Gujarat Ambuja: Redefining Operational Efficiency

Gujarat Ambuja Cements Ltd. (GACL) was established as Ambuja Cements Private Ltd. (ACPL) in 1981 by Narotam Satyanarayan Sekhsaria (Sekhsaria), a businessman from the western Indian state of Gujarat. Originally a cotton trader, Sekhsaria entered the cement business because of factors such as stable demand, lack of substitutes and limited competition.

With the support of Gujarat Industrial Investment Corporation's (GIIC¹), Sekhsaria and his two partners, Suresh and Vinod Neotia, set up APCL. Suresh Neotia was appointed Chairman while Sekhsaria was made the Managing Director. In 1983, the company floated a public issue and its name was changed to GACL.

In 1993, GACL commissioned its second cement plant at Ambuja Nagar (capacity 1 mtpa), named Gujambuja Cements. Attracted by buoyant cement demand in the northern regions, GACL commissioned a 1.5 mtpa plant at Suli in Himachal Pradesh (HP), named Ambuja Cements Himachal Unit in 1995. In the same year, GACL floated a wholly owned subsidiary in Mauritius - Cement Ambuja International Ltd. (CAIL). A year later, GACL floated another subsidiary, Ceylon Ambuja Cements (Private) Ltd., through which it acquired a small company, Midigama Cement, in Sri Lanka. In 1996, GACL set up its third 1 mtpa plant at Ambuja Nagar, named Guj Line - II (capacity 1 mtpa).