Construction of Apollo Tyres’ first European greenfield plant in Gyöngyöshalász at Hungary started on April 10 with the foundation-stone laying ceremony. To start production in early 2017, the facility will produce both Apollo and Vredestein branded tyres and will cater to the entire European market.
Mr. Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary, and Mr. Onkar S. Kanwar, Chairman of Apollo Tyres, jointly laid the foundation for the facility in the presence of Mr. Neeraj Kanwar, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Apollo Tyres, Dr. László Szabó, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, GyörgyHiesz, Mayor of Gyöngyös, János Pásztor, Mayor of Gyöngyöshalász, Dr. Gábor Pajtók, Administrative Government Commissioner of the Government Office of Heves Country, and Róbert Szabó, President of General Assembly of Heves Country.
Mr. Onkar S. Kanwar said on the occasion: “This is a significant milestone for us at Apollo Tyres, considering that a few years back we didn’t have any presence in Europe, and today we are looking at having our 2nd manufacturing unit in place. With the new capacity in Hungary, we will be able to further increase our focus on the European market.”
The Gyöngyöshalász facility will be a state-of-the-art plant, and once completed, will have a capacity to produce 5.5 million passenger car & light truck (PCLT) tyres and 675,000 HCV tyres per annum. This facility will complement Apollo Tyres’ existing facility in the Netherlands, bringing the whole range of Apollo and Vredestein branded tyres to the European market.
This upcoming plant is located less than 100 km from Budapest and meets the needs of Apollo Tyres, including having close proximity to various OE manufacturers as potential customers.
Recruitment for the new factory has started at the beginning of this year, and the company has already signed scholarship programmes with close to 90 technicians who will be contracted as employees from July 1. In the second half of the year, 150 more technicians will be employed, together with qualified engineers, to join the international tyre manufacturer’s team.