Ceat Undeterred by Lack of TBR JV Partner

Indian tyremaker Ceat is considering going it alone in the establishment of a truck and bus radial facility if it is unable to find a joint venture partner. The company has set aside approximately £60 million for the project but to date has not made any commitment to work with another manufacturer.

Speaking to India’s Financial Express newspaper, Ceat’s president of sales and marketing, Arnab Banerjee, said, “We are in talks with some of the leading radial technology providers in the global arena. But we are yet to reach a consensus with any of them. If the joint venture option doesn’t work out, we will definitely explore the possibility of doing it ourselves.” He added that Ceat “have the skills and the know-how,” to establish a truck and bus radial facility without external assistance.

“If we are going on our own, we would work on a piecemeal basis,” said Banerjee. “We would source raw material and components at each stage of production from different manufacturers.” According to Banerjee, Ceat are keen to commence radial production in a new facility within 24-30 months. At present the company relies upon imports of truck and bus radials, which are sourced from Pirelli and a number of Chinese manufacturers.