JK Cement starts mason training session in Agra

When it comes to white cement manufacture in India, only two companies, JK White Cement, and Grasim Industries Ltd's Birla White, rule the market, each with almost an equal market share in the business.

But while the grey cement consumption of both the companies is growing significantly, with the recent boom in the construction business, the white cement produced by the companies is not finding enough hold in the market, owing to the current trends of using granite, marble and synthetic material in flooring, a single segment where white cement found the most usage earlier.

To promote the use of white cement in flooring, in order to boost its sales, JK White Cement Works, a unit of JK Cement Ltd, is currently running a 15-day "Mason Training Workshop" in Agra to train masons in using white cement to lay out mosaics and terrazzo floorings at a significantly lower cost than marble and granite.

During the workshop, the company is demonstrating white cement as a better and cheaper alternative to granite and marble in in-situ terrazzo floors and also the application of JK White Cement in different segments.

Talking to Business Standard, Benoy Kumar Dutta, manager, application & development, JK White Cement Works, said the JK group was the first company in India to begin manufacturing white cement and was still leading the market, producing almost 0.3 million tonnes of white cement each year.