Ramco group launches premium slag cement

By Our Corporate Reporter

CHENNAI, MAY 14. Following the success achieved in its first brand of blended cement `Ramco Super Grade' launched a year ago, Madras Cements, the flagship of the Rs. 1,200 crore Ramco group, has come out with its premium blended cement `Ramco Super Steel'.

Launching this at a glittering function here today, Mr. P.R. Ramasubrahmaneya Rajha, Chairman of the group, said the product offered unmatched strength and durability and was preferred by engineers and architects all over the world. He said Ramco Super Steel was being manufactured from the company's Jayanthipuram unit in Andhra Pradesh. The plant would produce 7-8 lakh tonnes annually and an amount of Rs. 100 crores was spent on this project. He said the value-added product would be using the value less slag available from the Vizag Steel Plant and Madras Cements had entered into a long-term agreement with Vizag Steel Plant for the supply of slag.

The energy efficient vertical roller mill has been imported from Germany specially for grinding slag separately at very high fineness. The company has also installed stacker reclaimers and paddle mixers to ensure proper blending.

Mr. Rajha said the product was the result of state-of-the-art technology and deep-study of chemistry and mineralogy of cement and Indian consumes would greatly benefit from using this kind of cement.

The product was first launched in Andhra Pradesh on May 10 by Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

Speaking at the launch function in Chennai Mr. Balaji K. Moorthy, Senior Vice President (Marketing) said the product would have an unmatched average fineness of 4,200 blaines as compared to 2,700- 2,800 blaines offered by 53 grade cements, thus making it the finest of the fine cements in the country. He said the product would be marketed in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Later addressing presspersons Mr. Rajha said the total capacity of Madras Cements would be 3.5 million tonnes including the capacity of this premium, blended cement. An expansion scheme for increasing the capacity of the Alathiyur plant (Tamil Nadu) by one million tonnes was being carried out by installing another plant with state-of-the-art technology. The project, costing Rs. 300 crores, would be completed by early 2001, he said. Necessary funds have been tied up from State Bank of India and ICICI on an advantageous basis. Also an upgradation programme was being undertaken in RR Nagar plant (Tamil Nadu) and eventually by March 2001, the total capacity would increase to five million tonnes, Mr. Rajha said.

Mr. P. R. Ramasubrahmaneya Raja, Chairman, Ramco group (right) and Mr. Balaji K. Moorthy, Sr. Vice President (marketing), Madras Cements, at a press meet in Chennai on Sunday.

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