HeidelbergCement India says cement demand is buoyant

Jamshed Naval Cooper, managing director and chief executive officer, HeidelbergCement India, has worked in cement industry for three decades. Credited for revamping the sales and marketing setup of HeidelbergCement India, Cooper successfully created and launched the "mycem" brand. Served with ACC Ltd for 22 years, he said cement demand is buoyant and expects a bigger price increase post Diwali. Cooper, who pioneered the 25 kg cement packing and launched bulk cement for the first time in India, sees signs of better cement demand from retail and housing space as well. “The quantum’s are small and it's not very huge. It can be anywhere ranging between Rs 2-5 a bag. Going forward, I think the market is buoyant and the market prices will keep moving up. Now, the season has started. Once the Diwali is over, I think the prices will start looking up.” Volumes are about 6 percent up on year-on-year basis. The basic benefit that came is the prices.The prices have been stronger in this central zone, where we sell about close to 90-95 percent of our volumes.