India Archives - Page 100 of 127 - Tyrepress

India

Posts

Apollo in OE Talks with Skoda & Hyundai

Apollo Tyres, whose chairman Onkar S Kanwar recently voiced the company’s ambition of doubling turnover to US$2 billion within the next three years, is reportedly in OE supply talks with both Skoda and Hyundai. Specific details of these negotiations have not as yet been made public. And while the Indian tyre major has not at this stage been selected as an OE supplier for the Tata 1 lakh (£1,250) car – JK Tyre and MRF Tyres will initially fulfill this role – it is not ruling out the possibility of coming on board at a later date.

“When Tata Motors was initially finalising the vendor base, we did speak with them,” Apollo Tyres’ chief, India Operations Satish Sharma commented to India’s Economic Times newspaper. “However we plan to follow a different model. We would initially supply tyres in the after-sales market for the Tata Rs 1 lakh car and once the volumes pick up, we might become their OE partners.”

17th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Tubeless Radials the Hot Ticket in India

(Akron/Tire Review – Hindustan Times) The flurry of new car launches in India is bringing in a quiet revolution: tubeless radial tyres have become standard fitment. Most of India’s tyremakers including MRF, JK Tyres and Ceat have started manufacturing tubeless radial tyres.

It is a quiet change on behalf of carmakers, says Tom Thomas, chief of manufacturing and technical for Ceat Tyres. Previously, most carmakers stuck to regulation tyres with tubes. These are cheaper, but they are also prone to punctures and excessive wear and tear. “Tubeless tyres give better long-term value for money for a buyer, and it is easy to repair too,” said a Mumbai-based sales manager for Tata Motors who declined to be named. “Tubeless radials can carry on with a nail in them for many kilometers, and you will probably notice the flat tyre at home, rather than on the road,” added Thomas.

16th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Indian Tyremakers Becoming More Reliant on SR

Indian tyre manufacturers increasingly must ‘fake it to make it’ – that is, rely upon synthetic rubber in the manufacture of their products. Natural rubber already accounts for about 50 per cent of production costs in India, and since May-June the per kilogram cost of this sought after commodity has increased from Rs 80 (£1.00) to Rs 90.75 (£1.13). Apollo Tyres’ Onkar S. Kanwar believes an increase of this degree has the potential to reduce profits by 3 to 5 per cent; to counter this his company is considering doubling its use of synthetic rubber.

The ratio of natural to synthetic rubber used by Indian tyremakers could therefore feasibly reach the magic figure of 70:30 – the highest ratio technically practicable. Such measures were threatened earlier in 2007, but so far no manufacturer has utilised synthetic rubber to this degree in its products. In Europe the established ratio is 80:20, a proportion seen as not compromising the superior vulcanising qualities of natural rubber.

15th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Apollo Turnover to Double in 3 Years – Kanwar

India’s tyre industry will most likely grow by 8 to 10 per cent over the next five years, claims Apollo Tyres’ chairman Onkar S Kanwar. He added that in the coming three years the tyremaker’s turnover will double to US$2 billion. “We are looking at inorganic growth and have acquired a facility in South Africa and are also in the process of starting a facility in Europe”, said Onkar. Specific details of Apollo’s current activities in Europe, however, were not provided.

12th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Zeppelin Acquires Chronos Richardson’s MPS Division

Zeppelin Silos & Systems GmbH (Friedrichshafen) has acquired Chronos Richardson’s Materials Processing Systems (MPS) division located in Nottingham, UK establishing a new subsidiary in the city. With the consent of the Antitrust Commission Zeppelin’s acquisition of the “Conveying, Dosing and Weighing and Control Technology” product portfolios from the British manufacturer Chronos Richardson has been completed.

According to the company’s the complementary skills of Zeppelin & Chronos will be beneficial for the future development of the important tyre and rubber manufacturing segment. The control technologies, for which Chronos set recognised technical standards, are expected to complete Zeppelin’s product portfolio and the company says the new enterprise will also become a trend-setter for research and development in various industrial sectors in the future. (The world’s largest test centre for the handling of bulk solids including two purpose built research plants (one for pellets and one for powder) is located at the Zeppelin facility in Friedrichshafen, Germany).

11th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Schrader Wins TPMS Contract with with Mahindra and Mahindra

Antrim-based Schrader Electronics, has announced details of a major new order for its tyre pressure monitoring systems from one of India’s largest vehicle manufacturers, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. The order includes the supply of Schrader’s new snap-in valve sensor to vehicles exported to the North American market, starting in January 2009 and running through to the end of 2011. The new business has led Schrader Electronics of Carrickfergus to open its seventh production line next month.

Mahindra & Mahindra is in the business of manufacturing and marketing utility vehicles and light commercial vehicles, including three-wheelers. It is the market leader in utility vehicles in India and currently accounts for about half of India’s market for utility vehicles. The group exports its products to several countries in Europe, Africa, South America, South Asia and the Middle East.

10th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Premier Tyres to Relocate Kalamassery plant

Premier Tyres has decided to relocate its tyre manufacturing unit at Kalamassery to another location in Kerala, according to local news sources. The move is expected to allow the company to increase its production capacity, through additional staff and new machinery. The company will reportedly also consider various options for development of the present site at Kalamassery. Premier Tyres, Ltd. manufactures products including bus and industrial tyres, tubes and conveyor belting. The company, formerly known as PTL Enterprises, Ltd., was founded in 1959 and is based in Kochi, India.

9th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

MRF Considers China Operations

India’s largest tyre manufacturer, MRF Ltd, has achieved a fiscal milestone and, at the same time, spoken afresh of plans to circumvent the country’s ‘inverted’ duty structure for tyres and raw materials.

The company’s chairman, K.M. Mammen, told media in Chennai on October 5 that MRF had, in the 2006-7 financial year, become a Rs 50 billion (£620.4 million) company, with turnover in the recently closed financial year up from Rs 42.6 billion (£528.6 million) during the previous year. The company added that profit is expected to be about 1.8 per cent of turnover, some Rs 900 million (£11.2 million).

Almost 20 per cent of turnover reportedly came from OEM sales. A further 10 per cent was garnered from exports and 2 per cent from sales to India’s military. The remainder came from the Indian replacement market, a £2.4 billion market of which Mr. Mammen claims MRF holds a 26 per cent share.

8th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Philippines Plans Factory Upgrade, Seeks Retail Investors

Manufacturing facilities at Goodyear’s operations in the Philippines are likely candidates for an upgrade, according to the president of Goodyear Philippines David Morin. At a press conference on October 4 Morin said that additional equipment would be purchased for the Las Pinas Goodyear factory in Manila, and he outlined plans to introduce a number of new products for export to Asean markets.

Goodyear’s Las Pinas plant exports 50 per cent of its production to Southeast Asian countries, including China and India, however as the facility is already operating at full capacity no new staff will be added to its complement of 700 workers as part of these improvements.

In addition to this planned upgrade, Goodyear Philippines is urging potential Filipino distributors and retailers to invest in the tyre industry. According to Morin the company has plans to expand its retail outlets in 15 to 20 untapped markets throughout the chain of islands.

5th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop India Confirms Aero Tyre Plans

Dunlop India has reiterated its intention to re-enter the aero tyre market. In July the company’s vice-president Dhrubojyoti Nandi reported Dunlop India was “focused to take advantage” of the country’s aviation boom, and in recent months it appears that the company’s factory in Sahaganj, in the state of West Bengal, has been earmarked for this purpose.

“We hope that it will start production in another two months,” chairman Pawan Kumar Ruia told The Times of India. The newspaper printed reports that the company aims to achieve an output of 90 tonnes per day at the Sahaganj facility by the end of October and 130 tonnes by the end of March 2008, the close of India’s current fiscal year.

Further comment was also made on the group’s intention to gear up for OTR tyre production through its Falcon Tyres operation. These products, if and when they are produced, will be marketed under the Dunlop brand, not under the Falcon Tyres label as previously reported. The latter brand name will continue to see use exclusively on tyres for two and three wheeled vehicles.

4th October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Indian Domestic Manufacturers Hit by Strong Rupee

The growing strength of the Indian rupee against the US dollar has been squeezing the export margins of tyremakers in the subcontinent for some time. A more recent development, however, is the strain India’s increasingly robust currency is placing on companies producing tyres for the domestic market.

Imports have become cheaper with each rise in the rupee, and those domestic market products with cut-price overseas equivalents have struggled to remain competitive. This phenomenon is not restricted to the tyre industry; the Hindu Business Line reports that a number of manufacturing sectors, including chemicals, textiles and automotive components, have been affected.

The Indian financial daily quoted Ashish Bharat Ram, managing director of SRF Ltd, as saying, “the rupee appreciation is adversely impacting those domestic manufacturers where the product is substitutable by imports.” This even applies to imported raw materials. “Imports of raw material from China, for instance, are of special concern as the yuan has not been revalued, and this puts pressure on margins even further.”

3rd October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

R H Claydon Ltd: Tyres and Tubes for Today’s Market

Through almost 60 years of trading, the company, a major player in the UK Tyre Wholesale sector, has experienced many changes in this ever-evolving industry, from the early days of crossply tyres, to the now, commonplace radial tyre. Coupled with this the extensive development of the varying aspect ratios now required to meet the many needs and applications of not only road transport, but for all pneumatic tyre equipped vehicles, such as agricultural, industrial, construction, earthmover, open space management, plant & machinery and much more.

In meeting the present day requirements R H Claydon offers tyres for all these requirements and being solely a wholesaler, with no retail outlets, there is no conflict with its customer base. The exclusive brand, BKT, manufactured in India, forms the greater part of this supply for all products outside Car, Van, 4X4 & Truck, The range could be stated as meeting all needs pneumatic, indeed this is signified in BKT’s own advertising strapline “Off-Highway Tyre Solutions”. In this year, there have been many additions to the BKT Range including, 70/65/90&95 Agrimax Radial Tractor, Tele Handler sizes in 460/70R24 (17.5R24) and 19.5R24. BKT Armaturf KV Tyres for the professional ride-on mower, now offer an estimated 90 per cent protection from punctures. The year has also seen the growth in earthmover units; in this sector sizes such as 1800-25 40pr & 1800-33 40pr Rock Grip E4, both sizes also produced for Port & Terminal operations. The BKT range fully justifies Claydon’s own slogan “All- Season All- Reason Agricultural & Industrial Tyres”.

2nd October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Falcon Tyres Contemplates Industrial, OTR Tyre Market

Indian two and three wheeler tyre manufacturer Falcon Tyres has plans to diversify, a move the company says will lead to a doubling of production capacity. This news comes from no less a figure than company chairman Pawan K. Ruia, who said that Falcon is considering entering the industrial and OTR tyre market.

“We are working on the plan and it should be finalised in two months,” he announced to media after the company’s AGM in the city of Bangalore. To achieve this goal Falcon will either expand its existing facility in the city of Mysore, in southwest India or establish a new one in a state that offers tax concessions. The states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal have been named as contenders for this investment.

In addition, Falcon is expanding its tyre capacity from 550,000 to 750,000 tonnes and that of tube production from 250,000 tonnes to 375,000 tonnes. Overall, 110 tonnes of rubber products a day will be produced. The new lines will employ an additional 300 persons and most likely enter production before the end of the year.

1st October 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

CITExpo 2007 Reports More International Visitors

CITExpo 2007 attracted an increased number of international visitors, according to show organisers Reliable International Exhibition Services Co. Ltd. Their figures show that exhibition traffic totalled 6850 visitors, of which 4000 were domestic Chinese delegates, while 2850 were “foreign.” The were 254 exhibitors, 150 of which have reportedly already rebooked for next year, meaning that up 70 per cent of show space has already been rebooked, according to Reliable. The organisers report that international visitors came from a total of 86 countries including: United States, India, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia, Germany, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Belgium, Argentina, Norway and more.

27th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Cheap Chinese Imports Worry Indian Tyremakers

(Akron/Tire Review – India Business Standard) With the Indian tyre market being flooded with cheaper Chinese bus and truck tyres, the domestic tyre industry is up in arms about the under-invoicing of these imports and their inferior quality.

25th September 2007/by Tyrepress Editors