Ambuja Cements Innovates in Sustainability

MUMBAI:
Ambuja Cements Ltd., one of India’s leading and sustainable cement makers, has complemented India’s infrastructure development with its wide array of high quality and futuristic construction materials and solutions. In line with the company’s strategy of continuous innovation is the Alccofine Micro Materials range of products, which complements its strength in the core cement business and helps it cater to specialised applications.

A joint venture between Ambuja Cements and the Alcon Group, Alccofine Micro Materials makes products like AF 1203(under 1200 series), an ultrafine proprietary patented mineral additives used with high-performance concrete that provides long life. This product enhances hydraulic property and pozzolanic reactivity of concrete resulting in enhanced hydration, improved packing density of paste component, lowering water demand, admixture dosage and hence improving strength and durability of the concrete.

The 1100 series range of products are the microfine injection grout products. This product enables effective penetration of microfine and ultrafine particles deep into strata—or rock layers—to facilitate reduction in permeation properties, curtain grouting for dams and water bodies, and improvement in the bearing capacity of such layers. This finds application in construction of large structures like retaining walls for reservoirs and dams or canals, among others.

Alccofine’s products find application in structures from small to large—be it skyscrapers, metro lines, roads, flyovers, housing complexes, tunnels, large refineries, defence projects or even individual homes. In short, structures that stand—and have stood—the test of time. The products are added to the cement/concrete at the time of construction that improves their durability, enhances resistance of concrete to aggressive environmental agents, among other advantages.

Alccofine’s products already have a wide track record of usage in vital infrastructure projects across India, be it the Kishanganga Hydroelectric power project in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), and ongoing metro projects in Mumbai, Pune, Surat, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Chennai, New Delhi and Kolkata. Other projects include signature bridges over Mandvi and Zuari rivers in Goa; bridges over Ganga and Brahmaputra in Patna and Guwahati; the trans-harbour bridge in Mumbai, which is India’s longest; major NHAI projects and Hydroelectric dam projects in Himachal Pradesh (HP), J&K and Assam; key defence shipyards and ports; skyscrapers in Mumbai and New Delhi and underground tunnels in Mumbai, Kolkata, J&K, HP and Arunachal Pradesh.

Alccofine is thus making a vital contribution to India’s infrastructure—a sector that has also received a fair amount of attention in this year’s annual budget by the Union Government presented by Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman.

The company has a manufacturing facility at Goa, which is among the world’s largest for micro-fine materials. The facility also comprises a state-of-the-art laboratory that tests construction materials, which includes long-term durability tests under various parameters.

Neeraj Akhoury, CEO India Holcim and MD & CEO of Ambuja Cements Ltd., said, “Innovating to sustainability has been at the centre of Ambuja Cements’ ethos, and our involvement with Alccofine exemplifies that best. It’s not just enough if we build; we must build to ensure that the structures withstand the test of time. That is the hallmark of sustainability, and that is what we aim to achieve as well. For Ambuja Cements, this is yet another endeavour in the area of sustainability.”

The products and innovations of Alccofine have won wide acclaim and a long list of clients—across India and the globe.