72 Tyre Asia April/May 2018
COVER STORY
Apollo Tyres is firmly spreading its footprint eastwards as it
senses the dynamics of a growing market in the Asia, Pacific
and Africa region. Heading Apollo’s strategic push is veteran in
this field Satish Sharma, President, Asia Pacific, Middle East &
Africa (APMEA), Apollo Tyres Ltd. In n interview to Tyre Asia he
explains the emerging market scenario and why his company
is optimistic to become a force to reckon with in the region.
Excerpts from the interviewShif t to East Accelerates
When you look at the mobility scene in
Asia, Pacific and Africa region, what
are the major emerging trends that you
think will have a much greater impact
on market development for tyres in the
coming decade, and how is Apollo geared
to meet those?The centre of gravity of the automotive manufacturing
is moving eastwards, propelling the development of the
tyre industry in the entire region. For example, India has
become a hub for several auto makers. Similarly, for tyre
manufacturing, there is a lot of action happening in India
and the ASEAN countries, in addition to China.
The improving infrastructure and the regulations in
different countries are driving the maximum changes in
automotive and tyre technology in that region. Having
said that, any transformation in technology should also
be relevant to the market as well where it is being used.
With connected vehicles, the tyres are also becoming
intelligent, as they now contain more and more enabling
technologies within its structure. We are also witnessing
the shift of consumer preference towards SUVs and 4x4
vehicles from the past few years.Our investments into R&D have been increasing rapidly
to keep ourselves ahead of the technology transformation
curve, and develop products that are aligned to the latest
market trends. We have been engaging with the OEMs
a lot more to develop products suited to their stringent
requirements.With the emphasis on infrastructure
development in emerging markets, what
impact will it have on Apollo’s marketing
strategies?Faster infrastructure development in emerging markets
needs lots of Off-highway and Commercial Vehicle
tyres, where Apollo has had a strong presence, and will
continue to have, in the near future as well. Improved
infrastructure also means increasing speeds, emphasis on
wet and dry traction, and noise of tyres. We are geared up
to meet these challenges, as we are already supplying our
tyres to European countries, where one needs to meet the
stringent product regulations.TA News Bureau
Satish Sharma