CONTENTS

Chapter Particulars Page No.

1 Introduction

1 Company Profile
1 Product Profile
2 Objectives and Scope

3 Methodology

3 Questionnaire Design

4 Data Analysis & Interpretation

4 Findings

4 Assumption
5 SWOT analysis
5 Recommendation

5 Conclusion

5 Limitations
- Bibliography

CHAPTER – 1
 1. INTRODUCTION

2. COMPANY PROFILE

3. PRODUCT PROFILE

INTRODUCTION

The project entitled “Brand Equity of Century Cement in Raipur District “resolves around
the customer, who is the optimal decision maker of firm’s future. Since the cement is
core found product and used by all consumer’s. It is very necessary firm to know about
their brand’s position and customer expectations.
Earlier marketers aimed at satisfying the customer’s need but the present day of
marketing requires something more that is customer’s delight.

In this era of globalization company can survive only when he knows the fast of
consumer, which is changing day by day. A company can get and edge other its
competitors in these cutthroat competitors through superior quality, innovations and
better customer responsiveness.

In order to get competitive advantage in core industries, a firm will have to not only take
care of consumers taste but also delight his channel partners, which is a May external
resource. Normally it takes years to build, and it not easily changed. It ranks in
importance with key internal resources such as manufacturing, research, engineering
and field sales processional etc, it represent a significant corporal commitment. To a
large number of intelligent companies whose business is distribution and to the
particular market they serve. It represents to a commitment to a set of policies and
practices that constitute the basic fabric on which is woven an extensive of long term
relationship intermediaries smooth the flow of

Goods and services. This procedure is necessary in order to bridge the discrepancy
between the assortments of goods and services generates by the producers and the
assortment demanded by the consumer. The discrepancy results from the fact that
manufacturers typically produce a large quality of limited variety of goods, where as
consumers usually desire only a limited quantity of a wide variety of goods. In order to
attain
the market share it is necessary to satisfy the channel members. Channel members are
having better knowledge of consumer buying behavior hence their suggestions
regarding the product distributions are of high values.
“COMPLETE CONSUMER SATISFACTION AND FULFILLING THE EXPECTATIONS
OF SOCIETY IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS OF ANY BUSINESS ENTERPRISE IN
GLOIBAL ECONOMY.”

B.K.BIRLA

Profile of Century Cement

Cement production in India began in the year 1914 and the first Cement Plant in
Chhattisgarh region was commissioned in 1965. From the available data, it becomes
apparent that it took almost 50 years to put up a Cement Plant in Chhattisgarh area.
There was a general impression that the quality of Limestone available in this area was
not suitable for manufacture of cement.
It was around 1969 that the Management of M/s Century Textiles & Industries Ltd.
thought of diversifying their activities towards other areas and decided to establish a
Cement Plant 35 Km from Raipur by train. Subsequently, the place where the present
Plant and the colony came into existence was christened as "Baikunth". The name
"Baikunth" was evolved out of the two/three letters of the three adjacent villages in
sequence i.e. "Ba" of Bahesar, "Kun" of Kundru and "Th" of Tandwa. Baikunth is about
35 KMs east of Raipur on Mumbai-Nagpur-Howrah S.E. Railway main line.

The 1st Kiln of the Plant was lighted up in December 1974 and the 2nd Kiln in May
1975. The first bag of Ordinary Portland Cement rolled out of the Plant and despatched
on 3rd March 1975. The licensed capacity of the Plant originally was 6.00 Lac MT per
annum which was enhanced to 8.00 Lac MT per annum in 1982.

The Plant capacity has been further enhanced to 12.00 Lakh MT per annum by
installing N-MFC pre-calcinatory in both the Kilns. With the adaptation of new
technology & R&D, modifications has done to enhance the production capacity of
18.00 Lakh MT per .CENTURY CEMENT has emerges as top brand in Cement sector.
This Production is further expected rise to 21.00 Lakh tones by increasing the
contribution of the blended cement.Century cement works is an ISO- 9001 and ISO –
14000 Certified organizations with the total license capacity of 2.10 Million Tonnes per
annum. It is one of the rarest company practicing TPM/TQM activities ensuring the
cement business on “ Zero Defect system” It has been recognized for best national
award for safety (Mines) FIMI (Best Mines in the country) & Prevention of Pollution for
the year 1987,91 & 92 respectively.
Profile of Shri B.K. Birla Group

The B.K. Birla Group belongs to Mr. Basant Kumar Birla elder son of late Shri
G.D.Brila the founder of Birla Empire. The B.K.Birla Group is a Rs. 5500 Crore group
comparising the Rs. 2359 Crore Century Textiles and Industries Ltd. The Rs.703 Crore
Century Enka and The Rs. 758 crore Kesoram Industries.
The Century Textiles and Industries Ltd. has 3 cement Plants.

Capacity Type of Cement

Plant Location Million Manufactured
TPA
Century Cement Baikunth, (C.G.) 2.1 PSC&PPC
Maihar Cement O P C, P P C & P
Satna (M.P.) 3.8
(Unit 1 & 2) SC
Manikgarh Chandrapur
1.9 OPC&PPC
Cement (M.S.)

Apart from the above 3 cement plants, other industrial organization of the
Century Textiles and Industries are :

a. Century Textiles Mills

b. Century Rayon
c. Century Minerals & Chemicals
d. Century Pulp & Papers
e. Century Yard
f. Century Denim
Besides the above three cement plans of Century Textiles and Industries Ltd. The Other
Cement plants of B.K.Birla Groups are
1 M/s Kesoram & Vasvadutta Cement
2 Manglam Cement.
COMPANY OBJECTIVE

“Its Take a Century to make Cement like

Century”
Century Cement is in the business of manufacturing of cement. Our mission is to
continually improve our product and services to meet our customers’ needs allowing us
to prosper as a business and to provide reasonable returns to shareholders.
Shared-Vision

The B.K. Birla Group shall be a globally respected industrial leader in all its lines of
business. The group culture shall foster business excellence, high ethical and social and
create price for all stake holders in the B.K. Birla Group. Practices

Shares-Values

Our values govern the guiding principles of our behavior, attitude and actions. These
values have been set out hereunder to ensure that we would act in unison as a
cohesive entity. The value comprise of the following:-

- Leadership through Quality

- Customer Focus
- Competitiveness in International Markets
- Innovation
- Employee involvement
- Acceptance of Suppliers, Dealers and sub Dealers as partner
- Action Orientation
- Continuous Improvement
- Systems
- Social Responsibility
1. Leadership through Quality: - Aiming to achieve leadership in business growth,
profitability and technology by offering Quality products and services that shall be
the best in their class.

2. Customer Focus: - Ensuring that customer needs are identified and the products
and services meet these needs most effectively.

3. Competitiveness in International Markets: - Ensuring that our products are of

quality and are competitive in terms of value and service to the customers.
 4. Innovation: - Striving to innovate and excel in everything we do in products,
safety, value, services, human relations, competitiveness and profitability.

5. Employee involvement: - In the belief that people are the source of strength to an
organization, Century shall foster teamwork and ensure that all employees treat
each other with mutual trust and respect.

6. Acceptance of Suppliers, Dealers and sub Dealers as partner: - Consciousely

promoting suppliers and vendors involvement in order to improve products and
services and maintain mutually beneficial and dependable relationships.

7. Action Orientation: - Setting a fast pace and responding quickly to changes being
the key competitive strength to keep us ahead in today’s fast changing world.

8. Continuous Improvement: - Continuous improvement in all our activitious and

processes sustaining us as a world class organisation.

9. System: - Systems orientation would lead us to quality in our products and

services as well as optimizing the utilization of our resources.

Future Scenario

India with an installed capacity of about 166 million tons per annum ranks second
globally, next to China, which produces overall billion tons per annum. Cement
production by India accounts for nearly 6.40% of the global production. The industry has
achieved cement production of 1906740 million tons in the year 2007-2008 as against
1797000 million tons during the previous year, witnessing an annual growth .To meet
increased demand most cement companies operated at high levels of capacity
utilization in the previous year. In conformity with the trend witnessed during the past
several years, the blended cement production continued to grow and stood.

The cement industries exported about six million tons of cement and about three million
tones of clinker during 2007-08. The export of cement is likely to decline in the future
due to additional capacity coming up in the Gulf countries. Large global cement
Companies may increasingly inter the more lucrative and accessible markets of India.
This may affect the domestic demand/supply balance.

The Indian cement industry has witnessed a flurry of mergers and acquisitions amongst
domestic producers, burning smaller players under the umbrella of larger companies
and some larger companies being merged with global corporations. Four of the top five
cement companies in the world have entered India through mergers, acquisitions or joint
ventures. These include the Lafarge, Holmic, Italcementi and Heidelberg. These
companies have already garnered about 28% of Indian industry capacity.

In the era of Second generation of Economic Reforms Government’s focus is on overall

economic growth in general and infrastructure development, housing development,
accelerated Industrial activities in particular. These will certainly give boost to Cement
Industry. The fiscal incentives offered by the Government in the Budget are also
expected to give fillip to the Industry.
Worldwide, India is the second largest Cement producing country. The economy
is growing on an average rate of 6.4 per year. Per capita income of Indians is also
witnessing a rising trend. India has a much lower per capita Cement consumption of 116
Kg. where in case of china it is 634 kg Relative to the world average of 356 per kg.
Demand from Government Sector due to substantial additional plan outlay in
Budget, strong growth in housing demand, increased growth in infrastructure
development will give boost to the Cement Industry. Besides construction of dams,
flyovers, bridges, roads & highways by State Government will lead to a positive demand
situation.
Apart from this given the prospects of increased growth in infrastructure
development, housing demand due to increased tax sops provided in the current year’s
Budget in line with trends in the past two Budgets could provide position a boost for
demand of Cement. This would improve the demand supply position and the Industry is
poised to grow at a much higher rate. This would eventually result in formation of price
realizations of the players in the industry.

Company’s philosophy on Corporate Governance:

“ Century believes that good Corporate Governance

means transparency, accountability, integrity at all
levels of operations and being fair to all its stakeholders’
viz. shareholders, employees, lenders, customers,
government and the society at large. It is a best tool to
 achieve long term goal of the Company and to ensure
creation of shareholders’ value on a sustainable basis.”

BOARD OF DIRECTORS (as on 04/05/2009)

Shri B.K.Birla Chairman

Shri Kumar Mangalam Birla
Shri P.K.Daga
Shri E.B.Desai
Shri Arvind c.Dalal
Shri Amal Ganguli
Shri B.L.Jain (Whole Time Director)

PRODUCT PROFILE

The Cement Industries have been in operation for quite a long time, it is a core sector
industry and there by cement plays a very important role in shaping the economy of any
country.

(i) What is Cement?

In the general sense, cement (Latin caementum) is any material with adhesive
properties. The term cement is also commonly used to refer more specifically to
powdered materials which develop strong adhesive qualities when combined with water.
These materials are more properly known as hydraulic cements. Gypsum plaster,
common lime, hydraulic lines, natural pozzolana and Portland cement are the more
common hydraulic cements, with Portland cement being the most important in
construction.

Varieties of Cement: -
There are Three (3) types of Cement
General-purpose cement, which includes OPC, PPC and PBFSC (Portland Blast
Furnace Slag Cement).
Cement for meeting needs of various environmental and climatic conditions that
includes Sulphate Resistant Portland Cement, High Alumina Cement (HAC), Super
Sulphated Cement (SSC) and Hydrophobic Cement.

Cement to meet the service condition which includes Rapid Hardening Cement (RHC),
Low Heat Cement (LHC), Oil Well Cement (OWC), White Cement (WC), Slag Cement,
Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC), Expansive Cement and Masonry Cement (MSC).

The use of above varieties of Cement depends mainly

upon the nature of construction works.

(ii) History

Hydraulic cement was first invented by the Egyptians, and later reinvented by the
Greeks and Babylonians, who made their mortar out of lime, much harder than the
Roman mortars. Later, the Romans produced a good cement from Pozzalanic ash.

(iii) Production

Portland cement was patented in England by Joshep Aspdin in 1824. Limestone is

mixed with other additives containing iron, alumina and silica in definite proportions.
This mixture is finely ground in a raw mill. The resultant raw mix is burned in a rotary
kiln (a rotating sloped furnace) at temperatures around 1400 degrees Celsius to form
clinker. The clinker nodules are then ground with about 3-5 % gypsum to produce
cement with a fineness typically of less than 90 micrometers’.

(iv) Properties

Cement is a complex compound of Tri-calcium Silicate, Tricalcium Aluminate,

Dicalcium Silicate, and Tetra Calcium Alumuno Ferrrite that are responsible for
cement strength.

Cement industry in India The foundation of a stable Indian cement Industry was laid in
the year 1014, when the Indian Cement Company Ltd. manufactured cement at
Porbunder in Gujarat

Country Production (in Million Tonnes)

2007 2008
China 640.00 628.13
India 117.52 104.66
USA 89.00 88.90
Japan 72.13 75.90
Korea 55.51 52.01
Other Countries 781.73 751.33
Total 1755.89 1700.93
At present in India there are total 128 large-scale cement plants in working condition
and contributing in the total national production.

These cement plants are producing around 125.56 million tons of cement per annum.
In addition, about 6 million tons per annum capacity has also been contributed by the
mini cement plants sector. The expected installed capacity is likely to increase
substantially in future.

From marketing point of view, India has been divided into zones southern
zone, Northern zone, Eastern zone and Western zone. The per capita cement
consumption in India is 110 kg. As against the 278 kg. Of the world. The total
cement consumption during 2003 – 2004 was 113.86 MnT. As against 10759
of 5.8% Details are given below in Zone-wise
 Cement Consumption In India

Zones 2005–2006 2007 – 2008 % Growth

(Mn.T) (Mn.T)
Southern Zone 31.52 32.03 -
Western Zone 24.56 22.52
Northern Zone 24.25 22.86
Central Zone 20.41 18.97
Eastern Zone 20.32 17.48
Total 121.07 113.86

Besides the domestic consumption of cement there is global market of Indian Cement
and following is country wise Export of cement during 2004 –2005

EXPORTS (000, Tonnes)

Nepal 664.74
South Africa 104.76
Srilanka 101.66
U.A.E 54.77
Qatar 47.41
Maldives 38.14
Kuwait 14.64
Medagaskar 11.29
Bhutan 4.22
Myanmar 3.62
Iraq 3.20
Somalia 2.64
Seychelles 2.30
Mozambique 1.96
Oman 1.82
Sudan 1.00
Others 3001.80

YEAR WISE CEMENT PRODUCTION

 Year Total Production % Changeover Prev.
(Million Tonnes) Year
2002 – 2003 111.35 8.74
2003 – 2004 117.50 5.52
2004 – 2005 127.57 8.57
2005 – 2006 141.81 11.16
2006 – 2007 155.31 9.52

YEAR WISE CEMENT CAPACITY:-

Year Total Capacity Utilizations
(Million Tonnes)
2002 – 2003 81
2003 – 2004 81
2004 – 2005 84
2005 – 2006 90
2006 – 2007 94
2007– 2008 96

Cement Industry Of Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh is a landing producer of limestone and dolomite. Large deposits of

limestone of both the two grades and cement grade occur in this region. It covers the
districts of Durg, Raipur, Raipur and Raigarh. The total reserves have been estimated at
about 200 million tones.

At present there are six major plants and many mini cement plants in Chhattisgarh
region. There are three types of cement generally sold in this area –
Ordinary Portland cement [OPC]
Portland Slag Cement [PSC]
Portland Pozzaland Cement [PPC]
The major competitors in the cement market of Chhattisgarh are: -
1. Associated Cement Companies, ACC [ Jamul]
2. Ultra Tech [L&T] Cement [ Hirmi]
3. Ambuja [Rawan] [erstwhile Modi cement]
4. Lafarge Cement [ Sonadih / Ahaltara] [ erstwhile Raymand, Tata]
 5. Century Cement [ Baikunth]
6. Ultratech( Grasim) Cement [ Rawan]

CEMENT TYPES AND STANDARD SPECIFICATION

Cement is finely ground material consisting mainly of compound of Lime (CaO) ,

Alumina (Al2O3 ) iron Fe2O3 and gypsum .When mixed with water it forms a paste
that hardened and builds other materials together ,called aggregates . The final
product is a hardened strong mass called concrete.

The use of additives like fly ash ,slag etc. changes the chemical composition and
use of different raw material have resulted in the availability of many types of the
cement to cater the need of the construction industries for the specific purpose
cement can be classified as Portland and Non Portland cement

CEMENT

PORTLAND CEMENT NON-PORTLAND CEMENT

1. ORDINARY PORTLAND 1. PORTALND SLAG

2. LOW HEAT CEMENT CEMENT
3. HIGH STRENGTH 2. MASONARY CEMENT
CEMENT 3. SUPER SULPHATE
4. HYDROSCOPIC CEMENT
CEMENT 4. HIGH ALUMINA CEMENT
5. WHITE CEMENT
5. OIL WELL CEMENT

IN INDIA, THE CEMENT IS PRODUCED WITH THE B I S

SPECIFICATIONS. THE B I S COVER 16 TYPES OF CEMENTS, OUT

OF WHICH ONLY 9 ARE COMMERCIALLY PRODUCED.

CEMENT MANUFACTURING PROCESS

The raw material used in the manufacturing of Cement at Century Cement plant is
mainly lime stone (the main source of CaO) which is supplemented by a small
quantity of Iron Ore viz. 0.2 – 0.5% approximately to make up iron content. The
limestone & iron ore are fed in the required proportions, depending upon their
chemical composition and the final composition desired, in the Raw Mill for
grinding. The ground product called Raw Meal is stored in the Blending Silo, where
it is thoroughly agitated by compressed air and then the material is transferred in
storage silo from where it is fed to Rotary Kilns by mechanical transport
system for burning through 5-stage suspension pre-heater cyclones.

Process of Conversion to clinker

Rotary kiln consists of a slowly revolving cylindrical tube which is inclined to the
horizontal about 1 in 32 and is lined internally with refractory material. The raw
meal to be burnt enters the kiln at its upper or feed end and the firing system is
installed at the lower or discharge end. Pulverized coal is used as fuel for
burning.

As the raw meal enters the kiln it descends gradually due to rotation of the kiln.
The chemical reactions start in the preheated it. First the water of hydration is
driven out, calcium carbonate

gives off its carbon dioxide at temperatures between 700 deg. to 1000 deg. C
and is thereby transforms in to caustic lime (CaO). This material is strongly basic
oxide which reacts directly with the other oxides present in the raw meal when
 the material reaches the zone of higher temperature. In this way calcium
silicates, calcium aluminates & calcium aluminate ferrites are formed. These
reactions take place in between 1200 Deg to 1450 Deg C. At this stage the
material, which has acquired blackish colour is called clinker.

Process of Conversion to Cement

1) Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC)

The clinker is ground with 4 to 5% of gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O) in mills to

produce OPC.

2) Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC)

Clinker + 25 to 30% Fly Ash + 4 to 5% Gypsum are ground in mills to produce

PPC.

3) Portland Slag Cement (PSC)

Clinker + 40 to 55% Slag + 4 to 5% Gypsum are ground in mills to produce

PSC.

Cement is transported by mechanical transport system / pneumatic pumps in big

cement silos from where it is packed in 50 kg. Bags with the help of Rotary Packer.
The Raw Mateirals used in cement manufacturing

The basic chemical compounds present in the raw materials and their significance are
as under:

1. Lime CaO The main strength giving compound.

2. Silica SiO2 Reacts with lime to transform into complex

compounds.
3. Alumina Al2O3 Help in burning.

4. Iron Oxide Fe2O3 Helps in controlling burning temperature. Iron

gives the grey colour to the cement
5. Magnesia MgO More then 6% is unwanted as it expands on
hydration.

Raw Materials:

1. Lime Stone
The lime stone suitable for manufacture of clinker called “Cement Grade
Limestone”. Its appropriate composition is as under:
LOI (Loss on ignition) 36-37%
CaO (Lime) 42-45%
SiO2 (Silica) 11-12.5%
Al2 O3 (Alumina) 3.5-4%
F e2 O3 (Magnesia) 1.8-2.2%

2. Coal
Coal is used to burn raw material powder. The composition of coal is as under
Ash 25-27%
Volatile Matter 27.00%
 Fixed Carbon 33-37%
Moisture 08-10%

3. Clinker
Clinker is the intermediate product manufactured by the controlled burning of
ground limestone in the kiln.
Its approximate composition is:
Lime 63-64 %
Silica 21-22 %
Alumina 05-06 %
Iron Oxide 3.5-04 %
Magnesia 3.0-04 %

3. Gypsum
Gypsum is mixed with clinker during final grinding to regulate the setting of
cement. It is available in two forms
1. Mineral Gypsum - Excavated from mines.
2. Chemical Gypsum- a byproduct of Chemical Industries.

4. Pozzolana
Pozzolana materials in themselves have no cementing property. Its active
silica reacts with free lime present in clinker and produces silicates. This
result is enhancing the compressive strength.
The Pozzolanic materials used in cement manufacture are :
a) Fly Ash - A by product (waste) of Thermal Power
Stations.
b) Cinder - Remainder of partly burned coal.
c) Brickbats - Calcinied (baked) clay bricks.

The composition of Pozzolana is as appended below:

 Compounds Limits Fly Ash Calcinied Clay
Cao+Al2o3+fe2o3 Not less then 70% 70%
Sio2 Not less then 35% 40%
Cao Not more then - 10%
Mgo Not more then 5% 3%
LO1 Not more then 12% 10%
Alkali Not more then - 3%

5. Slag
Slag is a byproduct of the manufacture of iron by the blast furnace process.
Slag is rich in lime it exhibits cementations properties. Composition of Slag is
as under
Silica 30-32%
Alumina 15-20%
Iron Oxide 01 (Max)
Lime 30-35%
Silica 21-22%
Magnesia 08-12%
All Cement is usually grey except White cement which is usually more
expensive than grey cement.

Cement mixed with water, sand and gravel, forms concrete.

Cement mixed with water and sand, forms cement plaster.

Cement mixed with water, lime and sand, forms mortar.

MARKETING AS ON 31 MARCH 2009

 West Maharastra Andhra Orrisa Assam Bihar Chhattisgarh/MP
Bengal Pradesh
CENTRES 12 2 1 14 8 12 _

STOCKISTS 757 10 1 193 3 231 119

Application of Cement:

33 Grade OPC It is used in general construction of plain and

reinforced concrete.
43/53 Grade OPC IS: 8112:1987 and IS 12269:1987 have
recommended their use in certain specialized
technical applications which require consistently high
early strength like
1. Prestressed Concrete.
2. Pre cast concrete.

Their use for general construction is not recommended due to:

1. Their use in general construction requires special attention the absence of
which may result in failure of concrete.
2. Specialized technical concreting will suffer as these grades cannot be
made available in abundance forever.

PPC it is used in general construction for plain and reinforced concrete. Its technical
advantages cause is to be preferred in following constructions.
1. All marine and hydraulic create structures such as docks, harbors
and jetties.
2. Mass construction like dams and retaining walls.
3. Large foundation works.
 4. Structures where water is constantly in contact such as canals,
reservoirs, swimming pools, river embankments, cooling towers and
hydroelectric power stations.
5. Structures where rapid construction method is used like slip form
construction.
6. Bridge Piers.
7. Industrial Plants.

PSC it is used in general construction for plain and reinforced concrete. Its resists
chemical attacks more efficiently and hence it is preferred in following
constructions:-
1. Structures in aggressive environments where chemical and acidic
water are encountered.
2. Marine constructions where Sulphatic water is present.
3. Sewerage where attach sulphur bacteria is present.

MARKETING PATTERN

CEMENT MARKETING / PATTERN

 Introduction:
Cement production started in India way back in 1914. Today India produces
around 166 millions tones for cement every year. The “House of Birla’s” is
producing about 35% of that. Century Textiles & Industries Limited is a B.K.Birla
Group of Companies has 3 Cement plants.
Type of Cement
Plant Location Capacity Manufactured

Century Cement Baikunth, (C.G.) 2.1 PSC&PPC

Maihar Cement
Satna (M.P.) 3.8 O P C, P P C & P S C
(Unit 1 & 2)
Manikgarh Cement Chandrapur (M.S.) 1.9 OPC&PPC

Market Segment (State Wise)

Sl .No. State Share

1. West Bengal 29
2. Madhya Pradesh / C.G. 26
3. Bihar / Jharkhand 19
4. Orissa 17
5. Assam & N.E. State 5
6. Maharashtra 1
7. Andhra Pradesh 1
8. Uttar Pradesh 2
Total 100

Transportation
 Cement is dispatched both by road and by rail. Freight accounts for a large part
of selling price. The mix of these two types of transportations is rail 68% and
Road 32% Road dispatches are economical up to a distance of 300 km. For
longer distance Rail Transportation becomes economical. Century Cement is
feeding West Bengal, Assam, A.P., U.P., North-East States and Bihar /
Jharkhand by rail and M.P./ C.G., Orissa and Maharashtra by road cum rail.

Selling Channel
Century Cement is selling mainly through dealers and consignment agents and
also selling directly to Government Department / Institutional buyers.
MARKETING PATTERN

Sr Channels State Sales by % of

No. Sales

1 Stock Transfer West Bengal, Handling Agent and 27%

Maharastra dealer

2 a. Consignment a. northeast Consignment Agent & 36%

Sale Dealers
b. depot sale a. Bihar, Orissa,
3 Dealer Sale Madhya Pradesh Dealers 19%
& Chhattisgarh

4 Direct Sale All the above states Directly to the Govt. 18%
Dept/ Institutional
Buyers

Total 100%

1. Stock Transfer
In West Bengal and Maharastra sales are made through transferring stock to
company depots. Century Cement has handling agents to manage company’s go
 downs/ depots and market segment under instruction of the company’s local
offices. Cement is sold through dealers.

2. Consignment Sales
In Bihar, Orissa, A.P., U.P., Assam and North East State sales are made through
consignment agents. The consignment agents develop market and sell cement
through dealers, go downing, Sales. Collection of payment, tax payment and
advertising in this area is under his responsibilities.

3. Dealer Sale
In Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh the company directly supplies materials to
dealers against their orders and collect payments from them. These dealers
either retail the cement or sell in wholesale to sub dealers appointed by them.

4. DIRECT SALE
Government departments / intestinal buyers and private companies float
tenders / enquiries from time to time for bulk supply of cement. The company
participates in these tender directly. Marketing agents may assist in getting
orders / payment for which they are paid a small commission.
 CHAPTER - 2

OBJECTIVE & SCOPE

The Project Report which I have worked out, is –

Brand Equity of Century Cement

In Raipur District
 It is general phenomena that buyers in same market seek products for broadly
the same function, but different buyers have different evaluative criteria about
what constitutes the right choice for performing the function. As a consequence
different offering will attract different buyers.

A market segment is explained to mean a homogeneous group consisting of

buyers who seek the same offering. In other words Market Segmentation may be
defined as the division of a market in to a group of segments having similar
wants. But wants must be interpreted very broadly, in terms for broader than
products characteristics only. Segment may differ also in their needs for
information, reassurance, technical support, service, promotion, distribution and
host of other non-product benefits that are part of their purchase. They may also
differ in their capacity to pay for these differences.

Century Cement is well-established brand in Chhattisgarh region. Besides it has

market in West-Bengal, Bihar, Maharastra, Orissa & Other parts of countries.
One of the major sections, which requires or purchase cement in bulk quantity
are engineers, architect, builders and contractors. This section (segment) is
known as the non-traders segment.

Core Objective:-

Core Objective of my survey are as under:

 1. To know the Brand Equity of Century Cement in Raipur District regarding sale in
comparison with the other brands.

General Objective of my survey are as under:

1. To know the factors that affects selection of a particulars brand.

2. To know the dealer perception about different brands depending upon product
attributes and marketing Mix.

3. In order to get suggestion from the retailer and dealers to improve sale as well as
level of satisfaction in them.
 CHAPTER – 3

1. METHODOLOGY

2. QUESTIONNAIRE

Methodology

Since the cement is a core product and being used by all types of consumers, hence the
focus for collecting data was from every person who is directly or indirectly involved with
sales/user of Cement such as Dealers, Sub Dealers, Civil Engineers, Contractors ,
Masons.

To know the brand equity of Century Cement in this particular region the comparison
among different brands on the basis of attributes of cement has been done. For this
purpose, opinion of sub dealers (who possess different brands in their shops) has been
taken. This might be helpful to draw the right picture about the market scenario. The
data has been collected from sub dealers of cement because only they have the
sufficient knowledge regarding different brands prevailing in this market.
The sample was conveient in nature because I would have to account only those people
who are in the business of selling of Cement.

For obtaining information for proposed plan, I have decided to use two types of data,
one which is gathered by personal contacts and approaches, which are primary data
and another, which is directly taken from journals or referential magazines i.e.
Secondary data.

 Primary Data
 Secondary Data

PRIMARY DATA
Mainly three research instruments (steps) was used in my project work:-
1. Research Design
2. Data Collection Method
3. Sampling
Research Design
A Pilot survey was conducted initially to identify the various attributes of each cement
brand that can be compared. And this pilot survey helped a lot in framing the
questionnaire for data collection the survey was conduct among the various cement
dealers of Raipur District. The primary aim of the survey was to find out the various
product attributes that affects the sale of various cement brands and the dealers
perceptions about each brand that they are dealing or not dealing.

Data Collection Method

Data was collected from the dealers through questionnaire. The pilot survey helped a lot
in framing the initial questionnaire. The suggestions from the internal and external
guides were considered and according to their suggestion alterations were made to
frame a perfect questionnaire used was a structured one it also offered various
alternatives for each questions. The various questions and questionnaires were
arranged in a manner to keep simple questions in the beginning and complex one at the
end secondary sourced like report of century cement & century textiles and CMA
reports.

SAMPLING:-
Element – Cement Dealers and Retailers extent – Raipur District (C.G.)
Duration: 4 weeks or 30 working days.

Selecting Sample Type:-

The descriptive study of the market by the field survey, the cement dealers and retailers
in Raipur District was made as sample, and the data was collected from these retailers
and dealers.

Sampling Technique:-
Judgments sampling technique has been used where in the sample respondent so
selected is assumed to be a part of appropriable population.

Sample Size:-
The sample size for the collection of information was 100 spreads all over Raipur
District.
SECONDARY DATA
There are many in-house researches and studies have been done in various sales and
marketing related subjects. Hence the inputs which are valuable for my research work is
directly taken from it. The annual production of various renowned companies and their
region wise sales are published in Cement Manufacturer Association journals. The
political issues, policies and other related topics are also taken from various news
papers and magazines like Times of India and Business India, which are also valuable
inputs for my studies.

QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN

A questionnaire was designed for the sample survey of Dealers, Sub dealers &
Retailers in the Raipur District. The questions were designed in accordance where
designed in accordance to the objective of study.

CHAPTER – 4
 1. DATA ANALYSIS &
INTERPRETATION

2. FINDINGS

3. ASSUMPTIONS FOR ANALYSIS

DATA ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION

i. Average sales in Raipur District in dealer’s perception

ACC 10%
Ambuja 14%
 Century 23%
Ultratech 21%
Lafarage 32%

According to dealer’s Perception the average sale of Ultratech is highest than others
available brands. Century & Lafarge giving tough competition to Ultratech as figure
shown in the above graph.

ii. The premium brand in dealers and retailers perception.

ACC 9%
Ambuja 15%
Century 9%
Ultratech 15%
Lafarge 52%

Ultratech is perceived as the Premium Brand by Most of the Dealers &

Retailers, which is clearly visible from above graph.

( C ) The popular brand in dealers and retailers perception

(1) ACC 6%
(2) Ambuja 12%
(3) Century 32%
(4) Ultratech 20%
(5) Lafarge 30%
When we tried to know about the popular brand most of the dealers and
Retailers perceived the Century Cement as the most popular brand. But
Above graph itself shows that there is no clear-cut defined brand, which
Can be perceived as popular brand.

Ranks given to different brands by retailers and dealers

 A. On the basis of quality.

Centur Lafarg
Rank Point ACC Ambuja y e Ultratech
38
1 5 10 15 20 17
27
2 4 10 12 30 21
17
3 3 5 20 27 31
7
4 2 31 32 10 20
8
5 1 38 29 10 15
363
Total Points 167 247 321 302

Total Points of Rank = No. of Dealer Assumptions X Point of Each Rank

{i.e. for Rank 1 of Ultratech Brand = 38 people X 5 Point = 190 Points}
Total Points of Each Brand = Points of Each Rank (1+2+3+4+5)
{Total Points of Ultratech Brand = 190+108+51+14+8 = 363}

Ultratech scores over its competitors i.e. Century, Lafarge and Ambuja in
terms of quality. The quality of Ultratech Cement is considered better than
other Cements.
 Ranks given on the basis of Quality

400
% Responce

300

200 321 363

302
247
100 167

tec h
ACC

uja

ry

ge
Centu
Am b

Lafar

Ultr a
Different Brands

B. On the basis of packaging

Rank Point ACC Ambuja Century Lafarge Ultratech

1 5 15 16 22 21 26
2 4 16 17 24 19 24
3 3 19 21 19 20 21
4 2 31 24 14 20 11
5 1 33 31 13 12 11
Total Points 258 259 291 281 311
 Ranks given on the basis of
Packaging

400
Responce

300
200
%

258 259 291 281 311

100
0
ACC

ury

ch
u ja

ge

te
Lafar
Cent
Amb

Ul tra
Different Brands

Ranks given to different brands by Retailers and dealers on the basis of Packaging
Ultratech is perceived as the company, which takes care of best packet of Cement to
consumer other companies will have to go a long way to
Complete with Ultratech. Century, ACC and Lafarge Cement are also trying well for it;

C. On the basis of customer demand

 Centur Lafarg
Rank Point ACC Ambuja y e Ultratech
1 5 2 6 29 17 46
2 4 5 8 34 23 30
3 3 16 14 23 31 16
4 2 29 34 13 17 7
5 1 38 29 11 18 4
Total Points 136 172 376 304 412

Ranks given to different brands by Retailers and dealers on the basis of Customer
demand Ultratech is the most favorites brand of the consumers in retailers & dealers
perception. Century is giving tough competition when it comes to consumers Demand.
Lafarge is also coming closer to it.

Ranks given on the basis of Customer

Demand

400
% Responce

300
376 412
200 304
100 136 172

0
tec h
ACC

uja

ry

ge
Centu
Am b

Lafar

Ultr a

Different Brands

D. On the basis of delivery

Rank Point ACC Ambuja Century Lafarge Ultratech

1 5 6 9 28 29 28
2 4 7 14 27 28 31
3 3 11 19 24 23 23
4 2 31 24 14 20 11
5 1 40 31 9 12 8
Total Points 153 206 348 366 355

Ranks given on the basis of Delivery

400
% Responce

300

200 348 366 355

206
100 153

0
ACC

h
ry
ja

ge

tec
Ambu

Centu

Lafar

Ultra

Different Brands

Ranks given to different brands by Retailers and dealers on the basis of Delivery. Due
to its efficient marketing team Lafarge is having an edge over its Competitors. Ultratech
and Century is having a neck-to-neck fight With Century.

E. On the basis of company image

Rank Point ACC Ambuja Century Lafarge Ultratech

1 5 8 13 31 20 28
2 4 5 12 30 23 30
3 3 13 13 21 33 20
4 2 25 30 13 21 11
5 1 36 27 9 19 9
Total Points 149 212 364 333 342

Ranks given on the basis of company

Image

400
% Responce

300

200 364 333 342

212
100 149

0
ACC

h
ry
ja

ge

tec
Ambu

Centu

Lafar

Ultra

Different Brands

Ranks given to different brands by Retailers and dealers on the basis of

Company image.
In this era of cutthroat competition Century still the preference of retailers And dealers,
when it comes to company image. Ultratech, Lafarge Enjoy a good image.

F. On the basis of Attractive advertisement

Rank Point ACC Ambuja Century Lafarge Ultratech

1 5 4 13 20 21 42
2 4 6 14 21 30 29
3 3 11 17 30 24 18
4 2 18 30 20 21 11
5 1 37 27 13 15 8
Total Points 113 232 314 339 402
 Ranks given on the basis of Attractive
Advertisement

400
% Responce

300
402
200 314 339
232
100 113
0
ACC

h
ry
ja

ge

tec
Ambu

Centu

Lafar

Ultra

Different Brands

Ranks given to different brands by Retailers and dealers on the basis of Attractive
Advertisement

Ultratech is putting an extraordinary effort through storming Advertisement campaigns in

order to penetrate the market. Dealers were happy to see the advertisement effort by
Century in order to place Its new product in market.
G. On the basis of Marketing support

Rank Point ACC Ambuja Century Lafarge Ultratech

1 5 6 15 32 20 27
2 4 7 14 25 25 29
3 3 11 17 21 30 21
4 2 31 24 14 20 11
5 1 40 31 7 13 9
Total Points 153 230 351 330 336
 Ranks given on the basis of
Marketing Support

400
e
c
300
n
o
200 351 330 336
p
s 230
e
100 153
R
%0

Different Brands

Ranks given to different brands by Retailers and dealers on the basis of Marketing
Support. Century is having the best marketing force, which is very much nearer to
Dealers and retailers and understand the needs of its customers and Channel partners.
Hence they are able to provide the best support with Compare to other companies.
FINDINGS

1. Century is having good position in the market but have to give stress on quality.
An average sale of Ultratech Cement is more according to the dealer’s
perception. Ultratech is best in terms of Quality where Century, Lafarge and
others follows him and most favourite brand among customers in retailers &
dealer’s perception. Century is having good company image alongwith best
marketing support. Lafarge is having best delivery system. Ultratech has the
attractive advertisement & packaging among all.

2. Consumer’s decisions are affected by the attractive advertisement and also the
credit facilities given by companies. Quality of Cement, Company image affects
the purchasing decision of consumers.
 3. Ultratech is considered as premium brand by retailers, century is considered as
popular brand and ACC Cement is considered as best brand in discount
segment.

4. There are very less no. of C&F agents and also some dealers and retailers do
not know about these facts. Effectiveness of dumps are not told by the dealers.

ASSUMPTION MADE

During the project the data regarding the comparison in among different brands
on the basis of market share were required. While collecting those I made
following assumptions:

1. I have made survey of only Dealers Sub Dealers, contractors, because I have
assumed that only these persons have adequate knowledge and information to
compare different brands.

2. This project report is 100% on the basis of opinion of dealers sub dealers ( those
persons who own a retail shop of cement from where different brands are being
sold) because I assumed that sub dealers have adequate knowledge and
information regarding cement market situation and they are able to compare
 different brands on the basis of attributes of cement.Due to lack of knowledge of
cement market situation the common users of cement are motivated , directed
and well influenced by sub dealers while taking decision for purchasing of cement
.

3. Delivery promptness, delivery quality and percentage of defective bags of cement

reaches to retailers are taken into account while we were trying to know their
perception about any particular brand on the basis of delivery.

4. As the comparisons of cement brand is based on the quality and brand image of
cement , I assumed that respondent has given answers of my questions after
keeping all factors in his mind related with the quality of cement product like
setting time , strength treatment and colour.

5. As the result is 100% based only on the opinion of the respondents I have
assumed that the information provided by respondent to me is true and genuine
and free from any business.

6. Not only the promotional tools uses by company out also advertisement along
with other support provided by marketing team such as payment terms, credit
terms , attention on the feed back on remarks given by retailer are considered .
While we trying to know about marketing support.
CHAPTER – 5

1. SWOT ANALYSIS

2. RECOMMENDATIONS

3. CONCLUSION
 4. LIMITATIONS

SWOT ANALYSIS

Strength

1. Century Cement is having good image with compare few leading brands because
of oldest player of the market.

2. Marketing team of century cement is having good relations with its channel
partners hence they are able to understand their problem and provide best
possible support.

Weakness

1. Company is having good demand but not having the best demand, as it is not
perceived as of best quality then Ultratech.
 2. Company is not having prompt delivery system with compare to few leading
brands, as well as company is not projecting its image through advertisement.

Opportunity

1. As Indian core industry is growing at rate of nearly 10% per annum, century has
having good future.

2. Foreign direct investment in infrastructure sector going to increase in coming

years, which will increase the demand of cement.

3. Road’s are under going through the transformation process through which the
traditional method of road building will be replaced by modern concrete roads.

Threats
1. After the globalization the many new entrance is expected in coming – years
which will be bring a tide of change and can start price war.
2. The emergence of small players in this market may increase the competition and
start the malpractices, and heavy discounts to retailers. They can also influence
many retailers by giving better profit margin, and other benefit.
RECOMMENDATION

WHAT MARKETING STRATEGY SHOLD BE IN MY OPINION:

In popular usage, the term "marketing" refers to the promotion of products, specially
advertising and branding. However, in professional usage the term has a wider meaning
that recognizes that marketing is customer centered. Products are often developed to
meet the desires of groups of customers or even, in some cases, for specific customers.
McCarthy divided marketing into four general sets of activities. His typology has become
so universally recognized that his four activity sets, the Four Ps, have passed into the
language.

The Four Ps are:

• Product: The Product management aspect of marketing deals with the

specifications of the actual good or service, and how it relates to the end-user’s
needs and wants.
 • Pricing: This refers to the process of setting a Price for a product, including
discounts.
• Promotion: This includes advertising, sales promotion, publicity, and personal
selling, and refers to the various methods of promoting the product, brand, or
company.
• Placement or distribution refers to how the product gets to the customer; for
example, point of sale placement or retailing.

For products that are late to market, several strategies could enable a successful run.
Here are a few:

LOW PRICE ADAVANTAGE

The most obvious strategy for late entrants is to gain market share by entering at a price
that is lower than that established by existing competitors. If customer loyalty is not very
strong then a product offering similar benefits but with a lower price will be in a good
position to capture a good percentage of the market – at least in the short-run. If a
company plans to compete on price they should brace themselves for retaliatory
reaction by competitors, who will not take kindly to seeing sales migrate to a new, lower
price competitor. The early entrants are bound to respond by offering additional
incentives to the market. If the marketer has the strength to sustain a price battle then
this strategy could help establish a foothold. But the risk is high.

Create or Suggest Added Value

Since battling on low price is often a risky strategy, an option that may have greater
long-term success is to offer other benefits beyond the basic product. For instance, the
company could develop features that provide extra value, such as easy-to-access
service centers, attractive product packaging, product training, and extended warranty
plans.

Alternatively, instead of creating value through the addition of

new features the marketer could promote features that already exist but may not be well
exploited. Examples may include promoting the new product’s compatibility with other
products sold by the company or directing attention to advantages in the manufacturing
process (e.g., locally produced, state-of-art manufacturing process, dedicate work force,
etc.).

EXPLOIT EASE OF USE ADVANTAGES

The classic Product Life Cycle concept suggests new products appeal to different user
groups at different times with a small market of early purchasers (called innovators and
early adopter) willing to experiment by purchasing the product well before much larger
markets (called early and late majority) make the commitment. Buyers in the early
stage often seek benefits that are more personal in nature (e.g., status within their peer
group), while customers in latter stages of adoption are often drawn to products offering
significant usage benefits beyond those of existing products, such as how it can save
them time or money. However, this group is often opposed to a steep learning curve in
order gain these advantages. For this group showing how easy the product is to use in
order to start experiencing these gains may trump other benefits offered by competitors’
products.

NON PRICE INCENTIVES

Another strategy for market latecomers is to offer incentives not offered by other firms in
an attempt to gain buyers’ interest and confidence. As we discussed, competing directly
on price is often a short-term solution since competitors are likely to respond in-kind.
Yet the marketer could consider offering financial incentives that may not directly reduce
price but still lowers the overall “cost of acquisition.” For example, offering trade-ins for
older products, money off coupons for future purchases or free add-on products and
services will make the buyer examine the cost of the whole package in relation to what
competitors are offering.

CONCLUSION

OUTSMART AND OUTSHELL COMPETETION

Finally, instead of spending significant funds in efforts to differentiate a product from

those already on the market, why not just try being more creative and work harder than
the competition. Investigate opportunities that have not been exploited by competitors,
such as selling via new sales channels. Or brainstorm to develop new promotion
methods that are likely to capture media and buyer attention.

Looking at the following bulleted points we can conclude that, we should have optimistic
view to expand our marketing strategies, and Marketing of Cement in West Bengal will
be somehow feasible in proposed voluminous sale in previously stated locations.

1. Market thrust in West Bengal

2. Export gateway for Bangladesh

3. Ease of transportations

4. Upcoming government projects

5. Favorable taxation and Government Policies

7. Monopolistic and Duopolistic Market Competition

LIMITATIONS

1. Survey was done with the help of samples taken out from population of retailers
and dealers of Raipur District; hence information can give only indications of the
perception of the population about the different brands.
2. Respondents are not end consumers hence their opinion cannot give the
absolute information about the different brands of cement.
3. Ranking method was used to know the respondents perception and was
quantified by giving weight age depending upon their ranks.
4. Some time the emotional attachment and brad loyalty of respondents prohibited
to give correct information.
5. Some times respondent has not given adequate information.

6. Mostly information are fetched as secondary data from popular magazines and
news papers like Business India, Times of India, The Hindu, Journal of CMAI
(Cement Manufacturers Association of India) etc. Hence study it depending upon
existing data and projected policies and market trends. In case of any unforeseen
political change or geographical change will be greatly affect the market plan and
research.
Bibliography and webliography

1. Marketing Research
By Nargundkar Rajendra

2. Marketing Research:
Within a Changing Information Environment
by Joseph F. Hair, Jr., Robert P. Bush, David J. Ortinau

4. Journals of Cement Manufacturers of India

3. Cement Industry in India gifts in India

5.www.century cement.co.in
6.www.cement india.com.
 QUESTIONNAIRE

Que 1 what is the average sales of different brands of cement in Raipur District?
ACC Century
Ambuja Ultratech
Lafarage

Que 2 Which is the premium brand in your Perception?

ACC Century
Ambuja Ultratech
Lafarage

Que 3 Which is the popular brand in your Perception?

ACC Century
Ambuja Ultratech
Lafarage

Que 4 Please Rank Cement Brand From 1-5 (1 will be best 5 being worst) on the basis
of Quality?
Brands 1 2 3 4 5
ACC
Ambuja
Century
Ultratech
Lafarage
Que 5 Que 4 Please Rank Cement Brand From 1-5 (1 will be best 5 being worst) on the
basis of Packaging?
Brands 1 2 3 4 5
ACC
Ambuja
Century
Ultratech
Lafarage

Que 6 Please Rank Cement Brand From 1-5 (1 will be best 5 being worst) on the basis
of Customer Demand?
Brands 1 2 3 4 5
ACC
Ambuja
Century
Ultratech
Lafarage

Que 7 Please Rank Cement Brand From 1-5 (1 will be best 5 being worst) on the basis
of Delivery?
Brands 1 2 3 4 5
ACC
Ambuja
Century
Ultratech
Lafarage

Que 8 Please Rank Cement Brand From 1-5 (1 will be best 5 being worst) on the basis
of Company Image?
Brands 1 2 3 4 5
ACC
Ambuja
Century
Ultratech
Lafarage

Que 9 Please Rank Cement Brand From 1-5 (1 will be best 5 being worst) on the basis
of Attractive Advertisement?
Brands 1 2 3 4 5
ACC
Ambuja
Century
Ultratech
Lafarage

Que 10 Please Rank Cement Brand From 1-5 (1 will be best 5 being worst) on the basis
of Marketing Support?
Brands 1 2 3 4 5
ACC
Ambuja
Century
Ultratech
Lafarage