NEW DELHI: KHD Group, one of the world's major suppliers of cement manufacturing equipment, has won major orders from India-based UltraTech Cement Ltd. for two cement lines, a member of the Aditya Birla Group, the 8th largest cement producer in the world. As a consequence of a long-standing and successful relationship between UltraTech and KHD, the two companies now agreed on new orders for two projects in India with a volume of EUR 85 million. This order will contribute to KHD's earnings until commissioning begins in H2 2012. As a result, KHD Humboldt Wedag International AG lifts its guidance for order intake from previously EUR 260 - 280 million to now significantly more than EUR 300 million in 2010.

The two projects contain pyro-processing lines with a nominal capacity of 10.000 tons per day (tpd) each and the connected roller press grinding circuits for raw material and for cement. In the last two years, KHD has supplied three 8.000 tpd lines to UltraTech and won orders for roller press grinding circuits.

According to Jouni Salo, CEO of KHD, the acquisition success confirms the validity of the strategic shift towards the BRIC-states: "Today, more than 50% of our order backlog is generated in Russia and India. In this respect, we benefit greatly from our strong local presence and from the increasing urbanisation and industrialisation in these regions. Cement is a local business." In the view of the management this trend will continue in the future so that the highest growth potential for KHD is expected to result from the emerging markets, especially China and India with nearly double-digit growth rates in the cement market.

KHD is one of the major suppliers of cement manufacturing equipment with a base in India. With over 300 employees in India, KHD has brought the latest cement technology to India for over three decades. The company has made a major contribution towards achieving high technical standards for fuel and power consumption in Indian cement plants and has earned the respect and trust of the major local cement producers.

UltraTech Cement Limited is the largest cement company in India with revenues of more than 3 billion USD. It has operations in five countries with a total capacity of 52 million tons per year.

    
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