Apollo Tyres Begins Retread Production

Apollo’s first DuraTyre branded retread rolled off the production line at the company’s Gurgaon, Haryana, greenfield site. According to an Apollo statement, the tyre marks the first time that a branded retread has been produced at a Greenfield site in India. The commercial launch is scheduled for May 2007. This makes Apollo Tyres the only Indian tyre Chairman & Managing Director of Apollo Tyres Ltd, Mr Onkar S Kanwar, said: “We have made a beginning here and by the end of the year we are targeting a four-fold increase in production. In three year’s time, we are looking at a turnover of 5 billion rupees from DuraTyre. It is a hasslefree, ready-made product for customers looking at retreading as an option. This is also the right time to introduce this product given the time constraints our commercial vehicle customers operate under, the increased use of multi-axle vehicles and our improved highway infrastructure.”

The company plans to set up four to five similar facilities at locations close to large transportation hubs to ensure proximity to the commercial vehicle customer. Currently, retreading is a low-technology, small-scale operation, offering no warranties on the product. Apollo is looking to change all that with a branded, high-technology, warranty product, which gives a performance comparable to a new tyre.

The Kundli plant is an automated facility, using mono-rails to transport the tyres, ensuring minimal human contact. Each casing will be put through a scanning process to ensure that DuraTyres are manufactured with only the best quality casings.

In the initial phase, Apollo is looking at North India as the key market, and will gradually take DuraTyre across India as production volumes increase.