India-based Apollo Tyres has commissioned its fifth factory in the country and seventh globally, with the first tires rolling out of its new Andhra Pradesh greenfield facility in the southern part of the country.
Located in Chinnapanduru village in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, the factory is spread over 256 acres. The company said capacity there will be ramped up gradually in the next 12-18 months, as demand improves; by 2022, this plant will have a capacity to produce 15,000 passenger car tires and 3,000 truck-bus radials per day. With a modular layout, capacity can be expanded with minimal effort.
Apollo stated that deployment of new manufacturing technologies at the facility will enable it to target premium OEMs and aftermarket customers in India. Additionally, it has not shirked its environmental obligations, and the plant has been designed to accommodate roof-top solar panels, to be introduced in a phased manner, alongside zero-discharge water with an inbuilt effluent treatment plant.
