CCI, The Cement Cartel of India

While the Competition Commission of India’s stunning penalty of Rs 6,307 crore on 10 top cement companies might have put other sectors including tyre and steel on high alert, it also provides an interesting insight into the cement industry

THE CEMENT INDUSTRY IN INDIA

• 183 large cement plants and more than 360 mini cement plants
• 330 million tonnes a year installed capacity
• 97% of the installed capacity is accounted for by large producers, around 40 in number
• 21 top companies control 90% of the market
• 40% of the market is controlled by two groups, Holcim and Aditya Birla Group
  
  

WHAT THE COMPETITION COMMISSION OF INDIA FOUND AMISS
1. Creating artifi cial scarcity Alleged that these top producers—10 companies named—have colluded to lower capacity utilisation every year from 2008 to 2011, even though installed capacity increased.