India
Major Indian tyremaker Apollo Tyres has made the decision to diversify into the transportation and logistics industry. Sister company Apollo International is in the process of establishing a cargo container freight depot near Mumbai, and is eager to acquire an established third party logistics firm to facilitate the development of the new business.
With farming becoming ever more sophisticated and the equipment used increasingly specialised, it is important that the right tyre for the job be readily obtainable at short notice. National independent tyre wholesaler RH Claydon Ltd boasts a comprehensive range of tyres to meet all needs, and agricultural users looking for a specific tyre are by no means overlooked – a large range of major brand agricultural tyres are always in stock at the company’s four sales and service/distribution branches in England and one in Scotland. Brands stocked include: Goodyear/Dunlop, Continental, Semperit Agricultural, Trelleborg, BKT/Supreme, Titan, Mitas, Kenda, and Duro.
Headquartered in Johnstown, Ohio and founded in 1939, Tech International is a family business that describes itself as the world’s leading producer of tyre and tube repairs and wheel service solutions. According to the official literature, the company markets more than 5,000 products into over 110 countries throughout the world and is recognized as one of the top exporters in the United States.
UK and international Novex dealers were recently given first-hand insight into the production of and technical knowledge behind the tyres they sell. In a visit to the Dunlop Tyres International facility in Durban, South Africa, a selected group of retailers were taken through the stages of manufacture that go into each Novex car and light commercial tyre.
Ceat Tyres is planning to set up a new truck and bus radial production plant, which would also be used to produce car, tractor and speciality tyres, such as EM/OTR products, with at estimated cost range of 4.5 – 6 billion rupees (around £51 million). Local news sources have reported that the company is currently “scouting for land across India.” The final decision will reportedly be taken shortly.
At a meeting in New Delhi the French Government has sought to gain exemption from having to add the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) marking for to Michelin tyres in addition to their current e-marking.
Apollo Tyres is in talks with Volkswagen about supplying tyres to the small car the German carmaker is planning to introduce in the next two years. India’s Business Standard newspaper quoted Onkar Kanwar, chairman and MD of Apollo Tyres as saying: “We are holding talks for supply of car radials for Volkswagen vehicles, which are expected to roll out in the second half of 2009-10.” It is not clear if the deal will cover Europe or just India. According to reports Volkswagen recently firmed up its plans to set up a car plant in Chakan near Pune and is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Maharashtra government by next week.
Dunlop India Ltd is reportedly taking steps to enter the OTR tyre market by cooperating with Bharat Earth Movers Ltd and Coal India Ltd (CIL). Kolokata Newsline reports that the companies have decided to invest in tyre-makers to ward off a supply crisis in India. BEML has already tied-up with CIL for providing 1 billion rupees (£11.4 million) each to Apollo Tyres and JK Tyres as a soft loan so that they manufacture dumper-truck tyres. According to the Kolkata Newsline, CIL needs to replace at least 2,696 tyres in 2006-07 and a total of 19,300 tyres by 2011-2012.
(India/Rubber Asia) After over 70 years of its existence and continuous development, China’s tyre industry is on firm ground. The Chinese tyre-making sector has now evolved into a huge, full-fledged industrial system that continues to attract international attention. However, there are obstacles to be overcome. After becoming a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), China’s tyre industry entered the era of diversified ownerships. And, the industry transformed itself into three types of ownerships – state-owned or state-controlled, private, and foreign-funded enterprises – from a wholly state-owned system. Thus, China’s tyre industry has entered a critical period and, in the process, is facing new challenges and responsibilities.
Apollo Tyres has launched India’s first ever w-rated ultra-high performance directional tyre. Dubbed “Aspire”, the new tyre was unveiled by Dilip Chhabria of DC Design and Onkar S Kanwar, chairman and managing director, Apollo Tyres Ltd at the Autocar Performance in Mumbai. This latest offering from the Apollo stable comes close on the heels of the launch of the V-speed rated Apollo Acelere Sportz earlier this week. Meant for sporty car lovers, currently the 17-inch Aspire can be shod on the Mercedes E and C Class, Audi A6 and A4, Toyota Camry, Skoda Superb, Laura and Octavia and the Honda Accord. More sizes are going to be added in the coming months.
Apollo Tyres Ltd has launched the Apollo Acelere Sportz – a premium V-speed rated tubeless car radial for the rapidly-growing range of premium and luxury cars. Acelere Sportz is India’s first complete range of asymmetric tyres, incorporating many performance, aesthetic, fuel efficiency and safety features.
This premium tyre can be fitted to a wide range of sedans and is an addition to the growing Acelere range of tubeless tyres, catering to the new generation of automobiles on Indian roads. Currently, Apollo commands a 15 per cent share of the tubeless radial market, and, with Acelere Sportz this is expected to grow to 20 per cent in a year’s time.
Usha Martin India and Gustav Wolf of Germany, who have jointly set up a 2,400 tonnes per annum (tpa) capacity steel cord manufacturing facility at Ranchi, India have decided to diversify into the manufacture of tyre bead wire. A 30,000 tpa capacity tyre bead manufacturing facility will be set up at Ranchi in two phases at an estimated investment of 400 million rupees (£4.667 million). The proposed 30,000 tpa tyre bead manufacturing facility will be set up with Gustav Wolf’s product know-how and process technology, according to Dr P. Bhattacharya, joint managing director of Usha Martin Ltd.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has directed the Pawan Ruia group, promoters of Dunlop and Falcon Tyres, to make open offers for both the, reports Business Standard. The regulator has also directed the company to pay interest of 10 per cent to the shareholders as penalty from February 2006, over and above the offer price for violation of the takeover code by the promoters.
A mere two months after Dunlop India’s Ambattur factory restarted production, a cut in power supply has halted work yet again. The plant had recently reopened after eight years when the Ruia Group acquired the ailing tyre company. The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) cut supply to the plant at the end of October as current consumption charges for September were unpaid, thus halting production at the factory.
Earlier in the year, the European tyre and rubber industry formed the ETRMA as a successor to BLIC. The idea was to update the way that this industry association was organised and position it to inform the European legislature on subjects relating to tyre and rubber manufacture. Following the completion of this changeover, Tyres & Accessories interviewed ETRMA secretary general, Fazilet Cinaralp and got a clearer picture of the role and function of the organisation.
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