Tyre Asia April/May 2018 61
Not to give up the ambition to become a
global player, Apollo launched a vigorous
plan to expand into Europe on the back
of its acquisition of Vredestein. The
greenfield project in Gyongyoshalasz, 90
kilometres from the Hungarian capital
Budapest, is part of Apollo’s growth
strategy and further expansion into
Europe.
Built over 72 hectares, the Hungarian tyre
plant is designed to have a total capacity
5.5 million passenger car and light truck
(PCLT) tyres and 675,000 commercial
vehicle tyres at the end of Phase I.
The plant with state-of-the-art production
facility is highly automated and is driven by
cutting-edge information technology tools,
including robotics. It is Apollo’s second
manufacturing facility in Europe and its
sixth global manufacturing plant.
“This is the first time the company has set
up a plant outside India from scratch,” said
Chairman Onkar Kanwar in the presence
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban,
who inaugurated the plant. The Hungarian
government’s interest in the project was
reflected in the presence of top officials,
including Foreign Affairs and Trade
Minister Peter Szijjarto.