COVER STORY: Moving towards Industrie 4.0 Though Indian cement manufacturers are adopting automation in certain pockets in their manufacturing process, soon adopting the comprehensive and latest Industrie 4.0 technologies is the way forward.   The future is digital & digitalisation FLSmidth spokesperson shares the company’s investment plans for C&A cement vertical for creating manufacturing capacity in India.     FEATURE: BRANDS: Changing hues of brands    Though brand pundits are brushing aside cement terming it as a ‘commodity’, Indian cement companies are focusing on brand building for hogging the consumer’s mind space, even among bulk users.   “Our focus is on rural & semi-urban areas through aggressive campaigns”  Raghavpat Singhania, Special Executive, JK Cement, speaks on the history of their brand and how it has transformed over the years.   “Branding is a priority in the retail segment”  TM Suresh Kumar, Assistant Vice President – Marketing, Bharathi Cement, shares the most interesting brand messages conveyed for cement, and how it has played out as compared to its competitors.   OPINION: Slowly Picking Up Pace  The Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation Amendment, 2015 has brought in major changes in the MMDR Act with the purpose of bringing transparency and certainty in the process of allocation of mines..   VIEWPOINT: Utilisation of Synthetic Gypsum from FGDs  This article discusses the quality and quantities of limestone requirements for FGD with expected quality of synthetic gypsum generated from power plants.   PERSPECTIVE: Waste Heat Recycle in Cement Plant  Some of the “waste heat recycle” measures are discussed in this article