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Rubber Exports Causing Indian Tyre Manufacturers Angst

Voices of concern amongst India’s tyre industry have been raised in response to the national Rubber Board’s perceived encouragement of rubber exports. A three per cent decrease in domestic natural rubber production before the end of the current fiscal year (March 31, 2008) has been projected, and it is this, along with dramatically higher rubber exports, that is creating a sense of unease. Natural rubber exports almost doubled in January to 7,522 tonnes, compared with 3,886 tonnes in December 2007, on the back of lower domestic prices.

Currently the price for India sourced rubber is about £0.10 a kilogram lower than prevailing world prices, and experts believe that if current global prices continue their upward journey a total of more than 40,000 tonnes of rubber may be exported from India during the current financial year. Given that India’s tyre industry consumes 55 per cent of local natural rubber supplies, and difficulties already exist in meeting domestic demand, the industry’s concern over additional exports is understandable.

20th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

India’s ATMA Calls for the Elimination of Rubber Duties

Days after Indian tyre manufacturers and their representative body, the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA), called for a reduction of duties on natural rubber imports into the country, ATMA appears to be calling for duties to be scrapped entirely. According to India’s The Hindu newspaper, lobbying for an elimination of tariffs has been paired with lobbying for the government to encourage the export of value added products rather than raw rubber.

18th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Tyrexpo Africa Exhibitor Numbers Up 8% for 2008 Show

It is now less than a month before Tyrexpo Africa 2008 gets underway in Johannesburg, and recent figures tell of an even healthier show than the debut exhibition in 2006. Exhibition floor space at the Sandton Convention Centre has increased by 10 per cent for this year’s event, and exhibitor numbers are up 8 per cent. These exhibitors are reported to be coming from 20 different countries, with 37 Chinese companies and 13 from India signed up. Home market companies will dominate the show, however, with firms from South Africa representing 38 per cent of all exhibitors.

The influence of Chinese and Indian tyre manufacturers on the South African market for OTR tyres is tipped to balloon this year, and these companies will have a highly visible presence at Tyrexpo Africa 2008. Show organiser, ECI International, believes that China and India’s strong participation in the exhibition signals an aggressive drive to achieve greater market share in the lucrative African mining sector.

18th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Tyre Majors Show Interest in India Production

A number of global tyre majors are making their presence felt in India’s tyre market, a market valued by the Business Standard financial newspaper at Rs 190 billion (£2.44 billion). Industry experts report that Michelin, Pirelli and Yokohama have the setting up of local production in their sights, and Bridgestone intends to further its presence in India.

The global number one player already holds the largest share in this market’s PCR segment, and it intends to boost this through a capacity increase at its facility in the central state of Madhya Pradesh to 11,000 units a day. At present Bridgestone supplies the TBR market with tyres manufactured in Thailand, however the company intends to invest around £100 million in a greenfield truck and bus tyre facility somewhere in India.

18th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Eliokem Buys Apar Polymer Division

Eliokem, the global specialty chemical company, has completed the acquisition of the Polymer Division from Apar Industries Ltd, India on 15 February 2008 for 1.11 billion Indian rupees (14.2 million pounds; 19 million euros; US$ 28 million). Following the acquisition Eliokem’s global revenues will reach € 200 million for a combined capacity in excess of 100,000 tons of polymer.

According to the company, the plant, located in the petrochemical zone in the Western Indian state of Gujarat, complements Eliokem’s offering in nitrile polymers and polyblends styrene butadiene reinforcing resins and latices for serving the tyre and rubber industries.

15th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Indian Tyre Manufacturers Seek Rubber Duty Reduction

A number of Indian tyre manufacturers have called for import duty on rubber to be reduced in the forthcoming national budget in order to rectify an anomaly that sees this raw material attracting a higher duty than tyres imported from overseas. According to a statement released by the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association, (ATMA) many of the country’s 43 domestic manufacturers are seeking a change from the current 20 per cent duty down to 7.5 per cent, as it is believed this reduced rate will deter the dumping of tyres from China and other countries.

12th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Ceat Still Confident of Attracting Partners

Much was said during the course of 2007 about Ceat’s plans for new greenfield facilities, particularly the company’s unsuccessful attempts to secure a joint venture partner for a truck and bus radial plant. The new year sees this pattern continue, and on February 8 India’s Hindu Business Line reported that the company is seeking “international players” as equity partners in two new greenfield projects.

Vice-president for Sales & Marketing, Arnab Banerjee, told the paper that Ceat is in talks with several such companies, and as part of the deal the Indian manufacturer would hold a majority share in any venture. “We should be able to finalise the partners soon. The production should start within a couple of years,” he said.

12th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Apollo’s Domestic Retail Network Aims at Women

According to Apollo Tyres representatives, the recent opening of retail network partner National Tyres has effectively helped to position Apollo as a premium brand that “caters for brand and performance conscious passenger vehicle owners in the city of Patiala and the neighbouring markets.” Importantly, the ambience of the showroom also encourages a steady but growing number of women drivers to personally visit this store for a tyre change or recommendation.

According to the company, the initiative has been recognised in the form of a ‘gold award’ in the 2008 In-store Asia Visual Merchandising & Retail Signage Awards in the transportation category. The In-store Asia awards are the country’s most respected recognition in the booming Indian retailing and merchandising sectors. This is the first time that a tyre showroom has been given this coveted award.

11th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

JK Tyre – Past, Present & Future

When JK Tyre & Industries vice-chairman and managing director Raghupati Singhania introduced truck radial tyres onto the Indian market in 1976, people questioned the sense of the decision. Yet more than three decades on JK Tyre has not only been vindicated through the widespread adoption of the technology by its competitors; today the manufacturer holds a 70 per cent market share in this segment.

Speaking with India’s Financial Express newspaper, Mr. Singhania expressed no doubt that decisions, such as that he made in the 1970s, are vital for a company’s well being. “That’s what leadership is all about. It may not be the popular view but you have to have your own understanding and judgment.” This understanding and judgement has aided JK Tyre during its occasionally bumpy journey from a small player with an annual capacity of 500,000 units 30 years ago to today’s tyre major with a presence in 75 national markets.

8th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti – Low Cost Cars & Emerging Markets a Strong Growth Area

Continental’s chief technical officer has expressed confidence that the strong global demand in the low cost car segment for vehicles such as Tata’s Nano will lead to an expansion of the company’s research and development capacities in emerging markets. Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann commented during an interview with dpa news agency that Conti will substantially expand its R&D capacities in Asia and South America to meet the growth of low-cost car segments in these regions. The segments will be profitable, he believes, in spite of the obvious pressure to minimise production costs.

Increasingly, it is low cost vehicles in the emerging markets such as India, China and Russia that drives growth in the global vehicle industry, and Continental predicts that by 2017 around 14 million cars with a retail price below 10,000 euros will be sold each year.

7th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Stamford Tyres Releases New Falken Range in India

Stamford Tyres Distributors India Pvt Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Stamford Tyres, has launched the new Falken ZIEX ZE912 radial across its distribution network in India. Working in partnership with Falken tyre manufacturer Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Stamford Tyres will market the ZE912 tyre to owners of passenger cars, wagons and mini-vans.

Mr. Wee Kok Wah, president of Stamford Tyres said, “the ZE912 will become the core product of the Falken range that we sell. It sits in the middle between its top ultra-high performance tyres and its entry-level line. The ZE912 is a high-performance tyre with broad market appeal, with sizes that can fit at least 80 per cent of the mid to upper segment passenger cars and MPVs now used on Indian roads. This means if a driver pulls up at one of our dealer outlets, we will have a ZE912 tyre that will be just right for his car.”

7th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

MRF Ends Lockout

Management at India’s MRF Tyres brought the company’s lockout at its Tiruvottiyur facility to an end on February 4. This move came after an assurance to this effect was given by company chairman K.M. Mammen Mappillai the previous day. It was also decided that MRF management would resolve employee grievances with the relevant government representatives.

6th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Autopromotec Cancels India Presentation Due to Political Crisis

The organisers of the Autopromotec have announced that the company has cancelled its proposed publicity campaign to Indian companies. An official statement from the company reads: “We inform you that the mission in India supported by the Italian Government in cooperation with Regions scheduled on February 4-8, 2008 has been cancelled owing to India’s political crisis.”

5th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Birla to Establish Sri Lanka Carbon Black Plant

Sri Lanka has been named as the location for the Birla Group’s new carbon black facility. The company, one of India’s largest corporations, looks likely to invest RS 4.8 billion (US$120 million) in the plant, which will be located in the country’s south, within the Koggala Export Processing Zone.

“The matter has been under discussions since last year. Aditya Birla Group is likely to go ahead with its proposed $120 million investment on the carbon black plant in Koggala Export Processing Zone, in southern Sri Lanka,” an official was quoted as saying. In a statement Birla said it expects to be granted the clearance to proceed subsequent to a recent meeting between Sri Lankan Minister for Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion Sarath Amunugama and senior Birla Group executives.

4th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Acquires Asian Retail Outlets

Bridgestone’s retail network in Asia has been boosted through the acquisition of operations in Thailand and Malaysia. Bridgestone Holdings (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (BSHT), a joint capital investment between Thai Bridgestone and a local partner, acquired Shell Autoserv (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (SAT) from the Shell Group on February 4. SAT owns 64 “Shell Autoserv” stores in the capital city Bangkok and in other locations throughout the country, an independent network providing car maintenance service including tyre and lubricant sales. In addition to the Thai transaction, Bridgestone also announced an agreement between Bridgestone Tyre Sales (Malaysia) SDN.BHD. (BSTM) and Shell Group for the BTSM acquisition of eight “Shell Autoserv” car maintenance stores in Malaysia.

4th February 2008/by Tyrepress Editors