Anoop Saxena’s Strategy for Bharathi Cement’s Southern Resilience

The landscape in southern India has transformed rapidly since 2022, when Adani’s US$10.5 billion acquisition of ACC and Ambuja Cement fundamentally altered the competitive balance. With nearly 40 players previously vying for market share, the entry of national conglomerates forced local firms into a defensive posture. Saxena notes that the resulting pricing pressure has left many southern operators struggling to stay solvent, forcing Bharathi Cement to prioritize efficiency across its entire value chain.

To counter these pressures, Saxena has focused on logistics and strategic infrastructure. A key move involved the construction of a one-million-metric-ton capacity terminal in Coimbatore, which serves as a vital gateway to Kerala. This facility slashed logistics costs that had previously ballooned beyond US$26.85 per metric ton. Looking ahead, the company is shifting its growth focus toward the booming infrastructure hubs of Maharashtra, specifically targeting Hyderabad, Pune and Mumbai.

Sustainability and technology form the second pillar of the company’s survival strategy. Bharathi Cement is currently testing calcined clay to reduce production temperatures and has already scaled its use of waste-to-energy solutions to 40 percent, significantly outpacing the national average of 11 percent. Furthermore, the company is rolling out an automated logistics control center in Hyderabad. Expected to be fully operational by December 2026, the system utilizes radio-frequency identification to track the entire distribution network, a project Saxena describes as a blueprint for the wider Vicat Group.