Further Expansion At Amtel

Amtel’s latest 5500 tyres per day production line has gone into operation. The $50 million “Kirov-II” line will produce approximately 2 million tyres per year, raising annual production at the complex to 7 million units.

The Amtel-Povolzhye tyre complex produces tyres for light cars, buses, cargo vehicles and trailers, agricultural vehicles and scooters, supplying Russian and international auto manufacturers like AvtoVAZ, GM-AvtoVAZ, Pavlovsky Avtobus, and Izhmash-Avto. The new “Kirov-II” line will produce tubeless tyres with rim diameters of between 13 and 16 inches, including the Amtel Planet and Amtel NordMaster brands.

According Sudhir Gupta, Amtel has invested $100 million into modernising the Amtel-Povolzhye tyre complex. “With the launch of ‘Kirov-II,’ Amtel has completed the key strategic task of modernising all of its production facilities and unifying them into a single technological base that meets or exceeds the best international practices and standards,” declared Mr Gupta. “We have invested more than $200 million company-wide into production since 2001,” he added.

Mr Gupta met with the management and personnel of Amtel-Povolzhye, as well as with representatives of suppliers. As part of the visit, Mr Gupta also met with Nikolai Shaklein, governor of the Kirov Region, and Vasily Kondratov, president of the Vyatsky State University. Currently, 80 per cent of graduates from the university’s chemistry department gain employment at the Amtel-Povolzhye tyre complex.

Amtel-Povolzhye was the first in Russia to manufacture tires using off-take technology for Bridgestone under the Fortio brand name, as well as for JV AMTEL-Nokian.