Bekaert celebrates its first steel cord plant in India

Bekaert (Kortrijk/Belgium) has officially inaugurated its first steel cord plant Bekaert Industries Pvt Ltd in Pune (India). The commissioning of the plant started in March 1999. Initially, the plant has an annual steel cord production capacity of 5,000 ton, but this capacity could be expanded in line with the market growth. Bekaert is supplying most of the international and local tyre manufacturers in India with steel cord for the reinforcement of radial tyres.

Marc Vandecasteele, Group Executive Vice-President, stated: “Bekaert has a long tradition of supplying tyre manufacturers in Asia. According to our sustainable profitable growth strategy, we consider India as an important growth market for the future. Bekaert wants to take advantage of supplying the growing radial tyre industry in India. Thanks to the important investments in the Indian infrastructure, car sales are increasing rapidly and there is a systematic changeover from diagonal to radial tyres for trucks as well as for passenger cars. In this increasingly competitive market, Bekaert offers top quality products and services, combined with the highest logistical and technical support flexibilities.”

Bekaert is the worldwide technological and market leader in steel cord products. As a result of the growing demand in Asia, Bekaert decided on an ambitious investment programme, in order to supply local markets with top quality products from local production facilities. The two existing steel cord plants in China will be expanded. A third Chinese plant is under construction and will be operational by 2005. In 1998, Bekaert already started up a plant in Indonesia.