Keeping in view the changing demands of environment-conscious consumers, the building products major Hyderabad Industries Limited (HIL), is transforming into a manufacturer of green building products and solutions provider.

In the past, the company aggressively expanded its capacities in roof sheeting sites and Aerocon Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) blocks as an alternative to red bricks and Aerocon panels for partitioning materials. The Aerocon panels are giving the company's green products fast acceptance in the market, with a 40 to 50 percent share. Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) blocks, the large concrete but light weight blocks, help in saving energy cost and air-conditioning cost within the building by reducing the amount of steel used in tall buildings. The company recently started dealing with steel sheeting too.

Conversely, focusing on green building products does not mean the 65-year-old company will give up manufacture of crystolite asbestos roof sheeting. It will continue to give the world the asbestos corrugated roof sheeting as an affordable hard roof. Fifty percent of roofs in India especially in rural areas are still thatched roof. The rural income levels are low and they can only graduate from thatched roof to asbestos cement roof sheeting.

Hyderabad Industries with 20 percent market share in asbestos cement roof sheeting are the largest in India and one of the largest in the world. The company, plans to set up a new asbestos cement roof sheeting plant in Uttar Pradesh, has a total of eight plants for roof sheeting, two each for Aerocon blocks and panels and one for insulation.

Hyderabad Industries will continue to make asbestos cement roof sheeting as a "social responsibility" but has devised a new business strategy to focus on green building products, which are driving the growth 

According to HIL managing director Abhaya Shankar "Green building is the buzz word today. It makes business sense. Customers have become extremely environment-conscious," "The government is also promoting green buildings. Responsible corporate giants like to have green buildings which are platinum rated," "We want to give the building industry, products slightly futuristic and green in nature," he affirmed.

Keeping in view the changing demands of environment-conscious consumers, the building products major Hyderabad Industries Limited (HIL), is transforming into a manufacturer of green building products and solutions provider.

In the past, the company aggressively expanded its capacities in roof sheeting sites and Aerocon Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) blocks as an alternative to red bricks and Aerocon panels for partitioning materials. The Aerocon panels are giving the company's green products fast acceptance in the market, with a 40 to 50 percent share. Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) blocks, the large concrete but light weight blocks, help in saving energy cost and air-conditioning cost within the building by reducing the amount of steel used in tall buildings. The company recently started dealing with steel sheeting too.

Conversely, focusing on green building products does not mean the 65-year-old company will give up manufacture of crystolite asbestos roof sheeting. It will continue to give the world the asbestos corrugated roof sheeting as an affordable hard roof. Fifty percent of roofs in India especially in rural areas are still thatched roof. The rural income levels are low and they can only graduate from thatched roof to asbestos cement roof sheeting.

Hyderabad Industries with 20 percent market share in asbestos cement roof sheeting are the largest in India and one of the largest in the world. The company, plans to set up a new asbestos cement roof sheeting plant in Uttar Pradesh, has a total of eight plants for roof sheeting, two each for Aerocon blocks and panels and one for insulation.

Hyderabad Industries will continue to make asbestos cement roof sheeting as a "social responsibility" but has devised a new business strategy to focus on green building products, which are driving the growth. said Abhaya Shankar, managing director of Hyderabad Industries Ltd before signing off.

The 65 year old company is one of the oldest fibre cement roof manufacturing companies in India and a flagship company of C.K. Birla Group.