Successful first edition draws 533 exhibitors & 16,000+ visitors
THE TIRE COLOGNE 2018 held for the first time at Cologne in Germany from May 29 to June 1 delivered a successful performance, with 533 exhibitors and another 70 brands from 40 countries participating in the trade fair. The action-packed exhibition presented innovations and products from the segments of tires and wheels, automotive services and workshop needs, tire remoulding, as well as tire recycling and disposal.
“THE TIRE COLOGNE successfully mastered the ‘tire change’ to Cologne. The performance was optimal: visitor quality, event concept, new orientation and the generous hall offering of the Cologne location convinced exhibitors and visitors”, summarised Katharina C. Hamma, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse.
“The new strength of THE TIRE COLOGNE with the international conferences ‘Global Retreading Conference’ and ‘Future Tire Conference’ and the expansion surrounding the themes of digitalisation, recycling and fleet management have provided sustained impulses and once again decisively confirmed the correctness of our decision in favour of a new industry platform in Cologne. An impressive premiere event”, said Stephan Helm, Chairman of the German association of the tire and vulcanisation trade (BRV).
THE TIRE COLOGNE registered more than 16,000 trade visitors from 113 countries. Around 60 per cent of visitors travelled to Cologne from abroad – an outstanding key indicator for a premiere event. The exhibitors especially emphasised the high level of visitor quality.
According to a survey, more than 80 per cent of trade visitors were highly satisfied with the exhibition offering and more than 90 per cent would recommend a visit to the event to their business acquaintances. Visitors also praised the clear structure in the air-conditioned halls of the fair. “These positive assessments encourage us to develop more conceptual ideas that strengthen the industry for future challenges”, explains Katharina C. Hamma.
While all brands from the top 20 companies of the current ‘tire world ranking list’ were present at the show, the strongest international contingents came from Italy, the Netherlands, the UK and Turkey, as well as from China, India, Taiwan and the US.
In addition to the tire and wheel segments, automotive services and workshop needs, tire remoulding and tire recycling, THE TIRE COLOGNE provided important impulses for future development of the industry with the integration of the pioneering themes like digitalisation, recycling or fleet and motor pool management. The lectures and expert discussions at the Digital Reality and Recycling Forum areas and in the Tire Fleet Lounge were well attended.
The set-up of the two-day ‘Future Tire Conference’ also convinced the more than 110 congress participants. Top experts of the industry presented the decisive trends and developments of tomorrow and discussed the chances and challenges of the tire industry.
The most important themes here were also the effects of the digitalisation of tire design, manufacture and delivery, as well as progress in the material sciences and processing technologies. Sessions on global market trends, efficient production facilities and sustainability, as well as the increasing demands of consumers were also on the agenda.
Indian participation
Indian tyre-makers and providers of other products & services for the tyre sector made an impressive presence at the show. We take a look at some of the notable ones that left a mark at the exhibition.
TVS Srichakra
TVS Srichakra, one of India’s largest manufacturers & exporters of two & three-wheeler tyres and off-highway tyres, displayed a select range of products at the show. With its long-standing association with prestigious trade shows across the world, TVS Srichakra leveraged its expertise on the global platform by displaying its diverse product portfolio that included off-highway tyres sold under the brand name ‘TVS EUROGRIP’.
Speaking on the company’s participation at the fair, Mr. P. Vijayaraghavan, Director, TVS Srichakra, said: “We are delighted to be part of the first edition of THE TIRE COLOGNE. The show will help us to reach out to a larger audience and showcase our product range. By participating in such a prestigious fair, we also aim to effectively maximize our visibility and further strengthen our presence in the global market.”
CEAT
Well-known Indian tyre brand CEAT, part of the RPG Group, had an impressive pavilion at the show, showcasing its tyre range for the passenger car (PCR), truck (TBR) and industrial segments. The company currently has Middle East and Africa as its major export markets and has identified Europe as a potential target market going forward.
Mr. Narayan Ganesh, GM – Business Development (Europe), CEAT, shares: “We see Europe as our biggest opportunity for the future which is why we are focusing on developing the right kind of products for the region. We are already half way there in the PCR segment and would like to find new partners to plug holes wherever we are not present currently within the category. We are planning to officially launch our TBR range in Europe next year and are aware that the region will be a fresh challenge for us since the conditions and customer expectations are different. Based on our PCR experience we are confident of cracking this market quite well.”
CEAT will also soon be entering the light truck radial segment in Europe, given its prominence due to the high level of inland movement in the region. The company has more than 100 distributors and channel partners outside India and is working on further expanding its presence in overseas markets. At present, 15 per cent of the tyre maker’s revenue comes from its global business, which the company expects to shoot to around 25 per cent by 2021, majorly driven by its growth in the European market.
BKT
Balkrishna Industries (BKT) made its presence felt with a stunning pavilion displaying two of its most sought-after products in the European market. Says Mr. D.M. Vaidya, President and Director – Technology, BKT: “We are No.1 and well established in the agriculture segment in the European market. We are coming up in the earthmoving segment as well. We are doing well in Europe, Middle East, Far East and the US and will see major growth in this segment. There has been a huge rise in demand for our bigger tyres; we have displayed our 49-inch tyre here for which demand is very high. We have a 100-tonne machine for producing this tyre and our order books are full until September 2019. We currently have only one 100-tonne machine and are adding two more machines which will be operational by 2019.”
BKT, which has its manufacturing facility at Bhuj in Gujarat, sells its products in more than 130 countries worldwide. In the domestic market, the company has launched its ‘Commander’ series for the agricultural segment and hopes to grow well with the new product line. BKT had registered a 15% growth in FY18, with a market share of 15 per cent in the domestic OTR market which it expects to increase to 20 per cent in the current fiscal.
Elgi Rubber Company
Elgi Rubber Company, headquartered in Coimbatore, has its strong presence with subsidiaries in Australia, Brazil, Kenya, the Netherlands, Sri Lanka and the US. Elgi manufactures a comprehensive range of raw material, equipment, tools and accessories used in the rubber industry, predominantly for the tyre sector. With state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, testing laboratories and R&D centres around the world, the company is able to deliver products to the most demanding users.
In an exclusive chat with MOTORINDIA, Mr. Sudarsan Varadaraj, Chairman and Managing Director, Elgi Rubber Company, shares: “We have showcased our total solutions here at the show. We are using this platform to keep in touch with our existing distributors and suppliers and further establish our presence in the region. We cater to the premium segment of retreading and stay out of price-sensitive markets. We retread more radial tyres than anybody else in the world. Our products might cost almost twice our cheaper competitors’ price but they deliver three times more life. If customers want a long-term solution, then ours is the most cost effective one.”
Elgi Rubber Company made revenue of close to Rs. 400 crores in FY18, half of which came from its Indian business and the rest from global markets. While the company looks to further grow its business in the coming years, it feels maintaining its market share over the next couple of years would be a challenge, especially given the influx of Chinese products across different global markets. “Our business will get better once people start buying a product that’s really worth”, says Mr. Varadaraj.
KRM Tyres
KRM Tyres, off-shoot of Kohinoor Rubber Mills in Jalandhar, Punjab, popularly known as ‘The Rubber People’, had an attractive presence at the fair. The company produces tyres for all segments of vehicles, including motorcycles, three-wheelers, LCVs, fork lifts and all-terrain vehicles, and is also the only company to manufacture tractor puller tyres in India that are used in tractor puller racing. The company has a manufacturing plant at Baddi in Himachal Pradesh with a capacity of 30 tonnes which is being doubled in the coming months. KRM is planning to set up a radial plant which it expects to be commissioned by the beginning of 2019.
KRM Tyres has presence in a number of overseas markets, including Europe, North and South Americas, Africa, Far East, Gulf region, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The company decided to participate in The Tire Cologne to showcase its expertise to a global audience and connect with potential customers in the European region.
Mr. Sandeep Jain, CEO, KRM Tyres, states: “We have presence in over 60 countries at present and have a minimum of two distributors in each market. We are present at this trade fair to showcase our expertise and capability to global customers. We are in discussions with a couple of OEMs in Europe for supplying tyres for the agricultural segment and hope to bag orders soon. We listen to our customers and go to the grass-root level by giving them field reports and samples for testing, which is why many of them have been working with us for more than six years.”
Sarveshwari Engineers
Sarveshwari Engineers welcomed the existing and potential customers to its booth with its globally-accepted range of tools and accessories. The company is a well-known name in the European market and sells its wide range of products, including accessories for wheel balancing, tyre changing and wheel alignment and tools for tyre repair and service to a number of customers in the region.
Talking to MOTORINDIA, Mr. Mahendra N. Goel, President, Sarveshwari Engineers, says: “We manufacture all types of tools and accessories in India and export them to customers in more than 70 countries at present. Almost 50% of our production goes to the US market, 25% to Europe and the rest to other parts of the world. Europe is a very important market for us and we have a number of satisfied and loyal customers in this region.”
Sarveshwari Engineers considers product quality, performance and its team’s swift response as the three main factors that enable it to keep customers happy. The company is known for its openness to customer views, feedback and suggestions and keeps adding new products accordingly in order to meet customer requirements.
Sarveshwari Engineers, along with its sister company Sarveshwari Technologies Ltd. that offers a range of garage equipment and other solutions to the Indian market, made a turnover of $4 million in FY18, a 10% growth from the previous fiscal. The company is aiming to achieve a 20 per cent jump in sales during the current fiscal, with a turnover target of Rs. 100 crores by 2020 for both companies combined.
MRL Tyres
The New Delhi-based MRL Tyres, part of the Malhotra Group of Industries, specialises in off-road tyres, mainly for the agricultural and industrial segments. The company makes globally-accepted tyres ranging from 8 to 48 inch and is exporting its products to over 90 countries, including the US, South America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
In the domestic market, MRL sells its products predominantly in the northern region, catering to some of the big names in the construction equipment segment including JCB and Caterpillar among other brands. The company put up an eye-catching stall at the fair as part of its attempt to expand its presence in the European region and also explore the possibility of identifying partners to develop its business in new markets.
THE TIRE COLOGNE in figures
Number of exhibiting companies – 533
German exhibitors – 169
Overseas exhibitors – 364
Number of countries (of exhibiting companies) – 40
Gross exhibition space – 65,700 m²
Number of trade visitors – 16,000+
Number of countries (of trade visitors) – 113
Share of foreign visitors – 60%