Cement is a typically cyclical sector that has weathered many an economic storm. And with the world reeling under the Covid-19, everyone is waiting and watching how the sector will react. India is the second largest producer of cement in the world and the second largest consumer (next to China in both cases). The sector plays a significant part in the growth story of Indian economy, providing employment to over a million people, directly or indirectly. And over the past few years, it has witnessed a lot of consolidation: Today, the top 20 cement companies account for almost 70% of the total cement production in the country. FIRST Construction Council in association with Indian Cement Review organised the 11th Cement Expo Plus Online on March 17. The virtual event involved the 6th Indian Cement Review Conference 2021 that focused on three sessions: Will cement demand grow post the pandemic?Opportunities for automation and digital transformationUsing municipal solid waste as fuel in the kiln The conference was followed by the 4th Indian Cement Review Awards 2021 that will recognise and reward India’s Fastest Growing Cement companies. Chief Guest Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Government of India, shared his message with the industry, probing the central question, “Can we make everything Atmanirbhar?” For full report on Chief Guest’s address, click here. In his inaugural address, Pratap Padode, Founder & President, FIRST Construction Council, pointed out that “cement production has been falling, which could indicate that the pent up demand has already been exhausted.” A large number of stakeholders from the industry participated and spoke:   Arun Attri, Vice President-IT, Wonder Cement   Ashok Kumar Dembla, President & Managing Director, KHD Humboldt Wedag   BN Mohapatra, Director General, NCCBM,   Mayank D Kamdar, Marketing Director, Lilanand Magnesites   Michel Folliet, CEO Co-Founder, Pantheum Solutions   Nitesh Jain, Director, CRISIL Ratings   Palash Kumar Saha, Research Scientist, SINTEF Building & Infrastructure   Pawan Mathur, Vice President & Head-Automation, UltraTech   Rajnish Kapoor, Head-Grey Cement, JK Cement   Rishi Fogla, Executive Director, Fogla Corp   Sandeep Ramprasad, Global Service Product Manager, Cement Industry, ABB   Shreesh Khadilkar, Consultant  Shyam Asawa, President-Projects, Orient Cement  Srikanth Sola, CEO & Co-Founder, Devic Earth  Ulhas Parlikar, Global Consultant, Waste Management, Circular Economy, Policy Advocacy, AFR &    Co-Processing Find out who walked away with the 4th Indian Cement Review Awards. Read full article, view event video here.