Specialist off-highway tyre maker BKT has gained ISO/IEC 17025:2017 certification for the tyre testing and calibration capabilities within the laboratory at its Bhuj plant in India’s Gujarat state. Certification was awarded by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) according to international standards.
Heavy equipment manufacturer Manitou has homologated the Alliance 585 tyre range as an option for its MLT NewAg telehandlers. The Alliance 585 is now available from the factory on MLT NewAg and NewAg XL ranges in size 460/70R24.
TVS Srichakra Ltd., the two- and three-wheeler as well as off-highway tyre manufacturer, is planning a 10 billion rupee (£102 million; 112 million euro; US$135 million) investment programme. According to the company, the investment will increase two- and three-wheeler tyre production capacity by 25-30 per cent and double of off-highway tyre capacity from current levels.
Goodyear has launched a new off-highway tyre, the RH-4A+. The newest addition to its off-highway large haulage product line is engineered to deliver a lower operating cost per hour and higher productivity on hard rock surfaces. The tyre features an extra-deep E-4+ tread depth with a high net-to-gross tread pattern and optimised footprint pressure to help provide long hours to removal.
Camso, the off-road tyre specialist acquired by Michelin in 2018, has grown its off-highway transportation tyre service and distribution presence in North America with the acquisition of two material-handling solutions businesses from Metro Industrial Tires. These businesses are based in Chicago and provide service to the market via their own press truck fleets.
BKT says it is “ready to take up the challenge” of developing tyres for the coming generation of self-driving and electric off-highway vehicles. The tyre maker is already addressing changes within the agricultural and construction sectors with a range of solutions, drawing upon its almost 30-year experience and in dialogue with end-users.
Establishing offices in Canada and the USA last year have helped Magna Tyres Group gain a foothold in the North American off-highway tyre market, and the company reports demand for its products “rising rapidly” since the US office opened its doors in September 2019. A new sales manager now joins this office. Ryan Cusick has come on board to help Magna Tyres “focus even more on the brand presence, the distribution network and relationship with current and new customers.”
Magna Tyres Group has appointed Elie Sleiman General Manager of its Singapore office, effective 1 March. Sleiman will lead sales within the Oceania & South East Asia region and has responsibility for extending the Magna brand presence, distribution network, and will focus on developing strong customer relationships.
EATD recently disclosed plans to bring a new investor on board, and when we spotted Yogesh Mahansaria visiting the distributor’s stand at Agritechnica 2019 the list of potential investor candidates suddenly became a whole lot shorter. Mahansaria is indeed the new investor; EATD confirms that Mahansaria Tyres Private Limited (MTPL) has reached an in-principle agreement to acquire a major stake in the company.
A new strategic business partnership between Al Dobowi and GRI has been set up to facilitate the distribution of the GRI off-highway tyre brand in Middle Eastern and African markets. The partnership was officially launched at a function in Dubai on 29 April.
In India, the lighting of a lamp symbolises new beginnings. For BKT, this tradition was a fitting gesture for observing a significant step in what it calls the ‘Next Level’: The lighting ceremony marked the start of festivities to celebrate the inauguration of BKT’s rebuilt European headquarters on 5 April.
According to Nokian Tyres, global demand for premium heavy tyres is rising and new, larger tyres for bulkier machinery need to be developed. To meet this demand, the tyre maker’s Nokian Heavy Tyres unit will erect a new research and development centre in Nokia, Finland next year.
Yet another sports sponsorship for BKT – following on from the start of its Serie B and Coupe de la Ligue title sponsorships in Italy and France, the off-highway tyre specialist has entered into a partnership with the KFC Big Bash League (BBL) cricket league in Australia. BKT has signed an agreement with governing body Cricket Australia that secures its status as off-highway tyre supplier to the Twenty20 cricket league for three years.
We’re more used to seeing winter tyres in the car and truck segments, however off-highway tyre specialist BKT has launched a range of tyres developed with colder conditions in mind. These are the Earthmax SR 22, Snow Trac and Earthmax SR 42 for OTR applications, as well as Earthmax SR 33 and Ridemax IT 696 for the industrial sector.
When Tyrepress.com visited BKT’s new factory in Bhuj, India late in 2015, work had begun on a new research and development centre. The off-road tyre maker reports that this facility is now complete, and it recently inaugurated the ‘Suresh Poddar Innovation Hub’. The centre is named after the oldest of the three Poddar brothers. It is located within a 25-acre area called the Mahabirprasad Poddar Knowledge Center, named after BKT founder, the late Mahabirprasad Poddar.
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