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Lanxess India to Begin Tyre Chemical Production in 2010

Specialty chemicals group Lanxess AG intends to invest 50 million euros in relocating production of rubber chemicals from Thane, in the Indian state of Maharastra to Jhagadia, in Gujarat. Production will begin in 2010 and will supply the rapidly growing Indian tyre market. Lanxess is the only western company to establish such operations in India.

Lanxess will employ about 250 people at the Jhagadia site during its first stage of expansion. The head office of Lanxess India Private Limited will, however, remain in Thane. Jhagadia will become the company’s second production site in India after Madurai in Tamil Nadu, southern India, and will be the larger of the two.

18th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Apollo in Europe: Neeraj Kanwar Speaks with Tyres & Accessories

In the coming months Apollo Tyres will establish a stronger foothold in Europe through the establishment of its first facility, the recently announced 200 million euro passenger car tyre factory to be built in Hungary. Only days after announcing this monumental step for the Indian manufacturer, Apollo Tyres’ joint managing director and COO Neeraj Kanwar spoke to Tyres & Accessories about the decision to enter Europe and what the future holds.

Firm news of Apollo’s intention to set up a European production facility was first made public in mid-November 2007, and several sites in Eastern Europe were scouted as potential factory locations; in addition to Hungary the company named Poland and Slovakia as contenders (media reports on potential sites in Germany were dismissed as unfounded). However, the first of these three locations proved most attractive to Apollo: “The decision was primarily on the basis of hard economic and commercial factors, based on which a total cost of delivering the final products to markets was derived,” Mr. Kanwar told Tyres & Accessories. “Hungary was very competitive.” Secondary reasons, including the region’s liveability and cultural openness, were also taken into consideration, he added.

18th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Apollo Invests 200 Million Euros in Hungary Car Tyre Plant

Apollo Tyres Ltd and Hungarian authorities have entered an agreement to build a passenger car radial tyre production plant with a first phase annual capacity of 7 million units. Phase one of the project is expected to be completed in 18 months time at a cost of 200 million euros. Hungarian Prime Minister, Ferenc Gyurcsany, and chairman & MD of Apollo, Onkar S Kanwar, met this morning, resulting in an “invitation” for Apollo to build the factory. The most likely site of the project is in Gyongyos outside Budapest city, Hungary.

The fact that Apollo describes the deal as an “invitation” and refers to the Hungarian Investment Agency as being “very helpful” suggests that public subsidies are involved. No details of this are currently available. However, when Hankook built its 500 million euro (£340 million) plant in Dunaujvaros, Hungary recently, it received approximately 20 per cent of the total investment in assistance. Roughly half of this was direct subsidy with the rest coming in the form of tax relief. An Apollo statement on the subject reports that the company has been evaluating various options for a European manufacturing hub to service the European and North American markets in a process that began about nine months back ago.

Commenting on the plans at a media briefing, Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyursacy said: “I am well aware of Apollo Tyres as a leading tyre manufacturer with a global expansion plan. We are very keen to have Apollo set up its first green field manufacturing unit, outside India, in Hungary. Apollo will bring to Hungary its world class manufacturing expertise, technology and people management skills.”

Onkar S Kanwar added: “So far, this is the largest investment made by any Indian company in Hungary. This manufacturing facility in Gyongyos, Hungary, will become our hub to service our passenger car radial customers in Europe and North America. This is a key investment in our global strategy. The Hungarian Prime Minister, the Investment Agency and all officials associated with this decision have been immensely helpful throughout our negotiations…Apollo Tyres is currently in a growth mode.”

According to Apollo, the European investment is designed to compliment Apollo Tyres’ planned investment in India. Yesterday, the Indian manufacturer’s board of directors approved 2.2 billion rupees for the construction of a world class greenfield radial facility in the recently acquired 135 acres of land in the Oragadam Industrial Park, outside Chennai city in Tamil Nadu. This investment is in the first phase of the project, which is also to be completed in the next 18 months.

16th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Apollo Launches Winter Tyre Range

India’s Auto Expo 2008 motor show in New Delhi has been the venue for another first from Apollo Tyres – the company’s chairman and managing director, Onkar S Kanwar, unveiled Apollo Tyres’ – and India’s – first winter tyre ranges. Called the Acelere Ice and Hawkz Ice, the new tyres will be produced in sizes to fit passenger cars and 4x4s.

The Ice range of winter tyres have been designed for European and North American markets, and utilise the compounds (100 per cent silica), siping and tread patterns traditionally associated with this market segment. Apollo reports that both the Acelere Ice and the Hawkz Ice underwent extensive testing at the Ivalo Test Track in Finland prior to their unveiling, and will become available for purchase in the autumn of 2008.

15th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Apollo Announces Results, Projects

Gurgaon, India, January 15, 2008: The board of directors of Apollo Tyres Ltd, on January 15 announced the company’s unaudited results for the third quarter of the financial year 2007-08. The board also approved investments of Rs 3.6 billion (£46.8 million) for various green and brown field projects to be implemented in India.

Net sales for the companies India & overseas operations closed at Rs 12.4 billion (£161.1 million) up 14 per cent £140.3 million) from Rs 10.8 billion. Operating profit rose by 60 per cent, and net profit, at Rs 820 million (£10.7 million), increased by 165 per cent.

Commenting on the results, Onkar S Kanwar, Apollo chairman & managing director, said: “This is the kind of steady growth that we are looking to maintain in India, South Africa or any other market that we work in, in the near future. Our strength in manufacturing and people are assets, and Indian companies need to leverage these to ensure that we build Brand India as a quality manufacturer of products and services.”

15th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti to Invest up to 4 Billion Euros Worldwide

Continental is considering spending as much as 4 billion euros on the acquisition of other companies. This news was given to the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport by company CEO Manfred Wennemer, who said that the company could “finance acquisitions of 3 to 4 billion euro through borrowing without problems.”

According to Wennemer, Conti is considering 30 to 40 candidate companies worldwide for takeover, and the company is looking at expanding its tyre business in the growing Asia region in particular. “In tyres, we are searching in Asia, mainly in China, for takeover targets.” Also specifically named as a focus was India. “As far as our tyre business is concerned, we want to enter the Indian market. It’s the last blank on the world map of our tyres business,” he said.

14th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Fire at TCI Tyre Factory

The Kakinara, West Bengal facility belonging to the Tyre Corporation of India has been affected by fire. According to the Times of India newspaper, a fire broke out in the factory’s mixing plant on January 14 and ten fire engines have been at the scene attempting to control the blaze.

The extent of the damage has not as yet been disclosed.

14th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

CMT Asks How Asian Industry Will Answer Price and Environmental Questions

The third Rubber & Tire Asia/China Markets conference will discuss how the Indian and Chinese/Asian markets should deal with escalating natural rubber prices, the need to reduce the so-called CO2 shock and other environmental issues. Some of companies represented included Lanxess, Michelin, The Thai Rubber Association, Bekaert, South China/Wanli Tires, Pouchen Corporation, and JK Tires. The conference will be held on 28-29 February in Bangkok, Thailand.

With natural rubber (NR) and synthetic rubber (SR) prices continuing to persist, Thailand remains the top global rubber producer, with India following closely behind. Meanwhile, the tyre industry remains the core application for butyl rubber, consuming 86 per cent of the global supply. It is estimated that by 2010, global annual tyre production will reach 1.7 billion, up from 1.4 billion in 2005. Most of that growth in Asia will come from South China/Wanli Tires and JK Tires have been invited to share their insight on local market developments.

14th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Apollo Unveils Concept Tyres

Apollo Tyres is a manufacturer moving up in the world; the company is in the process of significantly expanding its production capacity, and the acquisition of overseas companies plus the establishment of a greenfield facility in Europe is on the cards. A further sign that Apollo aspires to bigger and better things is the unveiling of its, and India’s, first concept tyres.

The first of these is called the Aspire TT and has been designed for Apollo by Turin based Tom Tjaarda, designer of over 70 well-known cars including the De Tomaso Pantera, VW Karmann Ghia 1500, Fiat 124 Spyder and Ferrari 330GT and 365 GT Coupe. The Aspire TT features a bi-directional asymmetric tread pattern. Displayed alongside the Aspire TT at the Auto Expo 2008 in New Delhi was the Dolphin concept, a tyre offering strong wet weather performance.

14th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti to Invest up to 4 Billion Euros Worldwide

Continental is considering spending as much as 4 billion euros on the acquisition of other companies. This news was given to the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport by company CEO Manfred Wennemer, who said that the company could “finance acquisitions of 3 to 4 billion euro through borrowing without problems.”

According to Wennemer, Conti is considering 30 to 40 candidate companies worldwide for takeover, and the company is looking at expanding its tyre business in the growing Asia region in particular. “In tyres, we are searching in Asia, mainly in China, for takeover targets.” Also specifically named as a focus was India. “As far as our tyre business is concerned, we want to enter the Indian market. It’s the last blank on the world map of our tyres business,” he said.

14th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

MRF, JK Tyre OE Partners for World’s Cheapest Car

The Ninth Auto Expo in New Delhi was selected as the venue for the January 10 launch of the world’s cheapest car, India’s Tata Nano. In its most basic form the Nano will retail for Rs 100,000 plus taxes. That’s around £1,300, less than one-third of the cost of the cheapest model sold in the UK. What buyers get for their rupees is a fairly spartan vehicle – the entry level Nano features no radio, air conditioning, power steering or any related luxuries, and comes fitted with a single windscreen wiper and a driver’s side only door mirror. But despite the lack of frills, the car is a genuine four-seater, and its two cylinder 623cc engine is said to deliver 33 hp and 5 litres/100km fuel economy. Furthermore, Tata reports that the Nano exceeds current safety and environmental standards.

11th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

PCL-Sumo Appoints New CEO

PCL’s Indian joint venture (PCL-Sumo) has announced the appointment of Uday Bhaskar as its new Chief Executive Officer. He will lead the company’s Mumbai-based team providing sales and support service for PCL’s tyre inflation and pneumatic products on the Indian marketplace. The alliance of PCL and Sumo Hi-Tech Marketing Pvt Ltd. has allowed Indian customers instant local access to a vast resource of experience, products, local training and international support, all delivered with an in-depth knowledge of the Indian market.

11th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Apollo Appoints Satish Agarwal as Chief of Manufacturing

Apollo Tyres Ltd has named Satish Agarwal as chief of manufacturing. Mr Agarwal joined the company in November 2000 as Unit Head for Apollo Tyres’ flagship manufacturing facility in Limda, Gujarat. According to the company, he has “transformed” this facility into India’s largest tyre manufacturing plant, during the past seven years. As a result, Apollo representatives describe the plant as having “one of the best manufacturing efficiencies in the industry.” In his new role Mr Satish Agarwal, will be based at the company’s headquarters in Gurgaon, outside New Delhi city. He will be responsible for all manufacturing operations and functions, including Quality, Corporate Engineering and Cost Optimisation, across plants in India, South Africa, Zimbabwe and other future facilities. He will be reporting directly to Mr Neeraj Kanwar, Joint MD and COO, Apollo Tyres Ltd.

11th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

BKT to Establish New Facility, Increase Capacity

Balkrishna Tyres is reported to be planning a new facility within the Special Economic Zone in Gujarat, northwest India. An investment of Rs 5 billion (£64.7 million) will go into the facility over a three-year period starting in the 2009 financial year, with the completed plant expected to have an annual output of 75,000 tonnes. The company’s head of finance, B K Bansal, told local media “we are analysing two to three Special Economic Zones in Gujarat and are in talks for acquisition of land, though nothing has been finalised as yet.”

10th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Conti to Build Rs 1 billion Automotive Plant in India

Continental AG is looking to boost its India operations and broaden the range of products on offer to customers in the region following its recent buyout of Siemens’ VDO unit. One particular new investment Conti is making in India is its planned automotive electronics plant and R&D facility in Bangalore, which will be established with an initial investment of Rs 1 billion (£12.9 million). Joint venture facilities operated in conjunction with Rico and Ashok Leyland will also attract fresh investment in the coming years.

“In the next decade one of the main focuses of the automotive industry will be the so-called affordable cars, especially in the growth markets like India and China. The production of cars within a price range of Rs 5 Lakh (about £6,500) will increase from current figure of 650,000 to approximately 1.1 million units by 2017. This is a 70 per cent increase. To cope with this demand we have to focus on solutions for the Indian market; people want safe, yet affordable cars,” said Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, chief technology officer and board member of Continental AG. “Continental has developed strategies and products that are suited to these demands,” Dr. Neumann added.

10th January 2008/by Tyrepress Editors