Yokohama inaugurates its first tyre plant in India

Yokohama India, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Yokohama Rubber Company, has set up its new tyre manufacturing plant at HSIIDC, in Bahadurgarh. Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Chief Minister, Haryana inaugurated the Rs 300 crore manufacturing unit.

Speaking on this occasion Hooda, says, “We are glad that Yokohama India chose Bahadurgarh. Of every two cars being manufactured in India, one comes from Haryana. Infact, 70 per cent of the total Japanese investments in India are in Haryana.”

The commercial production of the tyres will begin in the second-half of the year 2014. According to Takeshi Fujino, Managing Director, Yokohama India, the production can be scaled upto 8,000 tyres per day in the next phases of growth.

The manufacturer claims that Yokohama tyres are designed specially keeping the Indian roads in mind. The Yokohama Earth 1 tyre comes with a wear and tear control shoulder design. The tyres have vertical and horizontal grooves which reduces uneven wear and tear. The central rib of the tyre, according to the manufacturer, helps in maximising its performance.

Yokohama India currently has around 600 sales touch points including 22 Yokohama Club Networks (YCN) across the country. YCN is a specialised network based on the company’s global philosophy of providing a world-class tyre buying experience to its dealers. The company plans to spread its wings in the country by doubling the number of YCN’s by the end of the year 2014.

Yokohama currently competes only in the tubeless radial tyre market segment, holding a two per cent market share in the country. With the new manufacturing unit which will cater to the increasing demand of tubeless tyres, the company plans to target five per cent market share.