Lafarge open to consolidation in India

Lafarge open to consolidation in India
07 January 2010


Lafarge is open to consolidation in India and the time frame for it is the next five years, according to its Chairman and CEO, Bruno Lafont.

Addressing visiting press from Kolkata at the inauguration of the clinker line at Lafarge India’s cement plant here recently, Mr Lafont said, “We see consolidation happening [in the cement industry] in India in the mid-term period. We are confident of our ability to deliver our investments in India and are open to seizing new opportunities, be it consolidation or greenfield projects.”

Lafarge India currently produces 6.5Mtaof cement from its four cement plants – two in Chhattisgarh and one grinding plant each in Jharkhand and Mejia in West Bengal.

“We should at least double our presence in India in the mid-term and we have prepared ourselves for that,” Mr Lafont said.

The company was evaluating four greenfield cement projects in Karnataka, Rajasthan, Meghalaya and Himachal Pradesh, he added.

“India is a very important market for us and our goal is to become the best cement producer in terms of efficiency and quality and not necessarily the biggest in size here,” he said.
Published under Cement News