JK Tyre Hits 10-Million Mark In Truck & Bus Radials

First Indian company to achieve feat

- Sarada Vishnubhatla

How does one top a gargantuan achievement like touching the 10 million mark? By doubling it. A seasoned businessman like Dr. Raghupati Singhania has all the reason to laugh in a light-hearted manner at the conjecture, yet offers a practical answer: “Touching the first 10 million was a Herculean task because JK Tyre introduced radials in India. Radials, in India, will achieve 50:50 share by next year. With rapid radialization, I am sure our next 20 will come faster.”

We caught up with Dr. Singhania, CMD of JK Tyre & Industries Ltd., at JK Tyre’s milestone achievement of rolling out its 10 millionth tyre at its Mysore plant. By 2020, Dr. Singhania hopes to “become a three billion dollar company’ from the current 1.4 billion dollar. He shares the trajectory the company will take to achieve this goal. “This growth will come from organic, inorganic, brown and green field sectors from both national and international arenas.”

Nurturing the market

It never was easy – whether in the past when it introduced radials or now when it wants to create firmer footprints abroad. Ask him, and Dr. Singhania will vouch for the tough job of nurturing customers involved: “Nobody knows us abroad. Though we are exporting to 90 countries around the world, we are very small in those markets.”

Reminiscing, he said the company has come a long way. “I still remember the early days when truckers would ask - What kind of a tyre is this which has steel in it? Why is there a hook in a tyre? How do you say that this will give a smooth ride? And we would explain the benefits of radial tyres. The radialization curve was slow then, and now is the point when it is rising.”

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