European, Indian connections benefitting Vredestein

The upper end of the agricultural tyre market is keenly contested, pressure from below is strong, and manufacturers must walk a tightrope between covering the cost of R&D investments and finding competitive price points. The Vredestein strategy is to split production between two locations, a practice that enables the brand to offer high end solutions while also catering to farmers and contractors who prioritise affordability.
The Dutch brand has produced agricultural tyres since 1955 and is proud of its credentials as an innovator within the sector. Its dedicated R&D team in Enschede, the Netherlands have claimed a number of firsts over the years. Today more than 160 people work at this facility and within the agricultural segment specialise in XL, VF and large flotation tyres. They develop these flagship with European farmers and contractors in mind and the company also produces these in Enschede, mainly for distribution within the region.
The story is different for their 70 and 85 series counterparts. Tractors equipped with these tyres typically aren’t used every day and this means the emphasis for Vredestein is on remaining affordable in the face of stiff competition, but the brand has an ace up its sleeve.
“Apollo Tyres is the proud owner of Vredestein,” states Benoit Rivallant, the company’s Europe region president. The 2009 acquisition of Vredestein by Apollo Tyres has particular significance in the agricultural segment as Apollo Tyres is the number one player in India – the world’s largest agricultural market. “Our agricultural tyres are sold in India under the Apollo name and there is some overlap between sizes for that market and for Europe, which means we can easily adopt the India solution and export these as Vredestein tyres from a dedicated factory in the south of the country.
“This gives enables us to give farmers in Europe the advantage of a better price than we could from European production,” Rivallant adds. “We try to get the best of both worlds to make sure the farmer gets the best value for money.”

Flagship tyres such as the VF Traxion Optimall (l) are made in Europe, while products such as the Traxion 70 are imported from India (Photo: Stephen Goodchild / Tyre Industry Publications Ltd)
Supplying the 4 largest machinery manufacturers
Thanks to a range that offers both competitive premium pricing and the latest technologies, the agricultural segment accounts for 20 to 30 per cent of Vredestein’s turnover. Aftermarket sales are obviously a major portion of this, but the brand is also growing its original equipment business.
In October 2023, Apollo Tyres announced it is now working with AGCO, which has chosen the Vredestein VF Traxion Optimall as an original equipment tyre for its new range of Fendt 700 Gen7 tractors in the rear wheel size VF 710/70 R 42 and front size VF 600/70 R 30. Guido Boerkamp, who is director of Apollo Tyres’ Off-Highway Tyres division for Europe, shares that this OEM arrangement will soon extend to more sizes, both for the 700 as well as for other Fendt ranges.
“We are now an original equipment supplier to the four largest agricultural machinery manufacturers, John Deere, CNH Industrial/New Holland, AGCO/Fendt and Claas. We gained all four as customers thanks to the pull effect. Large-scale farmers and contractors are very conscious when equipping a tractor with a set of tyres worth up to £20,000, which of course is a lot of money. But they know what the return on their investment is, and that’s why they request Vredestein tyres.”
DLG certification for Flotation Optimall
One recent Vredestein release that Rivallant and Boerkamp directed our attention to is the Flotation Optimall, a VF flotation tyre developed to better preserve the soil underneath heavy slurry tankers and agricultural trailers. Vredestein Flotation Optimall debuted in spring 2023 and at the end of the year gained certification by the German Agricultural Society (DLG).
The independent institute evaluated the tyre against several competitors in the popular size VF 750/60R30.5, fitting these to a Kaweco three-axle slurry tanker. To ensure a fair and equal test, machines, tyre load, speed and field conditions remained the same for each tested tyre.
“There were two premium competitors and one budget,” comments Guido Boerkamp. “What was the difference between Flotation Optimall and the others? The difference is the tyre’s construction, which determines its deflection. The more a tyre defects the longer its footprint will be. If you have a bigger contact area to distribute your pressure, this reduces pressure.”
Field tests showed that ground pressure from Vredestein Flotation Optimall was 25 per cent lower than the other VF competitor tyres tested. Contact surface was also the largest in its class. Compared to the budget VF tyres in the test, the Vredestein tyre achieved no less than 50 per cent less soil pressure.
“The new development of Vredestein, the Flotation Optimall VF 750/60R30.5 187 D, had a contact area pressure of less than one kg/cm² (0.92 kg/cm²) at 1.0 bar air pressure, making it the only tyre with a value below 1, out of 5 different tyres tested. This sets new standards in the segment of trailer tyres, which have to cope with high and changing wheel loads,” reports DLG.
The field track depth of the Vredestein VF Flotation Optimall was 24 per cent shallower than the runner-up tyre, a difference that translates to significant savings in fuel consumption when pulling a 40-tonne slurry tanker. The test demonstrated that the Vredestein VF tyre can offer up to 3 l/h of fuel savings; at December 2023 prices for red diesel, this corresponds to a savings potential of up to £2.25 per operational hour in the field.
“The latest test results from DLG showcases the opportunity to easily save farmers thousand euros per machine per year on fuel, when using the Vredestein Flotation Optimall,” comments Guido Boerkamp. “Moreover, farmers will generate higher yields year after year, taking care of their valuable soil.”
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