JK Cement laid the foundation of a grinding unit in Balasinor, Gujarat. Once fully operational, the unit will have a total output capacity of 0.7 MT annually. Balasinor is a small township, 87 kms from Ahmedabad, and marks the company’s foray into Gujarat.
The plant, which will be spread over a total project area of over 8 hectares will be set up at a total project cost of Rs 200 crore. This is part of the company’s total funding outlay of Rs 2,000 crores for capacity addition to the tune of 4.2 mn tonnes.
Besides the Balasinor unit, JK Cement will also set up another grinding unit in Aligarh, with a total investment of Rs 250 crore. The remaining fund allocation will be dedicated to capacity expansion of the existing units in Rajasthan.
JK Cement already supplies to the active cement demand in Gujarat, but the new plant set-up in Balasinor will provide the company access to the adjoining markets including Surat, Baroda and Rajkot among others.
Raghavpat Singhania, special executive, JK Cement, said, “This ceremony today marks a key milestone in JK Cement’s journey, given that it’s our first foray into Gujarat by way of a manufacturing unit. The company remains committed towards the promise of industrial growth in India. We’re sure this plant, along with the other expansion we’ve undertaken in the north, will take us to greater heights in the future”.
JK Cement will be implementing the vertical roller technology at this plant which will cut down the power consumption, reduce the grinding cost and will enhance the production performance. The company is looking forward to making this unit operational by Q4 of the next financial year.
With the expansion in Gujarat and Aligarh, coupled with the brownfield investments in Rajasthan, JK Cement’s total capacity is projected to touch approximately 15 MTPA by March 2020.