Reise Moto, a leading tyre manufacturer for two-wheelers and motorcycle accessories, has onboarded Harith Noah, a motorsport rider, as its official Brand Athlete.

Noah is a leading motorcyclist and is among the few Indians to have successfully competed at Dakar Rally, which is considered one of the toughest motorsport event. He has also won many times at the Indian National Rally Championship and also competed in many international competitions making a name for himself.

The company aims to leverage Noah’s image to promote its range of tyres, helmets and motorcycle accessories.  

“Exciting times ahead! I am very thrilled to be associated with Reise Moto! This partnership is a natural fit given our shared passion for pushing boundaries. Together, we aim to create products that inspire confidence and deliver exceptional performance in the toughest conditions," said Noah. 

Yogesh Mahansaria, Founder & MD, Reise Moto, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Harith Noah to the Reise Moto family. His achievements on the global stage reflect our commitment to excellence, and his inspiring journey resonates with our mission to elevate the riding experience for the Indian biking community. While we are committed to nurturing motorsports in India, supporting talent from grassroots initiatives to global icons like Harith Noah, inspiring a new generation of riders to chase their dreams on and off the track, we aim to align our products with the aspirations of both sides of the world."

FORNNAX Technology, one of the world's leading shredding and recycling equipment manufacturers, recently held the groundbreaking ceremony for its 23-acre manufacturing site in Gujarat, India. This marks a major milestone for the company in its expansion plans.

This expansion is in line with the company's vision of strengthening its presence in India as well as globally in order to dominate the cutthroat recycling market. With plans to manufacture approximately 250 machinery units per year by 2030, the new unit is set to be one of the largest in the world. Jignesh Kundaria, CEO and Director of FORNNAX, and Kaushik Kundaria, Director of FORNNAX, laid the foundation stone for this ambitious project in the presence of key members of the leadership team and employees from different departments of the company.

Kundaria said, "The ceremony today marks a historic step for global recycling sector. We are excited to bring our high-quality and innovative equipment to cater various waste categories like tyres, municipal solid waste (MSW), cables, e-waste, aluminium, ferrous metals and more. This manufacturing unit will not only strengthen our global presence but will also contribute significantly to India’s Net Zero Emissions target by 2070 and drive economic growth. We are confident that our advanced manufacturing of high-capacity and heavy-duty machinery and commitment to quality will meet the needs of our global clientele who are looking for an efficient solution for their recycling business. This new manufacturing unit enables us to expand our reach in critical markets such as Australia, Europe, the GCC and more. We are actively working to build stronger sales and service partnerships in these regions, ensuring that our innovative recycling solutions are readily available and supported. By collaborating with our dedicated partners worldwide, we aim to set new standards by producing around 250 machines per year.”

Balkrishna Industries Ltd. (BKT), the Indian off-highway tyre manufacturer, reported a five percent year-on-year volume growth in Q3 FY25 while announcing plans for INR 11 billion to INR 12 billion capital expenditure in FY26.

The company achieved sales volumes of 76,343 metric tonnes for the quarter, with standalone revenue growing 11 percent to INR 25.71 billion.

"We are confident and hold on to our forecast of achieving minor sales volume growth in this financial year," said Rajiv Poddar, Joint Managing Director, despite challenging market conditions in Europe, the company's largest market contributing 43 percent of total sales.

Expansion and Investment Plans:

- Completed 30,000 MTPA advanced carbon material plant in September 2024

- Progressing on 35,000 MTPA OTR tyre range expansion

- First phase of OTR expansion to complete in H1 FY26

- FY25 capex at INR 9.68 billion for nine months

- Projected FY26 capex between INR 11- 12 billion

"The speciality carbon business samples are being given and tested. It will take time to ramp up," said Madhusudan Bajaj, Senior President, Commercial and CFO, regarding the new carbon black facility targeting plastics, ink and paint industries.

Strategic Growth Initiatives

The company strengthened its management team by appointing Satish Sharma as Senior President for Strategy and Business Development. The company has also set a vision to achieve 10 percent global market share in the off-highway tyre market.

"We are constantly investing in the capex and the growth of the company, whether it is in terms of promotion, in terms of product mix, in terms of setting up new capacities," Poddar explained when asked about capital allocation strategy.

Market Performance

In the Americas, where BKT has been focusing its efforts, the company is seeing positive results. "We are quite hopeful that this should stabilize and continue to grow over there," Poddar said regarding the American market outlook.

The company maintains approximately 6-7 percent market share in India's off-highway segment, with agricultural tyres reaching about 10 percent market share. "Agri would be closer to 10 percent, and the others are growing up," noted Poddar.

Raw Material Outlook

"The raw material prices are going up for 100 to 200 basis points, it should impact the margins," said Bajaj, adding that the major impact would be visible in the coming quarter due to shipping lag times.

Regional Distribution (9M FY25):

- Europe: 43%

- India: 29%

- Americas: 16%

- Rest of World: 12%

Segment-wise contribution showed replacement sales at 73 percent, OEM at 25 percent, with agriculture contributing 59 percent of total sales, followed by OTR, industrial, and construction at 38 percent.

Looking ahead, while maintaining caution about European market conditions, BKT continues its expansion strategy across markets, particularly in the Americas and emerging regions, backed by sustained investments in capacity and brand building.

The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., has once again secured a spot in CDP’s A List of companies for its leadership in corporate sustainability. This is Yokohama Rubber’s third-straight and sixth time on the A list by the global environmental non-profit organisation. The company received the highest score for its leadership in environmental transparency and climate change.

Based on its answers to the CDP's 2024 climate change questionnaire, Yokohama Rubber was chosen in recognition of its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce the risks associated with climate change and publish extremely transparent information. By tackling social concerns via its business operations, Yokohama Rubber is generating shared value under the sustainability motto ‘Caring for the Future’.

The global environmental disclosure system for businesses, cities, governments and regions is managed by CDP. Since its founding in 2000, it has encouraged businesses to reveal their environmental effects, cut greenhouse gas emissions, maintain forests and preserve water supplies. CDP scores are frequently used to influence procurement and investment choices in the direction of a resilient, sustainable and carbon-free economy. More than 2,100 firms in Japan and over 24,800 companies worldwide, including over 70 percent of corporations listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Prime Market, answered CDP's environmental disclosure questionnaire in 2024.

GRP, an Indian rubber recycling company, reported a 20 percent year-over-year revenue growth for both Q3 and the first nine months of FY25, despite facing margin pressures from elevated raw material costs.

The company recorded total income of INR 1,327 million in Q3 FY25, with EBITDA margins holding steady at 9.8 percent. For the nine-month period, revenue reached INR 3,912 million, while EBITDA stood at INR 363 million.

"We achieved a 12 percent increase in volumes on a standalone basis, with Reclaim Rubber volumes growing nine percent despite subdued global tyre demand," said Harsh Gandhi, Managing Director of GRP Limited.

The company recognized INR 121 million in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) credits year-to-date, with an additional INR 180 million worth of credits valued at minimum support price still available for sale.

Expansion Plans

GRP is moving forward with its INR 2.5 billion expansion plan, having secured financing from French development finance institution Proparco. The company has also received shareholder approval to raise an additional INR 1.5 billion through a qualified institutional placement.

"We remain on track to commence operations for the first line of crumb rubber and continuous pyrolysis line by Q4 of this financial year," Gandhi stated, noting that INR 330 million has already been invested in the project.

Industry Developments

The expansion comes as major carbon black producers like Birla Carbon, Epsilon Carbon, and Phillips Carbon Black launch recovered carbon black products using tyre pyrolysis oil (TPO).

"With carbon black producers now actively sourcing TPO to produce their own grades of recovered carbon black, it allows us a new avenue for sale, which was maybe 6 to 8 months ago, was non-existent," Gandhi explained.

Future Outlook

The company expects margins to stabilize following recent raw material cost pressures, particularly in its synthetic rubber reclaim business. GRP's subsidiary focused on recycled polyolefins is gaining approvals from major brands ahead of new recycling regulations taking effect from April 2025.

"Once we do get into this business, there are a lot of synergies between the two businesses, and that will allow for the overall margin profile of the business to move towards mid-teens and even a little higher towards the high-teen EBITDA numbers for a consolidated level," Gandhi added.