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A Day At Apollo Tyres Manufacturing Facility In Chennai – Plant Visit Report
An absorbing article about one of the world’s up-and-coming tyre manufacturers The Indian tyre giant Apollo Tyres is now expanding across the world via various buyouts.
When I first read this article, I was reminded of my past visits to tyre factories here in the UK. I now know that the tyre-making facilities are very modern and hygienic.
As expected, far from the days in the 70’s and 80’s.
The very first tyre plant that I visited was at Fort Dunlop. On the outskirts of Birmingham in the West Midlands, UK.
Fort Dunlop was a massive tyre making facility. For this reason, it was one of the area’s largest employers. You could see the huge factory from the M6 motorway, with its massive “Dunlop” sign on the top of the building;
it was a landmark that you would never forget once you saw it.
You could see the huge factory from the M6 motorway. Thus, with its massive “Dunlop” sign on the top of the building, it was a landmark that you would never forget once you saw it.
I was a young man at the time. I can remember seeing the motorsport division as we approached the main factory. It was a very exciting time for me. As it was to be the first time.
Apollo Tyres
I knew that this would increase my knowledge.Naturally, about the product and that it would give me a better understanding.especially of the tyres that would give me a decent standard of living for the rest of my life.
Strangely enough, the thing that stuck in my mind was at the end of the production process.
With all the tyres hung onto a conveyor belt, ready for checking by an inspector, I also remember that mixed brands were coming off the final inspection line.
Apart from Dunlop tyres, I saw Indian tyres being made. I knew that Dunlop made India tyres, but now that I had seen it myself, it gave me greater confidence when I returned to my depot in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, UK.
Apollo Tyres would buy out Vredestein Tyres from Holland
Later on in my career When I owned my tyre centre. I had the pleasure to become a dealer for the excellent Vredestein tyres. Vredestein is a Dutch company.
Naturally, they have a reputation second to none for quality and value and build their tyres in a factory that I had the pleasure of visiting on three occasions in Enschede, Holland.
They became a vital supplier to me and helped build the business into what it is today.
Vredestein was to be eventually bought out by Apollo Tyres, but before that, I enjoyed many trips to their factory in Holland.
The Vredestein factory was to be the cleanest and most efficient tyre company that I had ever seen.
I was always given the best treatment, and this only cemented our business relationship and my enthusiasm for Vredestein tyres.
Apollo Tyres
However, like many smaller companies, Vredestein Tyres started to grow and sort of left the little guys a bit behind.
They became more aggressive with their marketing tactics, and as a small tyre retailer in Halifax, we started to drift apart, and I could not get the right deal from them.
The Vredestein sales manager, whom I had known for some years, retired, and I used this particular time to change my main supplier of mid-range tyres to Toyo Tyres of Japan.
Vredestein makes some of the best winter tyres in Europe and can sell all that they make.
They were to become a prime target for Apollo tyres.
Vredestein had used proclaimed star car designer Giorgetto Giugiao to design their tyres in the late 90’s, and the brand of Vredestein had become much sought after in the tyre world.
Thus, Vredestein was now making up to six million winter and summer car tyres and was to become a prime target for the Indian tyre company Apollo Tyres, and the acquisition took place in 1999.
The company is now known as Apollo Vredestein Tyres, and some of the production of things like cycle tyres and tubes has to be done at an Apollo Tyres factory in East Asia.
Also, Vredestein is renowned for their tractor tyres, and some of these will now be made in the Apollo tyre factory in India.
Finally, I am very pleased that I once again have access to the Vredestein products.
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Source: www.motorbeam.com
Tyres are Eric's life long passion. Apart from running his business Eric is a keen Blogger and runs 4 online websites relating to his business.