India
The Tire Industry Association said it is “deeply disappointed” in the Obama Administration’s decision to place added tariffs on imported China-made passenger tyres. The association, which made no prior public statements regarding the situation, issued a statement yesterday calling the decision “politically motivated.”
Apollo has won an OE fitment with Mitsubishi in India. Mitsubishi’s Pajero SUV will now come with Apollo’s Hawkz AT (265/70R15) as standard. The Hawkz range is available in five applications. The HL for highway luxury, AT for all terrain, HT for highway terrain, RT for rough terrain and RTs for off-road maximum traction. An off-road winter version is also available in the Hawkz Ice. Apollo’s Hawkz is already a standard fitment for a number of Indian utility vehicle manufacturers.
Satish Sharma, Chief, India Operations, Apollo Tyres Ltd, said, “Our partnership with Mitsubishi for its Pajero is as much about a product fit, as a personality match. Much like the Hawkz, Pajero has a global appeal because of its performance and customer connect. This is a beginning for both of us, and going forward we are looking to work closely with Mitsubishi India.”
Georg Schramm, head of marketing and sales for Apollo Tyres South Africa (Pty) Limited, will be a keynote speaker at the inaugural Tyrexpo Africa Conference alongside next March’s Tyrexpo Africa’10. Schramm is responsible for all marketing and sales for the Dunlop brand in South Africa as well as Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland. He will provide an expert insight into tyre manufacturing in the African market.
He will be joined at the conference by Dr Etienne Human, chief executive officer of SATRP, the South Africa Tyre Recycling Program. Dr Human will outline the work and remit of the not-for-profit organisation that was established to tackle the waste tyre problem in South Africa and support a sustainable waste tyre producer industry. Members of the body include Bridgestone, Continental, Dunlop and Goodyear, Michelin, Pirelli, Maxiprest and Trentyre.
Hankook executives are reportedly planning to build a new tyre production facility in either India or Malaysia. The news follows the announcement that Hankook is investing 230 million euros in increasing output at its Dunaujvaros, Hungary factory to 10 million tyres a year. Speaking to the Financial Times, Hankook executive Calvin Pak explained that the company’s next phase of expansion would be in south Asia “for example in India or Malaysia.” There was even talk of a North American plant “in the longer term.” Calvin Pak reportedly explained that Hankook’s competitive advantage over European manufacturers was that it had won quality accolades but remained “more affordable thanks to less of a brand premium.”
A report published by Indian newspaper, The Hindu states that while the country remains an important hub for passenger car exports, its tyre makers appear not to be keeping up. Citing a report by the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association, the paper reports in its Business Line section that “automotive tyre exports fell 22 per cent in July to 446,418 units against 571,479” in 2008, while quarterly exports fell “22 per cent to 1,558,393 units (2,042,428 units).”
Bridgestone Corp. is reportedly going to increase production at its Pithampur, Indore Madhya Pradesh factory by 40 per cent. WheelsUnplugged.com reported that Bridgestone has invested 2.59 billion rupees (£32.32 million; 37 million; US$53.48 million) in the project, which will create an additional 300 jobs. Bridgestone India started its operations in 1996, by March 1998, it had set up its manufacturing facility in Kheda, Madhya Pradesh.
Apollo chairman, Onkar S Kanwar is not one to avoid big statements when it comes to talking up Apollo Tyre’s ambitions. The Gurgaon-based company is currently estimated to be worth Rs 4,985-crore (£627 million) and is in an expansion mode. While the firm already has a presence in Europe and Africa, it seems it is continuing to look for acquisitions outside India as a route to increasing its presence in the global market.
Left-handed opening batsman, Gautam Gambhir has become the new face of MRF Tyres in India joining the deep pool of cricketing talent previously associated with the brand, which includes Steve Waugh, Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar. Gambhir – or “Gauti” to his friends and mildly sycophantic media commentators – was introduced as MRF’s ambassador at a glitzy Chennai ceremony on Friday, 4 September.
Bridgestone has announced the inauguration of its largest showroom in India, the Haryana Care Center in Faridabad, making the site a ‘Super Select’ showroom.
Retread manufacturing equipment and garage supply specialist Italmatic Srl may be based in Italy, but the company has long established global intentions. In addition to the Italian headquarters, a far eastern wing (50:50 joint venture, Italmatic Asia) was founded in Singapore in 1984 and the company also has a network of offices in the USA and the UK. Now, 40 years since the company produced its first buffing machines, the goal is to serve customers throughout Europe, Asia and North America with „full technological, training and marketing support.”
India’s RPG Enterprises is considering generating power from waste rubber at its Ceat Tyres factory. According to the company’s vice president of corporate finance, BL Chandak, electricity so generated at the Ceat plant would be solely used for the facility’s own consumption.
India is set to have its own dedicated tyre and equipment exhibition following confirmation of plans to stage Tyrexpo India in Chennai in July 2011. The exhibition, based in the region that is home to many country’s leading automotive industry players, including Apollo Tyres, Michelin, Dunlop India and MRF, will be based on the successful model already applied by organiser ECI International at its established Tyrexpo Asia, Tyrexpo Africa and Brityrex events.
The factory Apollo Tyres is building in India’s Chennai state will most likely produce Vredestein branded passenger car tyres. According to the Hindu Business Line, production of premium Vredestein tyres at the soon to be completed Oragadam plant will be supplemented by Apollo branded UHP tyres. These will be marketed in Europe from next January onwards.
India’s Tyresoles Pvt Ltd has become the latest international retreader to join the Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau (TRIB), bringing TRIB’s membership to nearly 500 members in 50 countries. The company states it is India’s largest retreading company and has maintained a presence in India since 1947. Tyresoles used both the mould cure and precure processes to retread more than 120,000 tyres per annum. The retreader operates a network incorporating more than 150 dealers in several regions of India.
Apollo Tyres has apparently decided to up its 2009 capital expenditure from Rs 7 billion to 9 billion (£113.0 million). Rs 7 billion (£87.9 million) of these funds will go towards more than doubling capacity at its new Chennai facility, which is anticipated to come on-stream later this year. The remaining Rs 2 billion will be used for expanding production at the company’s Baroda plant in India’s Gujarat state.
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