Tyre Asia April/May 2018 113
Worldwide olympic Partnership in 2014, making a
long-term commitment to the International olympic
committee that continues through 2024. Through
its business activities, Bridgestone will support this
partnership by showcasing the values of community
service, social responsibility, and respect for diversity
that it shares with the olympic Movement. Bridgestone
also became the first Founding Partner of the olympic
channel in August 2016, signing a four-year agreement
to support the ground-breaking digital platform in its
mission to celebrate the olympic spirit and the world’s
greatest athletes every day of the year.
Bridgestone India has been into the Indian market
for last 20 years and growing its presence in both oe
and aftermarket spaces. Today, Bridgestone India has
two manufacturing plants, the first plant was opened
in Kheda, Indore in 1996 and first PcR tyre of the
company in India rolled out in 1998 from the Khed
plant and the company started TBR production in 2010
from the same plant. considering the growing demand,
Bridgestone India opened its chakan plant in 2013 with
production of both PcR and TBR. In the same year
( 2013), Bridgestone India took a strategic decision
to move its TBR production from its Kheda plant to
the chakan plant. Today, the Kheda plant produces
passenger radial tyres and UV tyres, while the chakan
plant is rolling our both TBR and passenger radial tyres.
With the recent announcement of the investment of
$304 million, Bridgestone India is aiming at doubling
production capacity of both the plants, Pune and Indore.
Talking to Tyre Asia, Satpute said “ We have been
here for 20 years which is not a long time compared
to domestic players and we have made significant
expansions in India. The business, we expect, will
continue to grow so last year we made an announcement
of $304 million investment to double our manufacturing
capacity of our plants over next five years. This shows
we are making a good progress per our plans and India
will be our focused market.”
Gaining the market share will be major task for the
company and for that the company will have to continue
to prove superiority of its products and expand
customer reach, dealer network and technical support.
“We have done these in many markets and we have
developed a strong platform in India,” added Satpute.
The company today has over 5000 dealers in India. “The
numbers are growing,” added Satpute.
Though Bridgestone India is not seen much aggressive
on product launches like its peers, it has plans to bring
new ranges under its flagship brands, ecopia and
Firestone. “Going forward, you will see new product
launches within each brand umbrella,” added Satpute.
According to Satpute, fuel efficiency will play a key role
going forward in the company’s product development for
the Indian market. “ We will bring specifically designed
products for the Indian market. About 90% of our sales
in India is met through our local production,” added
Satpute.
Attributing the company’s success to consumer-centric
approach of the company, Saraf said, “In a short stint
of 20 years, we are the market leader in PcR. We speak
highly about customization. customization according
to roads and consumer’s expectations on both products
and service is the key to succeed in the Indian tyre
market. Being a global tyre leader, we have lots of
expertise which is shared across the group and that
helps us to customize our products for both oe and
aftermarket segments,” said Saraf.
currently, the company 53% sales come to oes, while
the rest goes to aftermarkets.Increasing tyre sizes in passenger car tyres is another
trend that the Indian market is witnessing, though a
leap in bigger size is not expected owing roads, traffic,
vehicles. Bridgestone India produces tyres between 12”
to 17” of passenger car tyres. According to Saraf, major
demand in India is hovering between 14” to 15” of car
tyres and 16” car tyres will gain momentum. “ 16” car
tyre segment will be looked out for in next five years,”
added Saraf. 17” and above car tyre segment is growing
in replacement markets. “Still above 17” tyres being
imported in and sold in the replacement market or oe
directly imported,” said Saraf.In last three to four years, cUV segment is growing
and finding good traction among Indian customers.
“We believe that that segment will have potential and
it will fuel growth for the entire automobile industry so
we understand that fact very well. We will be actively
participating in those segments very well both in oe and
replacement space,” said SarafThe Indian auto sector is on disruptive curve thanks to
growing attention on electric vehicles. eVs are expected
to wipe out hundreds of traditional auto components
from the vehicles. however, tyres will remain the core
parts of the eVs, though some technical advancements
are expected in tyres. Saraf thinks eVs will not be the
one only trend that will drive tyre industry but the
company will monitor eV developments to understand
future oe trends in India.“I would not say this (eVs) will be the single mega trend
that we will have to watch out, but if you prioritize
ten trends, eVs will be among them. We are in the
monitoring phase as still automobile companies are not
clear about the course of action. It will be closed call
for a collaborative action between auto makers and
auto ancillaries. Being global leader in tyres and having
technology advancement and we have know- how from
our global companies and good presence in developed
world, we will have an upper hand. We will have close
coordinal collaborations for technical and commercial
fronts with automobile manufacturers.”
external factors such as economic growth and
increasing highways will fuel demand for tyres. “The
Indian auto industry is slated to grow at the fastest pace
compared to other economies. This will be the single
largest fuel for our growth. The government has also
indicated that they will go very strong on highways,
expressways and roads and that will encourage more
people to travel on roads. These will be key drivers,”
added Saraf
The company as of now does not have a R&D centre in
India. Its Indian product development is jointly handled
by technical centres in Thailand and Japan.commenting on the company’s future plan, Saraf said,
“We have seen a good story for Bridgestone so far and
we are one step ahead of our competitors be it in oe
space or replacement. creating an entry barrier for
anybody else to follow. We can create unparalleled brand
equity and that will bring more opportunities.”