This was achieved through a mix of cost rationalisation and improved operating efficiency, aided by a modest recovery in cement demand, it said. 

"Birla Corporation Ltd's sales by volume for the December quarter rose 3.2 per cent to 3.55 million tonnes, boosting capacity utilisation to 92 per cent from 88 per cent in the same period last year," the company said in a statement. 

The Kolkata-headquartered company claimed that its capacity utilisation for the October-December period of the current financial year was one of the highest in the industry. 

Despite severe disruptions in the first quarter owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company has managed to boost its profitability. Its net profit for the nine months till December has grown by 22.7 per cent to Rs 380 crore over the same period last year.