Apollo Tyres starts production from Hungarian plant

Built over 72 hectares, construction began on site in April 2015. The company is investing € 475 million in this facility. The final capacity at the end of phase I would be 5.5 million passenger car & light truck (PCLT) tyres and 675,000 commercial vehicle tyres. This facility will complement Apollo Tyres’ existing facility in the Netherlands, and will produce both Apollo and Vredestein brands of tyres for the European market.

The inauguration also marks 40 years for the company being in the business of manufacturing and selling of tyres. India’s leading tyre manufacturer started its journey in the mid 70s from a single plant in the rubber producing state of Kerala. Started with making only truck tyres, became the market leader in the segment, and then entered other product segments. The company ventured into passenger vehicle tyres relatively recently (in 2000s), but quickly became the largest producer of these tyres in India; similarly, it entered the truck-bus radial segment around 2006, and already has the largest capacity in this segment in India.

Apollo Tyres was the first Indian tyre major to make an international acquisition in 2006, followed by a second one in 2009, was also the first one to start selling India-made products in the European market, considered as the most advanced automotive market. The company is now poised to be a major force in key international markets on the back of its significant investments in R&D and manufacturing, supported by its brand building activities.