JK Tyre launches US operation

Indian tyre manufacturer JK Tyre & Industries has inaugurated a new sales and marketing operation in the USA. The new arm of the company, Western Tires, Inc, is based in Houston, Texas. It will focus on sales, service and network expansion, the company stated. JK Tyre has been accelerating its global expansion efforts recently, in common with other Indian players, Apollo and MRF. With around 1.3 billion euros in turnover from tyres, JK Tyre is just outside the global top 20 manufacturers, according to the latest Tyrepress research.

Announcing the new US arm of the company, Dr Raghupati Singhania, chairman & managing director of JK Tyre said, “The United States has been an important export market for us. The fact that we are now setting-up our operations here goes to show the significance of this country in our larger global expansion plans. Our products have been appreciated for superior quality, technological advancements and robustness across the world, and we have received a similar response from our customers in the United States. With our own sales and marketing channel, we are furthering our commitment towards the US market to provide an enhanced delivery and service experience to our customers.”

JK Tyre has been exporting to the United States for more than two decades through a network of local partners. It states that its acquisition of JK Tornel and the enhancement of capacity at JK Tyre India have supported steady growth in global markets including US. The formation of Western Tires gives the company its own marketing arm for the US that will focus on sales, service and network expansion. It added that aftersales service will be backed by a team of technical experts from India and Mexico “to ensure a robust delivery model.”

The company says that it has gained acceptance in the US market across multiple segments, including truck and bus radial tyres, passenger car tyres and light truck tyres. JK Tyre added that it is focused on further driving sales in these segments through introduction of new products and enhancement of sales channels.