Equipped for Growth

With over 25 accomplished years of presence in the ´Off-Highway Tires´ segment, Balkrishna Industries (BKT) is undoubtedly a global business leader. Balkrishna Industries (BKT) enjoys a principal presence in five con¡tinents around the world, enca¡psulating over 130 countries. The company, since its inception in 1988, has grown into a diversified industrial conglomerate and a preferred supplier to international OEM´s in industrial, construction and agricultural tyre segments.Quality conscious users in countries like Europe and America prefer BKT as their supplier, reinforcing the superior quality and perfor¡mance of the company´s products. ´Each of BKT´s products pass over 450 stages of tests resulting in the company´s products being known for their reliability and have the lowest claim ratio in the industry,´ informs Rajiv Poddar, Joint Managing Director, BKT. One stop shop BKT has four state-of-the art manufacturing plants across India. The company currently provides over 2,300 different SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) for various kinds of applications. It has products from 5 inch rim diameter to 54 inch rim diameter for vehicles ranging from trailers, forklifts, etc, to technologically advanced machines like high horsepower tractors, combines, harvesters, GPS controlled vehicles, articulated dump trucks, high-speed cranes, sophisticated port vehicles and container handlers, etc. Wide presence BKT, since 2008, has ventured into the production of all steel radials. Alongwith its steel radial plant at Bhuj in Gujarat and Chopanki in Rajasthan, the company has opened a state-of-the-art, advanced production plant at Bhuj in Gujarat that will focus on producing top of the line OTR tyres with special focus on the radial segment. These tyres range from a 20 inch diameter tipper truck size to a 51 inch rigid dump truck size, in both radial and bias range. Port tyres BKT has recently launched an ultra-advanced range of tyres for high speed cranes. The tyre 445/95R25 enables heavy high speed cranes to journey at an unprecedented incredible speed of 80 km per hour.The company also has a modern dedicated R&D facility equipped with state- of-the art technology to develop various types of rubber compounds for manufacturing tyres for various applications. Despite having one of the most advanced testing labs in the country, it is also associated with various testing facilities across Europe. This ensures maximum assessment before its products are rolled out to the markets. New Solutions BKT caters to an expansive range for clients all over the world. Dilip Vaidya, Director and President-Technology, BKT, says, ´In addition to the state-of-the-art factories, we also possess an in-house mould design and a production plant, which enables us to achieve production flexibility and frequent changeover in the production cycles as per demand.´ This enables the company to attend to specific demands of its exclusive customers, by exclusively creating products to encounter their specific needs. A world leader in the industrial construction equipment segment, the company produces back¡hoe loader, compactor, paver, skidsteer and tippers. The company has ventured into the production of mining and industrial solutions providing a huge range of tyre variants for various applications. A Greenfield project The manufacturing plant at Bhuj in Gujarat is the fourth manufacturing unit set up by BKT in India. The project, on 300 acre near Mundra port, offers logistical advantages in the transport of raw materials and export of containerized tyres. The site foresees a large warehouse and about 15 acre is dedicated exclusively to Research and development. The testing facility at the plant is equipped with indoor and outdoor testing areas for the products and a special testing track to provide for test runs and on field tests for the tyres. Poddar adds, ´The plant will enhance our total capacity by about 120,000 tonne per year in addition to its 180,000 tonne that is obtained from the other three plants. Plans are being made to modify the Bhuj plant and extend its production capacity to the level of 280,000 metric tonne.´