Developed countries are focusing on Asian countries including India to invest in all sectors including automobile and consequently markets are increasingly opening up for rubber-based products, said VJ Kurian, chairman, Rubber Board.
He was delivering the inaugural address at the training programme on non-tyre automotive rubber components organised by the Rubber Training Institute of the Rubber Board and Indian Rubber Institute (IRI), today.
Of the total rubber consumption in the country, 60 per cent is by large tyre companies having adequate infrastructure and R&D facilities. But the majority of the manufacturing units, numbering about 5,000, which consumes the rest of the production are micro, small and medium enterprises.
These units require further strengthening, through training and other measures, to become globally competitive, Kurian said. R Mukhopadhyay, director, Harisankar Singhania Elastomer and Tyre Research Institute in Rajasthan, presided over the meeting.