“We are indeed passing through challenging times.” These were the words from Dr Raghupati Singhania after JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. released its final results for the first quarter of its 2017-18 financial year. Nevertheless, the chairman and managing director is confident that the company’s performance will improve moving forwards.
Days after India’s Directorate General of Anti-Dumping published its final findings into truck and bus tyres imported from China and recommended the introduction of anti-dumping duties for certain products, the chairman and managing director of the country’s largest domestic producer of truck and bus radials supported the measure with comments of his own. During his speech at JK Tyre & Industries Ltd’s annual general meeting on 4 August, Dr Raghupati Singhania declared it is “high time” India’s government undertook such a step.
Days after India’s Directorate General of Anti-Dumping published its final findings into truck and bus tyres imported from China and recommended the introduction of anti-dumping duties for certain products, the chairman and managing director of the country’s largest domestic producer of truck and bus radials supported the measure with comments of his own. During his speech at JK Tyre & Industries Ltd’s annual general meeting on 4 August, Dr Raghupati Singhania declared it is “high time” India’s government undertook such a step.
Several leading Indian tyre makers are said to be bidding to acquire Falcon Tyres Ltd., the company that supplies the Dunlop tyre brand in Indian market. The Economic Times reports that Apollo Tyres, JK Tyre and Ceat Tyres are amongst the leading bidders.
In the second quarter of its current financial year – the three months to 30 September – JK Tyre & Industries increased its total income by 5.2 per cent year-on-year to Rs 20.7 billion (£245.7 million) and lifted operating profit by 22.1 per cent to Rs 3.2 billion (£38.0 million). Operating margin rose from 13.2 per cent in the corresponding quarter of last year to 15.3 per cent. Meanwhile, net profit declined 13.5 per cent year-on-year to Rs 1.0 billion (£11.9 million).
Radialisation of the truck tyre segment in India has been a major subject over the past decade, and JK Tyre and Industries Limited considers itself the “undisputed leader” in this field. The tyre maker produced its first truck and bus radial in 1999 and currently holds the capacity to produce 3.5 million units per annum. On 22 August, the 10 millionth radial truck tyre produced rolled off the line at the company’s Vikrant plant in Mysuru (Mysore).
India’s JK Tyre reportedly intends to bring its research and development teams together into a new RS 1 billion (£11.4 million) centre at its Mysuru (Mysore) site. According to IANS, company chairman Dr Raghupathi Singhania disclosed yesterday that facilities “currently spread over different locations” will be “brought under one roof” in a “world-class” centre.
India’s JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. has reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 4.64 billion (£47.7 million) for the financial year ending 31 March 2016, a 41 per cent year-on-year rise over the previous fiscal. Consolidated turnover amounted to Rs 76.54 billion (£786.9 million). On a standalone basis, JK Tyre achieved turnover of Rs 65.80 billion (£676.5 million), a year-on-year increase of 58 per cent. In light of this improved performance, the company’s Board of Directors has recommended a dividend of 125 per cent on JK Tyre’s equity shares, pending approval at the tyre maker’s Annual General Meeting.
Bridgestone and MRF have tied for first place in JD Power’s latest India Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Index (TCSI) Study. However, while they both ranked first in overall customer satisfaction, scoring 881. Bridgestone performed well in terms of ride (883) and MRF performed particularly well in appearance (884). Apollo came third, with JK Tyre fourth and Goodyear in fifth.
JK Tyre & Industries Ltd reports that the acquisition of tyre, tube and flap manufacturer Cavendish Industries Ltd. was completed on 13 April, and the company is thus now a JK Tyre subsidiary. The Indian tyre maker acquired 64 per cent of all equity shares in Cavendish for Rs 10 each; the remaining equity shares in Cavendish have been acquired by associate and group companies of JK Tyre.
JK Tyre & Industries Ltd has posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 1,106.4 million (£11.3 million) for the quarter ending 31 December 2015, a 20.5 per cent increase on the consolidated net profit achieved a year earlier. Total income for the three-month period was down 12.0 per cent year-on-year, to Rs 16,207.5 million (£164.9 million).
Following Apollo’s admission that flooding in Chennai had affected its tyre factory, JK Tyres has reportedly experienced disruption to eight of its shifts. This equated to roughly 700 tons of tyres, according to the local Business Standard newspaper.
The Asian Latex Conference 2015 and India Rubber Summit & Dinner 2015, which were held between 10 – 12 September 2015, were hosted at the Crowne Plaza, Kochi, by Rubber Asia. The awards in recognition of outstanding contributions to different segments of the rubber industry were presented at a ceremony during the India Rubber Summit and Dinner 2015.
The acquisition of tyre, tube and flap manufacturer Cavendish Industries Ltd. has been approved by the Board of Directors at JK Tyre & Industries. The Indian tyre maker is acquiring 100 per cent equity in Cavendish from Kesoram Industries Ltd. for just under Rs 22 billion (£214.6 million). According to JK Tyre, it and other JK Group companies will fund the acquisition by a combination of debt and internal accruals, and JK Tyre’s financial exposure is expected to be some Rs 4.5 billion (£43.9 million). The deal is expected to close in December 2015.
The latest quarter figures for JK Tyre & Industries were released along with a challenge for India’s government to impose tariffs upon tyres imported from China. Company chairman and managing director Dr Raghupati Singhania stated on 4 August that the “menace” posed by the “dumping of Chinese tyres” continues “unabated”. He added that “urgent steps are required to impose [an] anti-dumping duty to ensure a level playing field in the marketplace.”
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.