Shah Cement, advancing the infrastructure sector in Bangladesh

As Bangladesh develops, many of her mega infrastructure projects need good quality cement to build strong durable structures that will stand the test of time. 

The cement industry is being bolstered by the government’s push for big construction projects, especially roads and highways, bridges and power plants among others. 

Projects like the highly anticipated Padma Bridge has increased demand for good quality cement. Nearly 35 Bangladeshi brands are operating about 40 cement production factories. Only a handful of them meets the required high standards to provide for the nation’s mega structures. Shah Cement is one of them.

Shah Cement – one of the nation’s top-selling cement brands – has integrated top-notch system advancements to meet the ever-increasing demand of the mega construction projects.

Shah Cement has commissioned a record-breaking Vertical Roller Mill (VRM) in one of its cement production plants. VRM technology has been recognized worldwide for producing high-quality cement in a highly energy-efficient way. It is mainly used to grind cement clinkers into extremely fine powder.

The Guinness world record titleholder, the world's largest vertical roller mill of Shah Cement features a “multi-compartment silo”, that makes it capable of producing customized and specialized cement for different mega infrastructures.

The demand for different composition of cement was a pivotal moment for the manufacturers. With many public and private big projects rolling, the industry has seen unprecedented demands of diverse compositions of high-quality cements. 

File photo shows the under-construction Padma Bridge 

Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain

Every mega structure has a different challenge to handle, ranging from contrasting geolocations, diverse weather conditions and other technical demands. And they need specific type of composition and fineness of the cement used to achieve the desired strength.

The newly introduced multi compartments silo, at Shah Cement’s plant, together with the largest VRM in the world, the company will be able to produce cement of different compositions according to the different requirements in a much more efficient way.

The record-winning VRM at Shah Cement industries is also equipped with state-of-the-art AI-systems that are guided by data-driven algorithms. 

With the integrated Intelligence Monitoring System and Intelligent Knowledge Solution, the cement production at Shah Cement is not only automated, but also has reduced waste, increased production and improved product quality.

The FLSmidth OK81-6™ vertical mill was manufactured by FLSmidth of Denmark. The Guinness world record winning VRM is set up in Shah Cement’s Muktarpur plant in Munshiganj. Shah Cement is a concern of the Abul Khair Group, one of the largest business conglomerates in Bangladesh. 

Despite the soaring demand, the per capita cement consumption in Bangladesh is still one of the lowest. According to Bangladesh Cements Manufacturers Association (BCMA), the per capita consumption in Bangladesh was about 182kg in 2018. They estimate it will rise to 250kg by 2022.

The government’s vision is to make Bangladesh a developed country by 2041, which indicates the construction industry still has a lot of work to do and so do the cement manufacturers in the coming decades. 

This article is being published under special arrangement as part of a partnership with Shah Cement