A

Project Report

On

SURVEY OF REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY OF AHMEDABAD FOR POTENTIAL READY MIX

CONCRETE (RMC) CUSTOMERS

At

SUBMITTED BY:

HARDIK PANCHAL(11369)

MAULIK PADH (11368)

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We are indebted to the staff at the ACC concrete plant, who have helped us, inspired us, gave us a moral support and encouragement in various ways in completing this project. We are please to acknowledge the help and support provided by them.

We would like pledge our gratitude to Mr Tejas Suthar, Marketing executive and our chief mentor at ACC concrete ltd, Mr Sudhir Jain, plant in-charge at ACC concrete ltd Changodar, Mr Dhiren Patel, Chief QC officer at ACC concrete ltd Changodar.

At last we would like to thank our parents for giving us moral support and continuous inspiration that helped us in completing this task.

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SUMMARY

The main aim behind this project is to survey the under construction sites in Ahmedabad for the purpose of finding potential customers of Ready Mix Concrete or RMC for ACC concrete ltd, Changodar, Ahmedabad.

The objectives include, to present our company with a demand forecasting of the eastern suburban areas of Ahmedabad that are out of range of the current facility in Changodar, in case if the company plans to expand their operations in those respective areas in the near future, to get information on competitors, to know the weak points of the company as well as suggestions for improvement.

Concrete is a carefully balanced mix of cement, aggregates and water. While cement acts as the binder modifying the characteristics and uses of concrete, aggregates, another essential ingredient in concrete, retain the intrinsic properties of rocks that they come from.

Today, the acceptability of ready mix concrete in India is on the rise. Around 40 major cities of the country are using it for various kind of projects. Specifications by municipal corporations, public works and other Govt. bodies will play a big role in growth in the segment. BMC in Mumbai has already taken this up in the city for few years now and have specifications mentioned clearly in their tenders.

Ahmedabad is the largest city of Gujarat and the largest inland industrial centre of western India. The real estate market of Ahmedabad is booming because of growth in industrial sector and overall high rate of development. Hence a high demand of RMC is realized. Major players such as Ultratech, JK Lakshmi, Lafarge have already found a market in Ahmedabad and hence the competition is on the rise. Hence to cope up with this competitive environment, it is necessary to have a strong marketing base as well as a close watch on competitor’s activities.

This report presents in detail the work done by us in this two months period.

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INDEX

Sr. No. Title Page No.

1 Objectives 4

2 Need of the study, scope of the study, data sources 5

3 Research design 6

4 About the RMC industry 7

5 Background of RMC industry in India 9

6 About ACC 10

7 ACC subsidiaries and associates 12

8 Products 14

9 Areas surveyed 30

10 Major real estate players in Ahmedabad, Major competitors of ACC

32

11 Survey results 34

12 Reasons for not choosing ACC RMC, Survey results for VAPs

35

13 Plus points of competitors over ACC 36

14 Concrete strength tests required by customers 37

15 SWOT analysis 39

16 Our takeaway 40

17 Conclusion and suggestions 41

18 References 42

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OBJECTIVES

1) To know the potential customers of RMC by performing a field survey of under construction sites of Ahmedabad.

2) To get the information on major competitors (local players as well as national players).

3) To decode the possible reasons for the sites that are not using RMC.

4) To know the strengths and weaknesses of our company.

5) To provide suggestion for further improvement.

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NEED OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this study is to have a deep insight in the Ahmedabad real estate industry. Also it would be helpful to the company for demand forecasting.

The study will provide information on competitors, both local as well as national. Also it will be helpful in pointing out the areas that need improvement in the company.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study is performed on the behalf of ACC concrete plant, Changodar, Ahmedabad. The area surveyed includes Ahmedabad city area as well as the suburbs Bopal, Bavla, Ghuma, Dholka etc.

The study is performed for the company to have a deep knowledge of current happenings in Ahmedabad real estate industry. This study presents the company, the current scenario of the market as well as the activities of competitors. Also the company can take an initiative to improve current facilities.

DATA SOURCES

Primary data:

Performing field surveys of all under construction sites of Ahmedabad area and interviewing the person in-charge of each and every site.

Secondary data:

Data collected from the company as well as from our mentor Mr Tejas Suthar. The technical information is also collected from the chief of Quality Control, Mr Dhiren Patel.

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RESEARCH DESIGN

The study is more of a descriptive research that presents the behaviour and attitude of the real estate industry of Ahmedabad. The study is done on a qualitative basis, i.e. it’s on facts rather than on figures.

Survey technique:

Interviewing the person in-charge at each and every under construction site of Ahmedabad and personally observing their behaviour and specific requirements.

Sample size:

Approx. each and every under construction site of the Ahmedabad region.

Sampling technique:

Convenient sampling

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ABOUT THE RMC INDUSTRY

The construction has industry benefited from Ready mix Concrete right from its inception during the late 40’s. This technology has since grown in a big way in Europe and USA, consuming more than 60% of the cement produced. In the coming years, Ready mix Concrete industry in India is likely to consume more than 5% of the cement produced from the current levels of around 3%.

The raw materials used for Ready mix Concrete viz. cement, sand, coarse / fine aggregates and water are mixed at a centrally located computer controlled batching plant that monitors weigh-batching, water-cement ratio, dosage of admixture, moisture content, etc. with precision to produce the Ready mix Concrete. The plant is capable of programming 99 different types of mixes for producing different grades of concrete both automatically and manually. Ready mix Concrete is then transported to the site in transit mixers, in plastic condition, without affecting the composition and without any further treatment. Transit mixers are trucks fitted with rotating drums for carrying Ready mix Concrete.

While there are several advantages of Ready mix over Sitemix, quality and time required is among the most prominent. Besides, labour and space requirements on site for the latter add to the cost. A typical 1500 sq ft of area will take around 6-8 hours for concreting if site mix is used which if compared to Ready mix, will take only 2-3 hours. Ready mix is also environment friendly and any grade of concrete is available at a given point of time.

Materials used for making RMC confirm to the requirements of IS 456:2000 or relevant code. In terms of clause 9.2 or IS 456: 2000, the RMC manufacturer has to guarantee the quality of concrete as he shall be responsible to carry out the mix design that is approved by the purchaser. A wide range of computer-controlled concrete batching plants, transit mixers for transporting the RMC to the construction sites, pumps and concrete placing are manufactured in India. This business needs further investment to the tune of several millions.

The Ready mix concrete business in India is still in its infancy. The gap between the organised and unorganised sector is quite wide. Some of the major cement

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manufacturers in India viz. ACC, Larsen & Toubro, Madras Cements, J.K. Lakshmi, Ultratech and Grasim have ventured into Ready Mix Concrete.

Increased awareness about advantages and quality has boosted the demand in many cities across the country. This trend has caught up fairly well and within the next 1-2 years, large players are looking at a growth rate of over 25% in the organised sector.

India today has a very high acceptability of ready mix and as many as around 40 cities currently are using it for several projects. Specifications by municipal corporations, public works and other Govt. bodies will play a big role in growth in the segment. BMC in Mumbai has already taken this up in the city for few years now and have specifications mentioned clearly in their tenders.

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BACKGROUND OF RMC INDUSTRY IN INDIA

Ready-mixed concrete plants arrived in India in the early 1950s, but their use was restricted to only major construction projects such as large dams. Later on RMC was also used for other large projects such as construction of long-span bridges, industrial complexes, etc. These were, however, captive plants which formed an integral part of the construction project. RMC in a true commercial sense had yet to arrive in the country. In 1974, a techno-economic feasibility study for setting up of RMC plants in India was conducted by the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee . The study recommended setting up of RMC plants in major metropolitan towns of the country. It also suggested the use of fly ash as a partial replacement of cement to effect savings.

In the late 1970s, the then Cement Research Institute of India (CRI) - now the National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB) - carried out a techno-economic viability study of RMC, to be transported without agitation. In this study, it was observed that the conventional RMC would be uneconomical under the then-prevailing conditions, wherein only small volumes of concrete (1 m3 or less) could be handled at a time, thereby making the transportation cost higher. To reduce the total cost, the study suggested that only a part of the mixing water (about 60 percent) be added at the central plant and such a "semi-dry" mix be transported in non-agitating trucks to the construction site, where the mix could be discharged from the truck to the mixer and remixed with the addition of the balance water.

It was during the 1970s when the Indian construction industry went overseas particularly to the Gulf region, that an awareness of Ready-mixed concrete was created among Indian engineers, contractors and builders. Indian contactors in their works abroad used RMC plants of 15 m3lhr to 60 m3lhr capacity, and some of these plants were brought to India during the mid - 1980s. In the meantime Indian equipment manufacturers also started manufacturing small Rl\1C plants. It was only after cement was fully decontrolled, and particularly since the early 1990s, that RMC has been talked about on a commercial basis. The first plant belonging to Ready-Mix concrete industries, was set up at Pune in 1993. It had its own aggregate quarry. Later in 1994, the Associated Cement Companies Ltd set up the first commercial plant at Bandra in Mumbai, which was followed by another in Navi Mumbai. After this, a number of players have set up RMC plants in the country, mainly in the metropolitan areas.

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ABOUT ACC

ACC Limited (Formerly The Associated Cement Companies Limited) is India's foremost manufacturer of cement and concrete. ACC 's operations are spread throughout the country with 17 modern cement factories, more than 40 Ready mix concrete plants, 21 sales offices, and several zonal offices. It has a workforce of about 9,000 persons and a countrywide distribution network of over 9,000 dealers.

Since inception in 1936, the company has been a trendsetter and important benchmark for the cement industry in many areas of cement and concrete technology. AC C has a unique track record of innovative research, product development and specialized consultancy services. The company's various manufacturing units are backed by a central technology support services centre - the only one of its kind in the Indian cement industry.

ACC has rich experience in mining, being the largest user of limestone. As the largest cement producer in India, it is one of the biggest customers of the domestic coal industry, of Indian Railways, and a considerable user of the country’s road transport network services for inward and outward movement of materials and products.

Among the first companies in India to include commitment to environmental protection as one of its corporate objectives, the company installed sophisticated pollution control equipment as far back as 1966, long before pollution control laws came into existence. Today each of its cement plants has state-of-the art pollution control equipment and devices.

ACC plants, mines and townships visibly demonstrate successful endeavours in quarry rehabilitation, water management techniques and ‘greening’ activities. The company actively promotes the use of alternative fuels and raw materials and offers total solutions for waste management including testing, suggestions for reuse, recycling and co-processing.

ACC has taken purposeful steps in knowledge building. We run two institutes that offer professional technical courses for engineering graduates and diploma holders which are relevant to manufacturing sectors such as cement. The main beneficiaries are youth from remote and backward areas of the country.

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ACC has made significant contributions to the nation building process by way of quality products, services and sharing expertise. Its commitment to sustainable development, its high ethical standards in business dealings and its on-going efforts in community welfare programmes have won it acclaim as a responsible corporate citizen. ACC ’s brand name is synonymous with cement and enjoys a high level of equity in the Indian market. It is the only cement company that figures in the list of Consumer Super Brands of India.

RMC being filled automatically in the delivery truck

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ACC: SUBSIDIARIES & ASSOCIATES

1. ACC Mineral Resources Limited

ACC 's wholly owned subsidiary, The Cement Marketing Company of India Limited, was renamed as AC C Mineral Resources Limited (AMRL) in May 2009 with an objective of securing valuable mineral resources, such as coal for captive use. AC C Mineral Resources Limited has already entered into Joint Venture arrangements for prospecting, exploration and mining coal from the coal blocks in Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. The company is also exploring other opportunities for securing additional coal and gypsum resources in India and abroad.

1. Bulk Cement Corporation (India) Limited

Situated at Kalamboli, in Navi Mumbai (formerly New Bombay), this company caters to bulk cement requirements of the city of Mumbai and its environs. It has two cement storage silos with a capacity of 5,000 tons each. The plant receives cement in bulk from ACC plants at Wadi. The plant has its own special purpose railway wagons and rakes and its own railway siding. The first of its kind in India, BCCI is equipped with all the facilities required by increasingly sophisticated construction sites in a bustling metropolis, including a laboratory, a fleet of specialized trucks and site silos for the convenience of customers and is capable of offering loose cement in bulk-tanker vehicles as well as packed cement in bags of varying sizes from 1 tonne down to 25 kg bags. BC C I is situated strategically on the outskirts of Mumbai, just off the new Mumbai-Pune Expressway. It is a landmark structure spread over 30 acres of land.

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1. Lucky Minmat

ACC acquired 100 per cent of the equity of Lucky Minmat Private Limited. This company holds limestone mines in the Sikar district of Rajasthan, and helps supplement limestone supply to the Lakheri Plant.

2. National Limestone Company Private Limited

National Limestone C ompany Private Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary. The company is engaged in the business of mining and sale of limestone. It holds mining leases for limestone in the state of Rajasthan.

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PRODUCTS

1. Cement

ACC manufactures the following types of cement, in addition to which, it provides Bulk Cement and Ready Mix Concrete.

I. Ordinary Portland Cements a) 43 Grade Cement (OPC 43 Grade)

ACC Cement is the most commonly used cement in all constructions including plain and reinforced cement concrete, brick and stone masonry, floors and plastering. It is also used in the finishing of all types of buildings, bridges, culverts, roads, water retaining structures, etc. ACC Cement is marketed in specially designed 50 kg bags.

b) 53 Grade Cement

This is an Ordinary Portland. It is produced from high quality clinker ground with high purity gypsum. ACC 53 Grade OPC provides high strength and durability to structures because of its optimum particle size distribution, superior crystalline structure and balanced phase composition. It is available in specially designed 50-kg bags.

II. Blended Cements

Fly-ash based Portland Pozzolana Cement

This is special blended cement, produced by inter-grinding higher strength Ordinary Portland Cement clinker with high quality processed fly ash - based on norms set by the company's R&D division. This unique, value-added product has hydraulic binding properties not found in ordinary cements. It is available in specially designed 50-kg bags.

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III. Bulk Cement  

Yet another first in our seven-decade history of cement in India has been the introduction of Bulk Cement, an alternative to bagged cement, which is of particular advantage to large consumers of cement. Internationally, the trend is to move cement more and more in loose form rather than bagged. In fact, over 90 percent cement in the USA, and other European countries is transported and sold in bulk, unlike in India, where only one percent is transported in bulk.

IV. Ready Mix Concrete

Concrete is basically a mixture of Portland Cement, water and aggregates comprising sand and gravel or crushed stone. In traditional construction sites, each of these materials is procured separately and mixed in specified proportions at site to make concrete. Ready Mix Concrete, or RMX as it is popularly called, refers to concrete that is specifically manufactured elsewhere and transported in a Transit Mixer for delivery to the customer's construction site in a ready-to-use freshly mixed state. RMX can be custom-made to suit different applications. Ready Mix Concrete is bought and sold by volume - usually expressed in cubic meters.

V. ACC concrete Value Added Products

a) Bucketcrete

It is new Generation concrete solution mainly for inaccessible areas. Bucket Concrete comes in a volume as low as 10 litres (even comes in 15 litres). The concrete stays in plastic state for 4-6 hours without segregation or settlement. The target segment of customers are customers staying in small localities, where TM cannot enter and repair works are being done; Customers who need to cast starters for columns and are worried about quality of site hand mixed concrete; customers doing waterproofing repairs in their homes etc. Clean plant made concrete reduces wastage too.

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Advantages:

Comes in a volume as low as 15 litres. Reduces wastage since quantity comes in increments of 15 litres. However the area is, Service is rendered. Transportation can be done in any vehicle. Available in all grades.

Specifications:

Initial a collapse slump and assured 120±25mm slump after 4 Hrs. Can be used for Columns, Slabs and other structural members

b) Colourcrete

Colourcrete is the concrete designed to deliver aesthetic value from the concrete’s colour spectrum that are characterized by the selection of the raw materials (eg. White cement) and/or modified by the addition of pigments, usually to fulfil architectural design intentions.

Benefits:

Coloured concrete is decorative concrete and does not need other finishing as it can give finishes like natural materials. Not only it is permanently coloured thus, no repainting is required over the years.

Coloured concrete is applicable to concrete in any grades and types. Coloured concrete is more “green” as light coloured concrete reduces the heat

island effect. Case studies have shown that by using light colour surfaces, one can use up to 40% less energy for cooling than those with darker ones.

Applications:

Architectural creations of different colourful forms for both pre-cast and cast-in-situ concrete

Lasting road guidance and directional markings Beautiful façade for buildings and colourful floorings

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c) Column 4

Column 4 is a concrete mix that is specially designed for Columns and has retention of 4 hours, till which the concrete will not have any problem with segregation or bleeding.

Normal concrete if used for column, will have problem with retention & segregation. These are mixes which are mainly designed to overcome those disadvantages. Main advantage of these mixes is that transit mixers can unload the material at site and leave. The concrete can be used till 4 hours without any problem.

Advantages:

Concrete can be used till 4 hours without segregation Transit mixers shall not wait at the site till concreting gets finished, concrete can

be unloaded at site and hence TM waiting time is cut No problem with setting There will be no honey combing No problem due to congested reinforcement since these Column mixes has self

compacting characteristics Available in all grades

Applications:

Columns of whatever type and whichever type of reinforcement Can be used where it takes time for concreting to column It can be used for columns where load is expected to be borne in early stage

because Column mixes have High Early strength property

d) Column 6

Column 6 is a concrete mix that is specially designed for Columns and has retention of 6 hours, till which the concrete will not have any problem with segregation or bleeding.

Normal concrete if used for column, will have problem with retention & segregation. These are mixes which are mainly designed to overcome those disadvantages. Main advantage of these mixes is that transit mixers can unload the material at site and leave. The concrete can be used till 6 hours without any problem.

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Advantages:

Concrete can be used till 6 hours without segregation Transit mixers shall not wait at the site till concreting gets finished, concrete can

be unloaded at site and hence TM waiting time is cut No problem with setting There will be no honey combing No problem due to congested reinforcement since these Column mixes has self

compacting characteristics Available in all grades

Applications:

Columns of whatever type and whichever type of reinforcement Can be used where it takes time for concreting to column It can be used for columns where load is expected to be borne in early stage

because Column mixes have High Early strength property

e) Coolcrete

Coolcrete is a temperature controlled concrete with placement temperatures much below ambient temperatures and can be designed as low as 12ᵒC and/or as per Client’s requirement.

Temperature controlled concrete is necessary to prevent the rise of internal temperature of the concrete beyond specified limits for mass concrete or large pours, such as thick slabs, beams and columns.

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Benefits:

Reducing bleeding and drying shrinkage :Water content is reduced in proportions and therefore bleeding segregation and drying shrinkage are controlled. It is critical to reduce cracking in large mass pour of concrete elements.

High durability :Strength after 7 days will be higher as compared to normal concrete. Having additional cementitious, low permeability, fundamental of durability, is obviously satisfied.

Applications:

Coolcrete is designed for mass concrete that is technically specified as concrete structure with large dimensions, such as dams, large column, mat foundation and diaphragm wall

It is also good for durability and long term performance of all types of concrete

f) Easecrete

ACC Easecrete is an innovative concept and based on an optimized mix-design using new generation of admixtures. ACC Easecrete is a speciality concrete having self-compacting and self levelling characteristic providing a very high performance concrete. It is one of the solutions towards noise-free placement of concrete with challenging task of placing concrete in to heavily reinforced structure sections & for night concreting in residential area to reduce noise of vibrator.

Applications

Slabs, column, foundations, heavily reinforced section, difficult to vibrate sections and other specific needs.

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Benefits

Shortened time

Easecrete shortens construction time because of faster and simple concrete placement.

Less equipments

The effect of Easecrete is increase efficiency of equipment and pumps

Less noise

Easecrete eradicates noise from vibration aided concrete placing due to no or minimal vibration and health hazards for worker.

Labour savings and higher productivity

Easecrete can be done by 1 worker instead of 3-5 nos and thus speed up the construction process and reduces

High workability

Easecrete provides a homogeneous concreting of zones with dense steel reinforcements.

g) Ecocrete ACC concrete is a socially responsible company. ACC Concrete in conjunction

with the sustainable foundation, in order to protect the ecosystem, has developed concrete that is environment friendly, called Ecocrete.

Incorporates replacement of OPC to a higher extent with cementitious materials without sacrificing any of the required properties.

The concrete shows very high durability against external weathering loses.

Why Ecocrete ?

Ecocrete is developed to promote sustainable development.

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Advantages:

Increases resistance to sulphates, reduces chloride-ion penetration, and improves resistance to aggressive environments

Reduces the Heat of Hydration Provides Excellent Durability Improved Workability, Pumpability, and Placeability during concrete pours Reduces Shrinkage Reduces Bleeding Promotes better off-shutter finish & aesthetics Reduces Segregation

Applications :

Marine & Coastal Structures Dairy, Fishing & Meat Industry Structures Industrial Buildings & Floors Corniche Constructions Water & Sewage Treatment works Embankments Backfills Hydraulic Fills Subgrade Stabilization Pavement Base Landfill Cover Grouting Soil Amendments

h) Fibrecrete Fibrecrete is a concrete containing fibrous material which increases its structural

integrity mainly tensile strength when compared to normal concrete. Fibres in concrete also help in controlling minor shrinkage cracks which usually

occurs during the process of Hydration.

Advantages:

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Improve mix cohesion, improving pumpability over long distances Improve freeze-thaw resistance Improve resistance to explosive spalling in case of a severe fire Improve impact resistance Increase resistance to plastic shrinkage during curing

Applications:

Residential: including driveways, sidewalks, pool construction with shotcrete, basements, foundations, drainage, etc.

Commercial: exterior and interior floors, slabs and parking areas, roadways and Highways / Roadways / Bridges: conventional concrete paving, SCC, white-

toppings, barrier rails, curb and gutter work, etc Ports and Airports: runways, taxiways, aprons, seawalls, dock areas, parking and

loading ramps. Waterways: dams, lock structures, channel linings, ditches, storm-water

structures, etc. Mining and Tunneling: Precast segments and schotcrete, which may include

tunnel lining, shafts, slope stabilization, sewer work, etc. Elevated Decks: including commercial and industrial composite metal deck

construction and elevated formwork at airports, commercial buildings, shopping centers, etc.

Agriculture: farm and animal storage structures, walls, silos, paving, etc. Precast Concrete and Products: architectural panels, tilt-up construction, walls,

fencing, septic tanks, burial vaults, grease trap structures, bank vaults and sculptures.

i) HighDensecrete

High Density or Heavy weight concrete is a concrete with a density greater than 2600 kg/m3 where the normal concrete density will be less than 2550 kg/m3.

Advantages:

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High density concrete has specially selected heavy weight aggregates which traps the radiation from radioactive materials & protects the surrounding environment

Aggregate with specific gravity is more than 3 is used in High Density concrete

Applications:

They are mainly used in the construction of radiation shields (medical or nuclear). Offshore, heavyweight concrete is used for ballasting for pipelines and similar structures

The high density Concrete is used in construction of radiation shields either in nuclear power plants or in radiation therapy units. They are effective and economic construction material for permanent shielding purpose.

j) Imprintcrete ACC Imprintcrete is a range of concrete to be printed or stamped for making

decorative surfaces on porch, paving. ACC Imprincrete can be designed from M25 to M35 MPa compressive strength

at 28 days as per the requirement. Higher grades are also available if required. The aesthetic results are achieved by affixing moulds or stencils on fresh

concrete surface phase curing. The final appearance resembles that of natural materials such as stone and wood.

Applications of ACC Imprintcrete:

Porch Footpath and walkways Poolside Private access such as garage, patio Decorative hardscape for parks and gardens Driveways

Benefits

ACC Imprintcrete offers wide opportunities for aesthic and sustainability 23 | P a g e

Wide choice of shapes, textures and colours. Durable and Impact resistant Easy maintenance Weatherproof Permits alternations & additions on the structural members with minimum

possible dead loads.

Quality

The implementation of concrete is highly technical and only experts are able to ensure a quality results results. So, ACC Imprintcrete is a matter for specialist. Therefore, ACC and its partners provide technical assistance to train your teams to implement ACC Imprintcrete.

k) Jet-setcrete

Jet-setcrete is the concrete solution that is designed to gain ultra high strength within few hours and with self-levelling features suitable for faster construction demand to achieve project completion within a short period of time.

Benefits:

High early strength

Strength is developed after 6 hours and as early stripping of mould and faster use of moulds for precast application.

Easy flow

Jet-setcrete’s high flowability makes congested reinforcement steel bars easily accessible. As self levelling concrete, Jet-setcrete only requires minor vibration and therefore it reduces noise pollution

Short execution period

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For high rise building Jet-setcrete will give faster construction from the shorter floor cycles

Applications:

Urgent repairs of concrete pavements, airport runways, precast and pre-stressed concrete, where it is crucial for concrete to gain strengths after 6 hours

High rise buildings and all other concrete applications that requires high early strength

Mist curing after concrete hardens required

l) Lightcrete

ACC Lightcrete is light weight concrete which is 50-75% lighter than normal concrete. It has thermal insulating properties & sound insulation.

Lightweight concrete has improved thermal properties, reduced structural loading and fire resistant.

Benefits

Easilypumpable Reduces loads on foundation. Permits alternations & additions on the structural members with minimum

possible dead loads. Provides a higher Fire-rated concrete structure

Applications

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Screed over roof slab as it has low thermal conductivity coefficient. Reducing load on Foundations for structures. Alternations & addition on the structure members with minimum possible dead

loads. Light weight partition wall, tilt-up walls. Bridge decks, piers and beams, slab and parking structures. Slabs, topping slabs, composite slabs on metal decks, fillers slabs in toilet areas

with lower dead weight on foundation. Floor screed of 50mm in each floor below marble/tiles. Flooring to reduce sound

from top floor to lower floor.

m)Permecrete

ACC Permecrete is high performance no fines concrete that have voids within its body to permit water drainage to lower surface, thus improving ground water table.

Benefits

Allows drainage of water:

The large pores present in the no-fines concrete allow easy drainage in to ground under appropriate conditions.

Contributes to the environment and health:

Permecrete keeps area dry and clean, and as such prevent stagnant water for mosquito breeding.

It minimizes flash flooding and standing water, and prevents warm and polluted water from entering our streams.

Enables more efficient land developments:

Permecrete makes it possible for integrated land utilization for water retention and drainage with more active use, such as parking lots, pedestrian ways, etc.

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Carries technical benefits Permits alternations & additions on the structural members with minimum possible dead loads:

No compaction should be applied to no fines concrete, but rodding in corners of the formwork and around obstacles may be useful.

No vibration of concrete should be performed as it can cause the cement paste to run off the aggregate, which is not desirable.

No segregation of the no-fines concrete will take place as it can be dropped from considerable heights.

Applications

Internal partition walls in domestic buildings. In filling panels in framed structures. Open air car parks (overlaying a permeable sub grade) Drainage, retaining wall drains exposed car parks to allow water flow or seep to

ground.

n) Speedcrete

Speedcrete, a “Ultra Thin White Topping -8” is a highly performing overlay laid in depth ranging from 100mm - 150 mm for road sections repaired and trafficked in 8 Hours. It is a single integrated high performing novel solutions which comprises amorphous materials and contains cement, modified polymers, mineral & chemical admixtures that helps in quickly achieving desire properties of concrete in production under strict control and formulation; deliver in a controlled manner and craftsmanship on placing, finishing, curing etc by specialists and experienced personnel. It is designed as complete solutions from study of raw materials to finish overlay at application site to speed up the overlay of pavement with highly accelerated “Time”.

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Urban road / Highways repairs Road Rehabilitations & repairs Air Pavement repairs Bridge deck repairs Loading Dock / Ports repairs

o) Supercrete

Supercrete is high strength concrete that offers a significantly higher strength than traditional concrete. Supercrete HS is an ultra high strength concrete, generally with specified strength of 65 MPa and above. Both Supercrete&Supercrete HS allow a significant reduction of structural component sizes and therefore the amount of concrete used is also significantly less. Hence, it increases the availability of space and economic value in high-rise buildings.

Such reduction gives any structure better architectural sense and visually lighter.

Benefits:

1.Efficient concrete use

One of the solutions towards sustainable construction is to optimize or reduce the sizes of concrete elements in a building. There is 45% reduction in concrete column size for M100 as compared to M40 concrete.

Efficient structure

Supercrete reduces the amount of reinforcement required and attains high durability

Easy placement

Congested reinforcement steel can be easily accessed by Supercrete HS due to high flowability. It also allows early removal of formwork and propping

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Low shrinkage

Supercrete has a lower shrinkage property compared to a normal grade 40 MPa concrete

p) Thermocrete

Thermocrete is concrete that is designed to mainly provide thermal comfort in the premises. A layer of Thermocrete is usually applied over the top layer of the roof slab, so that the heat or cold is not directly allowed inside the building. Hence in summer such an arrangement makes the building cool and in winter it makes the building warm. Energy consumption is reduced to great extent due to this mechanism.

Advantages:

Reduces the power consumption mainly thus saving non-renewable resources Dead load in not much affected since the density of Thermocrete is lesser than

the normal concrete Durable It is an one time work Benefits are long time

Applications:

Residential as well as industrial purpose to provide thermal comfort Can also be used as partition walls wherever dead load is felt unnecessary Due to its light weight property, it can also be used in high rise buildings where high dead load is not preferable.

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AREAS SURVEYED

West Ahmedabad:

Bopal

South bopal

Ambli

Thaltej

Science city road

Satellite

Navrangpura

Bodakdev

New ranip

North-west Ahmedabad:

Gota

Chandkheda

Zundal

Motera

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East Ahmedabad:

Vatva

New Vatva

Odhav

Narol

North East Ahmedabad:

Naroda

Nikol

New India colony

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MAJOR PLAYERS OF THE AHMEDABAD REAL ESTATE SECTOR

HN Safal

Goyal and co.

Sangath IPL

Applewoods infrastructures

Gala infrastructures

ISCON group

Bakeri group

MAJOR COMPETITORS TO ACC

National Players:

Ultratech

Lafarge

JK Lakshmi

Sanghi

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Local Players:

Conplus

Innovative

PSP

Hindustan

Wagad

Johnson

Humaxo

Malani

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SURVEY RESULTS

It was found that RMC is mainly used only by major players such as Sangath IPL ltd, HN Safal ltd, Goyal & Co, Applewoods infrastructures etc to name a few.

In contrast, majority of small time builders/contractors make the use of manual mix against using RMC.

Most of sites are found to use OPC mix due to trust issues with flyash.

Following are the reasons found for many sites not use RMC:

Not affordable to small builders

No hurry in completion of project

Trust issues

Lack of trust in flyash

Problems with late delivery

Lack of availability of technical persons when required

Not getting required strength

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FOLLOWING ARE THE REASONS FOUND FOR MANY RMC USERS NOT CHOOSING ACC CONCRETE

Competitors such as Ultratech have collaboration with bigger real estate players such as HN Safal and Applewoods infrastructures.

Many big players such as Sangath IPL and major projects such as Godrej garden city have their own RMC plants available on the construction sites.

Lack of branding and publicity of ACC.

Cost factor:

(a high per cubic meter cost of ACC concrete due to application of VAT which is relaxed for local RMC players)

Major developing areas such as Motera, Chandkheda, Nikol, Vastraal etc are out of reach of the ACC Plant

SURVEY STATUS FOR VALUE ADDED PRODUCTS (VAPs)

As these products are new, there are trust issues as well as lack of interest among builders.

More conservativeness has been found among builders who like to go along with traditional ways.

The builders however has shown some interest for the two products namely column 4 and permecrete.

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FOLLOWING ARE THE PLUS POINTS FOUND OF THE COMPETITORS OVER ACC

1) Ultratech: 3 plants in different parts of the city compared to only 1 plant owned by ACC. This increases the daily production capacity as well as the service range.

2) Lafarge: Large number of delivery trucks as well as their pumping facilities which results in smooth completion daily operations.

3) JK Lakshmi: Able to provide pumping facilities to the customers at the same price.

4) Local players: VAT applied on local player is 2% while on a national player is 12% hence the local player can provide the RMC at cost much lesser than national giants.

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CONCRETE STRENGTH TESTS THAT ARE DEMANDED BY CUSTOMERS

Cube test: Sample cubic blocks are cast from the concrete mixture to be tested and are kept in water for 7days as well as 28 days and are crushed under high load to determine their strength(in N/mm2 ) after the respective days get over.

Tested concrete blocks lying inside QC lab

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Slump test:

The slump test is a means of assessing the consistency of fresh concrete. It is used, indirectly, as a means of checking that the correct amount of water has been added to the mix.

The steel slump cone is placed on a solid, impermeable, level base and filled with the fresh concrete in three equal layers. The third layer is finished off level with the top of the cone. The cone is carefully lifted up, leaving a heap of concrete that settles or ‘slumps’ slightly. The upturned slump cone is placed on the base to act as a reference, and the difference in level between its top and the top of the concrete is measured and recorded to the nearest to give the slump of the concrete.

Testing cone

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SWOT ANALYSIS

1) Strengths:

a) Trusted brand name since 1936

b) Skilled work force

c) Contains QC lab facility with advanced equipments at each and every plant.

d) Customer relationship management is appreciable

e) The whole company is integrated with ERP system

2) Weakness

a) Poor marketing in Ahmedabad area

b) Does not have own pumping facility as well as delivery trucks are less than required.

c) Inablity to deliver small orders.

3) Opportunities:

a) Booming real estate industry of Ahmedabad

b) Poor service quality of local players

c) Value added products such as speedcrete can be very useful in government infrastructure projects.

4) Threats:

a) Emergence of local RMC players

b) Technical advancement of major competitors such as Ultratech, Lafarge etc.

c) Major real estate developers such as Sangath IPL are now building their own RMC plants.

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OUR TAKEAWAY

1) Effective boost in communication skills

2) Confidence in dealing with different people

3) Learned basics of creating a marketing strategy

4) A new marketing experience

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CONCLUSION

The real estate industry of Ahmedabad is growing at high rate. Hence a lot of RMC requirement is realized each and every day. The builders and contractors are now realizing the advantages of RMC such as reduced time in construction process, less wastage, freedom from inventories etc. There is no doubt that ACC ltd. has taken a significant advantage of this opportunity and found a successful market for itself. However with the entry of local as well as national players, a highly competitive environment has been created.

To cope up with this competitive environment, there are few weak points that should be taken care of by ACC, the most important of them being the effort to boost marketing and promotional activities. Also it is necessary to keep an eye on competitors’ activities at the same time.

At present, ACC is one of the biggest players of Ahmedabad RMC industry. To gain upper hand in this competitive environment, the management at ACC must take keen interest in overcoming their weaknesses and make the efficient use of the opportunities available.

SUGGESTIONS MADE BY US TO THE COMPANY

1) The marketing and promotional activities should be boosted

2) Upgrade the facilities and be able to deliver small orders to longer distances.

3) To observe the failures of competitors and use it as an effective tool for promotion.

4) To think about expanding operations in eastern Ahmedabad which has developing areas such as Vastraal, Naroda, Nikol etc.

5) Instead of focussing only on major real estate players, the company should reach out to masses.

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REFERENCES

1) ACC concrete ltd, block No 259, Near Chehar Mata Mandir, Opp Laxmi Narayan petrol pump,Sarkhej Bavda Highway, Changodar,Ahmedabad- 382 213

Email id:gujarat.rmx@acclimited.com Mobile No. 9687634201

2) Mr Tejas Suthar, marketing executive, ACC concrete, Changodar

Mob- 9687634202

3) Mr Dhiren Patel, chief QC officer, ACC concrete, Changodar

Mob- 9687649006

Online references

1) (http://www.cipremier.com/e107_files/downloads/Papers/100/27/100027032.pdf)

2) www.acclimited.com

3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready-mix_concrete

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