service, merely calling a product by a name is not branding and could be misleading sometimes. A brand must be backed by genuine and useful product quality parameters and superior service.” As an example, Singhal explains that a sizeable quantity of rebars is used by common people in the construction of their houses. As these consumers are concerned about the quality of TMT bars they use, industry leader Tata Steel actively engages in various steps such as organising consumer interaction with structural engineers and architects, and dissemination of product brochures to educate consumers about steel products. Consumers also need to be alerted to the fact that large plants, specifically automatic rolling mill plants, manufacture good quality products compared to local manufacturers. Manufacturers using imported TMT plants (quenching plants) accepted and appreciated worldwide for their quality - such as Thermex from Germany, Tempcore from Belgium or Jettherm from the US - are able to add both to their brand image and quality of steel rebars.

Educating the consumerIndeed, education and awareness is essential, especially considering the fact that the nomenclature of certain steel products - like TMT bars-is often confused with a brand. Apparently, in the early 1980s, the Indian steel industry coined the phrase ‘thermo-mechanical treatment’ (TMT), which was introduced in IS: 1786 : 1985 to refer to two patented quen-ching and tempering processes developed in Europe. These proc-esses, however, are post-rolling operations that involve no mech-anical treatment.

What is of concern is that over the years, as far as TMT bars are concerned, the phrase ‘TMT’ has come to signify a technology that gives you rebars with properties - such as ductility - better than those obtained by the ‘cold twisted bars’ (CTD) process. However, given that every rolling mill involves thermal and mechanical treatment, even rolled bars that do not undergo any quenching and tempering process can legally be called TMT bars. So companies cannot be held responsible if civil engineers buy such bars under the mistaken belief that they are purchasing a superior product. Therefore, civil engineers need to be cautioned about blindly specifying TMT bars. Instead, they should specifically ask for bars in terms of yield strength, stress ratio and elongation.

Cracking the codeHence, in Maheshwari’s view, “Testing for rebar properties before use in RCC must be made mandatory. We cannot sleep in peace until such a regulation is introduced. The time has come for an urgent revision of IS 1786:1985 in light of the superior quenched and tempered technologies, incorrectly referred to as TMT in India, now available in the country.”In this context, Nalin Gupta, Executive Director, J Kumar Infraprojects Ltd, points out that his company ensures the testing of every lot of TMT bars procured for physical and chemical properties, after which the bars are used in projects. And speaking of the code for rebars IS: 1786 : 1985, Singhal says, “Given that the current code was institutionalised back in 1985, and a lot of technological advancements have taken place since to achieve better functional properties of reinforcement bars suiting different conditions, the current code could include specifications for upgraded quality of rebars being used worldwide, updated in line with recent developments in international codes.”Continuing the same thread, Maheshwari observes that the old concept of Tor steel or CTD bars has been replaced by TMT bars, but under the same IS: 1786 : 1985 code of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). “The technology underlying CTD bars and TMT bars differs yet the scope of standards used in the aforesaid code is the same,” he says. Undoubtedly, then, the code needs revision for TMT bars. But equally important, products should be manufactured to strictly conform to the corresponding BIS code. In this context, a source at the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL, or Visakhapatnam Steel Plant) notes that some major amendments were recently proposed, the majority of which were accepted, so the new revision will be brought into effect soon.

Seismic zonesFurther, Maheshwari points out that 50 to 60 per cent of India falls under the seismic 3, 4 and 5 categories. Thus, safety measures relating to construction should be given the utmost importance. However, while on the subject of codes, is it a matter of concern that currently according to code IS: 13920, rebars (HSD steel bars of Grade Fe-415) used in seismic zones 3, 4 and 5 should have an elongation of 14.5 per cent or more? Isn’t this too low a minimum value? For his part, Singhal is in favour of a suitable revision of the current stipulation of an elongation of 14.5 per cent for rebars used in hazardous seismic zone 3, 4 and 5. Further, expressing the belief that a rebar’s ductility and higher UTS play a critical role in performance, he believes that there should also be incorporation of uniform elongation with

a minimum value in the code, in line with international specifications. Meanwhile, Maheshwari cites the example of New Zealand - it has prepared a special new code AS/NZS 4671:2001 for steel-reinforcing materials, including rebars, to be used in seismic areas. According to him, India’s IS : 13920 code could be revised to specify an elongation of 20 per cent or more. Hopefully, India is getting its act together. As pointed out by the source at RINL, the new revision of IS:1786 (which is cross referred in IS:13920) includes a proposal to introduce three new grades with superior properties, namely Fe-415 D, Fe-500 D and Fe-550 D. The minimum percentage of elongations proposed for the same are 18, 16 and 14 respectively.

Saving on consumptionThe revision of codes should be judicious and reflect the grades of steel currently used in the country. For instance, while a section of the industry believes that, as grade Fe-415 is used in most infrastructure works, grade Fe-550 may safely be deleted from the code because it is hardly ever used and does not exist in the codes of most developed countries. However, Maheshwari points out that grade Fe-550 (in HSD steel bars according to BIS) actually differs from grades Fe-415 and Fe-500 in certain mechanical and chemical properties (see box). Thus, even though its use is very low compared to Fe-415 and Fe-500, there are certain applications where grade Fe-550 is most suitable. Singhal describes grade Fe-550 re-bars with higher yield strength as being able to reduce the consumption of rebars and improve quality of RCC construction by reducing congestion. “This is particularly important for high-rise and heavy duty structures, especially now that the country has the capability to use compatible grade of concrete to go along with such high strength rebars,” he says.It appears that Fe-550 grade material can ensure savings in steel consumption - it’s all a question of ensuring proper design and application. In fact, there are some grades in different international standards where higher yield strengths are specified. Some of these are:

YS (N/mm2)JIS G 3112 SD 490-625ASTM A615 Grade 75 520

The quality imperativeConsidering that the construction industry is engaged in building a new India, one fact is unassailable: every quality control measure that may be ensured by incorporation into the code should be prioritised. Similarly, every activity that lowers quality of steel and TMT bars used for construction should be prohibited, again by mention in the code. In this respect, the source at RINL explains that the issue of using steel with an unknown history - such as scrap from the ship-breaking industry - was addressed in the recent revision of IS 1786, as undoubtedly using any scrap for direct rolling without knowing its properties would affect quality of rebars. In such cases, it also becomes very difficult to ensure that the product conforms with the requirement of code.As Gupta says, “The rising cost of steel has already affected the construction industry adversely as the escalation clause does not account for actual increase in prices of steel.”

Hopefully, innovations by the steel industry (see boxes) and its appropriate emphasis on quality products will reduce the burden rising costs have placed on the construction industry. Then, the future growth of the Indian steel industry will pose no detriment to the well being of countless Indians relying on the availability, cost and quality of its output.

A global footprint

• Tata Steel has acquired the Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus to become the world’s fifth largest steelmaker, adding 19 million tonne of steelmaking capacity. • Essar Global has acquired Canada’s Algoma Steel for $ 1.63 billion and US-based Minnesota Steel. • Naveen Jindal-promoted Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) has bagged the $ 2.1 billion contract for developing one of the world’s largest iron ore deposits, El Mutun. The project includes a 2 million tonne steel plant in Bolivia. • JSW Steel has acquired Jindal United Steel Corporation, Saw Pipes USA and Jindal Enterprises LLC at Baytown, Texas, for $ 940 million. • Steel Strips Wheels Ltd has received an order from French car maker Renault SA worth $ 27.56 million to supply around 1 million steel wheel rims for over five years.

Industry estimates

CAGR considering 2004-05 as a baseProduction of crude steel 110 million tonne 7.10%Demand for steel 90 million tonne 6.90%Steel exports 26 million tonne 13.30%Steel imports 6 million tonne 7.10%

The rapid rise in production has resulted in India becoming the world’s fifth largest producer of steel, up by two places, on the back of 50.71 million tonne production of crude steel and 51.9 million tonne of finished steel. The production of finished steel grew by 16.52 per cent, from 44.54 million tonne in 2005-06 to 49.39 million tonne in 2006-07. In addition, the government has projected India’s steel production to be around 124 million tonne by 2012 and with a capacity of around 275 million tonne by 2019-20.

ComFlor by Corus

Composite steel floor decks are profiled steel decks that bond to the concrete slab to become part of the floor structure. The deck initially acts as shuttering for the concrete, and after the concrete cures, the deck acts as the positive bending reinforcement. The composite steel deck and the concrete interlock, creating a composite slab. This interlocking is achieved through a system of embossments and ribs that are built into the deck.The ComFlor range of composite floor decks includes shallow decks that are suitable for

conventional composite construction, wherein the deck is placed onto the top flange of the steel support beam and covering un-propped construction from 2.5 m to 5.1 m. In contrast, ComFlor deep decks provide a clear open space between beams with typical un-propped spans extending to 6 m and propped spans to 9 m. The deck is contained within the beam depth, which provides a very shallow floor zone. The shape of the deck profiles allows for service integration and the whole system provides inherent fire resistance.Composite slabs are a very practical, speedy and economical means of creating a floor system and work particularly well in conjunction with composite beam construction. This method of construction allows for taller, lighter, more flexible structures based around a steel frame. ComFlor is also known to add to the stability of a structure, eliminate the need for temporary props, reduce the need for concrete compared to conventional reinforced concrete construction, and increase the overall floor height by reducing the floor zone.Corus International (India) Pvt Ltd offers complete tailored decking solutions covering the full scope of design, detailing and supply of decking systems coupled with logistic, technical, finance and documentation support.

Steel used in hydro projects

Hydro projects imply dams, canals, and other construction works that require special steel because of the continuous and heavy contact of the structure with water. While normal mild steels products are not feasible for such works, galvanised or stainless steel or epoxy-coated clad rust-proof re-bars may be employed in these situations at a greater initial expense, but to significantly increase the service life of the project. Generally, hydro projects require material with superior corrosion-resistance. According to Rajiv Singhal, COMS, Long Products, Tata Steel, the company supplies rebars to hydro projects from its product basket based on the requirements specified by its customers in that sector.

Stainless innovations for infrastructure

As far back as the 1930s, stainless steel (SS) rebars similar to today’s 1.4301 (304 type) were used in the reinforcement of the Progresso Pier in the Gulf of Mexico. The use of such an alloy was prompted by the benefits of SS over and above carbon steel. Apparently, contrary to reinforcing concrete, carbon steel rebars can do exactly the opposite - if humidity manages to ingress the structure, the rebar swells as it corrodes, resulting in cracks in the concrete. The corrosion process is made far worse by chlorides from either atmospheric sources or de-icing salts on roads. The use of SS in the Progresso Pier has allowed it to stay maintenance-free in a very aggressive and demanding environment for almost 70 years. Conversely, a second bridge built alongside in the 1960s using carbon steel rebar was closed prematurely in 1982.Now as the construction industry worldwide becomes increasingly aware of the need to use sustainable materials that ensure product durability and low maintenance costs, the use of SS rebars has assumed paramount importance. As SS mirrors carbon steel in all physical and load bearing properties, it may be replaced ‘like for like’, and also be connected to carbon

steel without fear of increased galvanic corrosion to the parent carbon steel. Austenitic stainless reinforcing bars also have low magnetic permeability. When used in bridges, SS reinforcement also reduces the concrete requirement, and eliminates expensive bridge deck surface treatments.The only thing going against SS rebars is their high cost, which is in part due to their high nickel content. In this regard, Yatinder Suri, Country Head, Outokumpu India Pvt Ltd, says, “Outokumpu Stainless’s Lean Duplex LDX 2101® is a new grade of SS that contains only 1.5 per cent of nickel but outperforms current standard stainless grades in both strength and corrosion resistance.” Apparently, the ongoing Gateway Upgrade Project, aimed at duplicating a motorway bridge across the Brisbane River in Australia’s Queensland, is making use of duplex LDX 2101® SS rebars from Outokumpu in a groundbreaking move towards sustainable infrastructure development at competitive cost. Outokumpu has also introduced SS rebars into the Indian market to extend the life of concrete structures under construction. “Technical experts have concluded that Duplex stainless steel is the ideal product to build long-lasting (over 100 years) infrastructure around India’s coastal areas,” he adds.

Comparison of grades Fe-415, Fe-500 and Fe-550Mechanical properties FE-415 FE-500 FE-5500.2 % proof stress/yield stress, min. N/mm2 415 50000.00% 550Elongation, per cent, min. on gauge length 5.63 ÖA, where A is cross-sectional area of the test piece 14.4 1200.00% 8Tensile strength, min. 10% more than the actual 0.2% proof stress but not less than 485.0 N/ mm2 8% more than the actual 0.2% proof stress but not less than 545.0 N/ mm2 6% more than the actual 0.2% proof stress but not less than 585.0 N/ mm2Chemical properties Carbon 0.3 0.3 0.3Sulphur 0.06 0.055 0.055Phosphorus 0.06 0.055 0.05Sulphur and phosphorus 0.11 0.105 0.1

Innovations from Tata SteelTata Steel has introduced grades like Fe-500 (high strength steel), super ductile rebars for earthquake prone areas and CRC (corrosion-resistant bars) for coastal areas. It has also introduced the concept of selling by piece instead of kilogramme to reduce costs.

On the anvil

• Arcelor Mittal, the world’s largest steelmaker, plans to set up two greenfield steel projects in India each with a capacity of 12 million tonne per annum. • Acerinox SA, the world’s second biggest stainless steelmaker, is joining hands with Japan’s Nisshin Steel to build a steel plant in India. • Tata Steel, the world’s fifth largest steel maker, plans to double its capacity by 2015, by adding another 35 million tonne capacity.

• India’s largest steel manufacturer SAIL is planning to increase its annual production of 12 million tonne per annum to 24.98 million tonne per annum by 2011-12. • Sinosteel Corp, China’s second biggest iron ore trader, plans to invest $ 4 billion to build a 5 million tonne greenfield steel plant • Kalyani Steels will set up an integrated steel and power project in West Bengal, at a cost of $ 1.63 billion. • Investment worth $ 365.7 million in steel is coming up in Karnataka. • Mesco Steel plans to invest around $ 2.8 billion in two steel plants - a brownfield expansion and a greenfield project - in Orissa. • Vedanta Resources plans to enter the Indian steel sector with a 5 million tonne plant at an investment of about $ 6.02 billion in Orissa. • SAIL will invest $ 5.006 billion in West Bengal. This is almost two-fifths of the $ 13.27 billion spread planned by SAIL.Feature - RMc and Concrete Equipment

The Right Mix

The infrastructure boom has given a rightful fillip to the ready-mix concrete industry. This, in turn, has prompted equipment manufacturers to offer India the world's best in technology and service. CW takes a closer look.

Here’s something you probably knew – ready-mix concrete (RMC) enables good construction as it facilitates the production of better quality concrete that is not subject to the vagaries of on-site mixing. RMC assures consistent quality through accurate computerised control of aggregates and water according to mix designs. It is also eco-friendly as it incorporates recycled materials like fly ash and slag. All this accounts for the fact that the Indian market for RMC is growing at 15 to 20 per cent per annum - even 25 to 30 per cent in some regions - owing to the boom in real estate activities. With quality increasingly becoming an imperative among developers, the demand for RMC will only rise. “The RMC industry in India is estimated to be about 32 million cu m in 2007 and is projected to reach 75 million cu m in 2011,” predicts Sanjay Bahadur, Managing Director, ACC Concrete. “The acceptance of RMC is very good. However, the end customer needs to have confidence in RMC wherever it is coming from. For this, we need professionalism and transparency.” According to Bahadur, the Concrete Association has formed guidelines for RMC plants to follow so that quality is maintained, irrespective of which company manufactures concrete, or where it is manufactured.

Top tech Intrinsic to good concrete, though, is good equipment. And India is no slouch in that department; with major players striving to give the customer the world's best in technology. “Recent developments have been on reduction of energy consumption, controls to achieve closer tolerance levels, improved environment protection systems and high uptime of equipment,” explains Asit A Patel, Managing Director, Gujarat Apollo Industries Ltd. “We

have achieved these developments through value engineering.” According to him, the USP of the company, which manufactures asphalt plants, paver finishers, wet mix plants, bitumen sprayers, kerb pavers, compaction equipment, crushing and screening machines, road marking machines and allied equipment, is high uptime, prompt after-sales service, faster delivery period and value for money. Schwing Stetter India, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Schwing GmbH, Germany, also offers batching plants for concrete preparation, transit mixers for concrete transportation and concrete pumps (trailer, line and truck-mounted) for placing the concrete. The company also manufactures specialised equipment like shotcreting machines, concreting machinery for tunnels and dam projects and recycling plants for ready-mix companies. “We offer concrete pumps and batching plants,” says MS Bhadbhade, Managing Director, Aquarius Engineers Pvt Ltd. “Our concrete pumps are designed with ‘S-valve’ technology, the latest available worldwide. Our batching plants, too, use the most current mixing technology, batching and weighing system, and operating software.” Pumps with S-valve technology can pump harsh as well as high slump concrete of good quality and assure trouble-free operation and optimal efficiency. Similarly, while the company’s small batching plants use Planetary or Sun mixer technology, the bigger batching plants use twin shaft technology - both are state-of-the-art.“Our basic concept of ‘less power, more output’ has remained a central focus of our drive for unique featu-red equipments and machineries,” J N Surelia, Proprietor, Maxmech Group, tells us. “The USP of our equipment is a combination of indigenisation and imported critical parts and components with technology back-up from international associates.” The company's product range has been used in projects across India and is also exported to countries like Afghanistan and Malaysia. Top products include its concrete batching mixing plant with special features not available in other plants or machines produced in India; wet mix macadam plant with value-added features; and the feature-packed mobile concrete plant, which combines compact design with high efficiency.

Support and serviceHowever, the best equipment is no use to the customer without good after-sales support, a fact that all major players are aware of.“We have sales and service offices in all important locations in India, and authorised dealers in many parts of India,” says Patel. “So, even the remotest locations aren't too far from our service centres.” Gujarat Apollo provides intensive training to the customer's personnel, enabling them to maintain the equipment well, and maintains stocks of spare parts at the project offices of customers in remote locations. “This combination helps in maintaining high uptime of our equipment,” he adds. “When required, we fly our service personnel or spare parts to the nearest airport. In the worst-case scenario, the wait time can be 48-72 hours but it is generally less than 24 hours.”Aquarius too has sales and after-sales support offices in all the major cities of India. “Every part of our country is not more than an overnight journey from our service network,” says Bhadbhade. “Our service vans further extend our reach in critical areas. Apart from this, we also conduct on-site training and scheduled inspection visits to site, and maintain stock of emergency spare parts at the customer's site and our branch offices.”

Surelia too is proud of Maxmech’s service network. “We register our presence in every nook and corner of the country through a widespread marketing network comprising branch offices, distributors and agents, and resident representatives,” he says. “Responsive after-sales service personnel are spread over the entire country. Maxmech Group is the only Indian company with a centralised 24-hour emergency help-line. Total commitment to timely customer service with minimum downtime has always remained our focus.”

Imported or indigenous?Despite the high technology and efficient after-sales support that Indian players now provide, there are many who still insist that imported equipment is superior to indigenous machinery. Is this really the case?“Our range of equipment is in no way inferior in quality to imported equipment,” responds Patel. “In fact, in certain areas like energy consumption, we are better. We have stringent quality control measures in place and our supply chain is also subject to such quality standards.” Bhadbhade weighs into the debate, saying, “We have been manufacturing the equipment at our Goa factory for a long time. We have seen that concrete quality and handling is quite different to that observed in other parts of the country. Hence, und-erstanding local conditions and then adopting global tec-hnology is very important. Our mac-hines offer high-efficiency output under extreme levels of performance on various sites in India and our customers are satisfied.”Meanwhile, Surelia says, “In-depth study of internationally acclaimed products and technologies inspires us to develop the equipment and machinery indigenously. Nonetheless, key components are imported from reputed European manufacturers. With this combination, our products are recognised to have global standards, yet are developed indigenously. Whenever required or demanded, we have invited international technological partners and collaborators to help us develop our machines locally.”Growing steady While the indigenous vs. imported debate rages on in the minds of many, the infrastructure boom has ensured a period of steady growth for major players in the sector. “Our growth is around 25 per cent,” reveals Patel. “We are targeting sales of Rs 230-240 crore for FY 2008-09.” Bhadbhade’s sales target includes more than 600 stationary concrete pumps, 50 boom pumps and about 120 large batching plants. “We are setting up a new factory near Pune, exclusively for increasing the production of batching plants,” he shares. “The first phase is already completed while work of the second phase will be complete by August 2008. After it is fully operational, our batching plant production will be nearly tripled. Second, our Unit 1 in Goa is under expansion for production of concrete pumps. This is planned for completion by the end of this year.”It’s good news for Surelia too. "This sector is reportedly growing at around 30 per cent,” he tells us. “We have outperformed this with a growth close to 50 per cent last year and turnover of Rs 300 million. Maxmech is poised for a growth of nearly 70 per cent over 2007-08 with sales turnover targeted over Rs 500

million. With new production facilities and additional capacities in place, we aim to grow between 80 to 100 per cent consistently for two years starting 2009-10 to reach a turnover close to Rs 2,000 million by 2010-11.”

The future of RMCJust like their individual growth rates, major players have high expectations from the RMC industry in India. “With the government's continued thrust on the road sector, we expect a CAG of 18-20 per cent for the next five years,” predicts Patil. “The Indian construction industry is slowly but steadily becoming quality conscious,” says Bhadbhade. “The RMC industry holds the key to this.”But there are still some bottlenecks that need to be resolved. “There is lack of a level playing field in this industry,” rues Patel. “Certain type of equipment is allowed to be imported under zero duty but we cannot sell the same equipment made in India under zero excise duty.” Bhadbhade too urges the government to have an overall perspective of national growth plans vis-à-vis the RMC segment and the requirement of users.For his part, Surelia sees the government playing a catalytic role in the growth of the industry, based on its infrastructure-friendly Budget this year. “We forecast growth between 50 and 60 per cent for the next two years,” he reiterates. We like the sound of that!

When do you decide to put up a plant at site?

Sanjay Bahadur tells you.

“If you have a plant at site, freight cost is low; but if utilisation is low, the cost of the plant becomes high. So you have to strike a balance between volume and time frame. If a 50,000 cu m commercial building is to be put up in four months, it makes sense to buy RMC. But if you have 12 to 18 months for the same size, there is enough time and the size is big enough for a small 30 cu m plant at site to be viable. For a contractor who is not in a hurry, a 50,000 cu m and above project is worth having a plant on site. For an RMC manufacturer, 8,000-10,000 cu m from a site is good for a site plant.”

Quick Bytes

l The Indian market for RMC market is growing at 15 to 20 per cent per annum - even 25 to 30 per cent in some regions - owing to the boom in real estate activities.l Recent developments have been on reduction of energy consumption, controls to achieve closer tolerance levels, improved environment protection systems and high uptime of equipmentl With the government's continued thrust on the road sector, Gujarat Apollo expects a CAG of 18-20 per cent for the next five years.

l Maxmech Group forecasts a growth between 50 and 60 per cent for the next two years.l Aquarius Engineers conducts on-site training and scheduled inspection visits to site, and maintains stock of emergency spare parts at the customer's site and branch offices.

Putzmeister pumps it up!

Here's a landmark moment. After repeated extension of the use of the last remaining Putzmeister super high-pressure trailer concrete pump 14000 SHP D over the past months at Burj Dubai, the concrete delivery was completed on April 9, 2008, reaching a new world record height of 606 m. As a result of the predominantly steel construction of the last tower levels and the low concrete quantities used above 586 m, the concrete pump was barely working to capacity for more than a few hours per week. Owing to the disassembly started in the meantime, the building's guided delivery line is no longer in the way of Burj Dubai's interior fittings. During the last pump operations, a concrete pressure of 200 bar was measured on the Putzmeister trailer concrete pump with S transfer tube 14000 SHP D with an output of 28 cu m per hour. Overall, the three Putzmeister high-performance pumps have, during their 32 months of operation, pumped approximately 165,000 cu m of high-strength concrete. This exclusively involves concretes of the property classes C50 for the floors as well as C60 and C80 for the walls of the central core. With a 606 m height difference, the concrete required approximately 40 minutes from the filling of the hopper to its discharge from the delivery line. The concrete volume in the line (nominal diameter 150 up to 550 m height, after this ND 125) amounted to approximately 11 cu m with this installation height. This equates to a weight of over 26 tonne on the Putzmeister concrete pump after every piston stroke when the S transfer tube is switched.

Know your concrete

• Self-compacting concrete: This is concrete that requires little vibration or compaction. Self-compacting concrete is the concrete that is able to flow under its own weight and completely fill the formwork, even in the presence of dense reinforcement, without the need of any vibration, while maintaining homogeneity.• Shrinkage compensating concrete: This is low shrinkage concrete (shrinkage < 250 µm/m) used for applications such as construction of ground-bearing slabs for industrial, warehouse and commercial floors.• High early strength concrete: This is concrete that gains strength rapidly. For example, it can achieve 70 per cent of its characteristic strength in three days instead of seven. Applications include highways, airports, roads, pavements - any place where the time available for concrete to gain strength is low.• Aesthetic concrete: Examples include coloured, patterned, textured and exposed aggregate concrete.

Value-added concrete

“A value-added product (VAP) is a peculiar RMC product that provides extra perceived benefits to a certain segment within the construction industry chain, compared to a conventional product. VAPs provide customers enhanced performance; good aesthetics with reduced need of finishing; accelerated construction speed; reduced sections and saving on space; ease of use; durability and enhanced service life; and eco-friendliness,” informs Bahadur.Here are various VAPs based on operational characteristics:

j Easiness of placement- Self-compacting concrete- Flowable fills- Shotcrete- Underwater concrete- Long-life mortars

j Construction speeds- High early strength concrete- Fast-track - Roller-compacted concrete

j Aesthetics- White concrete- Coloured concrete- Exposed aggregate concrete- Patterned concrete

j Reduced elements sections- High final strength - Lightweight structural concrete

j Enhanced performance- Low shrinkage concrete- Shrinkage compensating concrete- Abrasion-resistant concrete- Fibre-reinforced concrete

j Environment- Cellular concrete- Lightweight insulating concrete- High volume fly ash/slag concrete- Recycled aggregates concrete- Low-noise pavement concrete

j Enhanced service life- Aggressive chemical-resistant concrete- Low-permeability concrete- Marine concrete- Frost-resistant concrete- Fire-resistant concrete- Corrosion-resistant concrete