Magazine for the professional tire industry
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MTD January 2016 Focus on industry a solid foundation to be brought to life — in other words, people and technology." Te investments have gone beyond the company's national borders, he continued. BKT has opened four overseas ofces: one in Europe, two in the U.S. and one in Canada. BKT products are sold in more than 130 countries worldwide. "So, what is BKT's dream?" said Poddar. "What is BKT's vision? Te answer is: to achieve the leadership in the of- highway tire market worldwide." Building the plant 'When we dream alone it is only a dream, but when many dream together it is the beginning of a new reality.' Rajiv Poddar, joint managing director, paraphrasing Austrian artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser Te city of Bhuj, strategically located near the Kandla Port in India, was chosen as the site for the new $375 million plant. BKT also was able to secure a 312-acre parcel of land to accommodate the plant, an R&D; center, test tracks, large tire warehouses and employee housing. Te land was essentially a desert, not only populated by herds of bears, bufaloes and foxes, but also known for its seismic activity and high winds. Preparing the plant for an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter Scale and reinforcing the roofops help explain some of the cost overruns. "Showing great commitment and dedication, everything was created out of nothing," said Rajiv Poddar, joint managing director. W hen the new plant reaches full capacity in 2017, it will be able to produce 150,000 metric tons of of-highway tires annually. BKT's other three plants produce 150,000 metric tons combined. "Looking at fgures and dimensions, Bhuj is a very impres- sive industrial complex," said Rajiv. "Yet it is more than just a prestigious entity for production, research and testing. Bhuj is a small town ofering manifold social and leisure facilities for those who work in our company and their families." In the "township area," there are 406 fats for employees' families and 90 rooms for university students who have opted to work with BKT. Tere are also jogging trails, a large recreation center for indoor and outdoor activities, a medical center and a mall. Te Bhuj plant also has its own fre station, with seven frefghting trucks and two ambulances. 'Te path has been paved' 'Always believe in your dreams, because if you don't, you'll not have hope.' Mahatma Gandhi, Indian political leader and pacifst More than 7,000 people are employed at BKT. Tey produce more than 2,400 SKUs of farm, OTR , industrial, ATV and lawn and garden tires. Tose numbers will increase as the Bhuj plant ramps up. It already is running at 46% capacity. " Without ever losing sight of BKT's fundamental values such as the care for our people, the care for the environment, and the care for our customers, Bhuj has enabled us to play a completely new game from the perspective of exponential growth and aiming at global leadership — even if we are just at the initial moves and the results are just a litle gleam," said Rajiv Poddar. "Te path has been paved, and soon, this gleam will shine bright unveiling the results. W hat remains to be done is to follow in the footsteps of our founder." ■ For its curing presses, BKT uses state-of-the-art tire load- ers that can handle large diameter tires. BKT manufactures its own tire molds, which shortens the time to market. Bhuj by the numbers Here is a breakdown of Balkrishna Industries Ltd.'s new off-highway tire plant in Bhuj, India. Plant cost. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $500 million Total acres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312 Central area, plant . . . . . . . . . . . . more than 72 acres Outdoor track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 acres Township area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . more than 15 acres Plant build-up area . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5 million meters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (11.5 million feet) Raw material storage area . . . . . . . . 20,000 square meters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (215,278 square feet) R&D; center (when completed) . . 25,000 square feet Daily present capacity . . . . . . . . 120-150 metric tons Daily full capacity (2017) . . . . . . . 325 metric tons Tire warehousing capacity . . . . . 25,000 metric tons BKT also has off-highway tire plants in Aurangabad, Bhiwadi and Chopanki, India. Some 2,400 SKUs are produced at the four plants. 78