Ramco Cements ' construction chemicals brand HardWorker has achieved significant recognition at the ET Brand Equity Shark Awards 2025-South Chapter, winning two Gold awards for its marketing campaigns. The awards ceremony celebrated the brand's culturally relevant and insight-driven communication approach.

Award-Winning Campaign Categories

The HardWorker brand secured recognition in two distinct categories:

The twin Gold awards recognize HardWorker's communication excellence across television and digital media platforms, honored under the Campaign Brilliance categories.

Brand Philosophy and Market Approach

The recognition underscores how the HardWorker campaigns engaged audiences through brand communication rooted in real-world construction challenges. The brand's approach focuses on simplifying complex on-site decisions and presenting product usage and performance in a relatable language for the construction ecosystem.

A.V. Dharmakrishnan, Chief Executive Officer of Ramco Cements, emphasized the company's approach: "At Ramco, our focus has always been on understanding the real problems faced on site and delivering the right product for the right application—an approach we were among the first to champion in the cement industry. This thinking is built into how we operate, shaping the way we manufacture, innovate, and engage with the construction ecosystem."

Strategic Brand Vision

Balaji K. Moorthy, Executive Director-Marketing, highlighted the brand's core insight: "HardWorker was created on a simple but powerful insight—that the real heroes of construction are the people who put in relentless effort every single day. These awards validate not just our creative direction but also the authenticity of the brand's voice."

The HardWorker brand aims to lead the construction chemicals category by setting clear benchmarks for performance, durability, and delivering long-term value to customers. The brand represents an extension of Ramco's philosophy of understanding real construction challenges.

About ET Brand Equity Shark Awards

The ET Brand Equity Shark Awards-South Chapter celebrates marketing excellence across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. The awards program features:

• Over 80 award categories
• Evaluation by a panel of CMOs, brand leaders, and creative experts
• Assessment criteria including creativity, cultural relevance, strategic insight, and measurable impact
• Recognition of campaigns that demonstrate authentic brand voice and cultural grounding

The winning campaigns for HardWorker EcoPlaster and HardWorker TileFix films showcase the brand's commitment to championing real craftsmanship and bringing solutions that aim to empower the construction community.

Ramco Cements Limited , a prominent player in the Indian cement industry, is facing additional tax challenges as the Income Tax Department files new appeals against the company at the Madras High Court. These appeals, covering multiple assessment years, add to the company's existing tax disputes.

Key Points of the Tax Appeals

The Income Tax Department has raised several issues in its appeals:

1. Revenue Expenditure Classification: The department is challenging the classification of certain expenses as revenue expenditure.
2. Industrial Promotion Assistance Treatment: There's a dispute over the treatment of industrial promotion assistance received by the company.

Financial Implications

The tax appeals involve significant financial stakes for Ramco Cements:

Legal Proceedings

• The appeals for both assessment years 2015-16 and 2011-12 have been admitted by the Madras High Court.
• These appeals are in addition to existing similar disputes worth Rs. 29.20 crores from previous years, also pending at the High Court level.

Ongoing Litigation Context

Ramco Cements has been dealing with tax-related litigation for several years:

• For the assessment year 2011-12, the company faces appeals totaling Rs. 11.11 crores.
• The appeals for 2015-16 amount to Rs. 17.82 crores.
• Additional similar disputes worth Rs. 29.20 crores are pending at the High Court.

These ongoing appeals indicate a pattern of tax disputes for the company across multiple assessment years.

Implications for Investors

The mounting tax disputes represent a potential financial liability for Ramco Cements. The total disputed amount of Rs. 58.13 crores could impact the company's financial position if the rulings are unfavorable.

Investors and stakeholders should closely monitor the progress of these cases, as they may affect the company's future tax obligations and overall financial health.

Ramco Cements continues to update its stakeholders through regulatory filings, demonstrating its commitment to transparency in the face of these ongoing tax challenges.