Dr. S.P. Deolalkar is a first-class graduate in Mechanical Engineering. He is also a graduate of the British Institute of Management. He joined the Associated Cement Companies Ltd. in 1956 and has been associated with the cement industry ever since. He has first-hand working experience in cement plants: in operation, in erection and in commissioning of new plants.

Mr. Deolalkar later worked with ACC-Vickers-Babcock Ltd. a subsidiary of ACC engaged in manufacture of Babcock Boilers and in making Cement Machinery. Dr. Deolalkar has thus been associated with design and setting up new cement plants and expansions of existing ones for a quarter of a century; plants ranging in capacity from 300 tpd. to 3000tpd.  Since 1986 Dr. Deolalkar has been working as a consultant.

During his career he has handled almost all aspects of the design of cement plants. This book is an attempt to record for the future his far reaching expertise and highly valuable experience. He has specialized in developing general and departmental layouts for different types of machines used in modern cement plants.