Along with cheese, clogs and windmills, many people closely associate tulips with the Netherlands. Apollo Tyres has thus commissioned an all-new variant of Tulipa to mark the 15th anniversary of its acquisition of Vredestein as well as the recent 115th anniversary of the Dutch brand’s founding. This new variant is named after the Kanwar family, which founded and owns Apollo Tyres.
We almost spilled our pints upon reading comments Neeraj Kanwar allegedly made about British workers. In news now reported by numerous media sites, Daily Mail associate city editor John-Paul Ford Rojas quotes the vice-chairman and managing director of Apollo Tyres Ltd. as opining that employees in the UK “hardly work,” preferring instead to “go to the pub.” Kanwar concedes that these comments were just a “quip” – but he’s unlikely to consider the UK for a future tyre plant.
At a meeting of business partners in Hungary, Apollo Tyres launched its new Avolve service business model. The company describes Avolve as a “servitisation model” that offers tailored solutions to targeted customers, especially commercial fleet operators. Apollo Tyres is initially rolling out Avolve across India.
10 years after Apollo Tyres’ bid to acquire Cooper Tire fell through, vice-chairman and managing director Neeraj Kanwar says the company is putting its emphasis on back on North America and even hinted at the goal of building a tyre production facility there.
Apollo Tyres (UK) Holdings Ltd, a subsidiary of Apollo Tyres Ltd, has been recognised as one of the Top Employers in the UK. The certification, awarded by the Top Employer Institute, a global authority on HR excellence, was based on an in-depth survey of Apollo Tyres Ltd’s London staff. The firm has an annual revenue of $2.8 billion. Its London team work in areas such as finance, digital and US trade growth.
As part of its ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) commitment, Apollo Tyres has set a range of goals for the coming years, including carbon neutrality by 2050. The commitments are as follows:
Capacities at Apollo Tyres Ltd.’s production facilities in Europe were 88 per cent utilised between March and June 2022. The utilisation figure for the tyre maker’s plants in India was around 85 per cent, reports chief financial officer Gaurav Kumar. This gives the company little leeway for further growth in volumes, but Apollo Tyres believes it can address this issue without resorting to a greenfield or brownfield capacity expansion project.
In a move intended to further strengthen its product offering at home, Apollo Tyres Ltd. has launched its 2009-aquired Vredestein marque in India. Products sold in India bearing this long-established European brand name will be manufactured locally, and Apollo Tyres is initially offering a line-up of car and SUV tyres that will “cater to the premium and luxury segment” as well as motorcycle tyres for the “growing superbiking segment in India.”
Dutch tyre brand Vredestein is coming to India. During an investor call this month, parent company Apollo Tyres confirmed that Vredestein products are being manufactured in this market and will be introduced locally during the first quarter of 2021.
One way or another 2020 has been an eventful year for all of us. The same is true at Apollo Tyres where, at a global level, the company has had to navigate pandemic-related production pauses and restarts along with new factory openings and the decision to enter the two-wheel segment. At the same time as continuing to develop the Apollo brand, the company has also given the Vredestein brand a big push during the last month or so. First, with the launch of a new all-season range, then with the introduction of a new North American tyre line-up and – in order to support both – a pitch-side advertising partnership with Manchester United football club. Tyres & Accessories recently interviewed Neeraj Kanwar, vice chairman and MD, Apollo Tyres Ltd in order to find out more.
This interview appears in full in the November edition of Tyres & Accessories magazine. Not yet a subscriber? You can change that here.
Top management at Apollo Tyres have announced they’ve accepted a pay cut during the market difficulties brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The tyre maker says it is also preparing to implement further measures.
Extending its sports sponsorship engagement beyond football, Apollo Tyres has entered into a five-year agreement with former Indian international cricketer and team captain Sachin Tendulkar. This is the first time an individual celebrity has served as Apollo brand ambassador.
Following internal discussions and review of a commissioned report produced by Ernst & Young, the Nominations & Remuneration Committee (NRC) within the Board of Directors at Apollo Tyres Ltd. has recommended changes to the compensation packages Onkar and Neeraj Kanwar receive from the company.
After opening its new European factory last year, Apollo Tyres is now focusing on expanding its manufacturing footprint at home. A ceremony was held today to lay the foundation stone of the tyre maker’s fifth plant in India and seventh facility worldwide. The new factory is located in Chinnapanduru, Andhra Pradesh state, and is expected to enter operation in mid-2020. Apollo Tyres is investing close to Rs 18 billion (£209.4 million) in the first phase of the new plant project.
Apollo Vredestein’s work to shift its Dutch brand’s replacement market focus to become an original equipment supplier has resulted in fitments on three major models. Vredestein, has been selected as a fitment on the Volkswagen Polo, Seat Ibiza and Ford EcoSport.
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