The unprecedented lockdown imposed in March last year turned the supply chain of companies upside down, and the tyre companies were no exception. However, the intensity of disturbance was relatively high for Yokohama Off-Highway Tires (YOHT), which exports more than 90 percent of its production. According to Padmakumar G, Executive Vice President – SCM at YOHT, unprecedented lockdown led to unprecedented initiatives for YOHT. “Most importantly, we learned the importance of being able to react, adapt and set up crisis management mechanisms to weather situations of uncertainty,” says Padmakumar G.

Q) Was Yokohama Off-Highway Tires (YOHT) ready for the unprecedented lockdown?

Padmakumar G: The whole of 2020 was an extraordinary time when ‘business as usual’ was not an option. From the beginning of the year, it was clear that we were braced for a marathon and not a sprint.

At work, we had a unique period of simultaneous supply and demand shocks. Our plants in India were closed for a couple of weeks. As they (plants) were finally allowed to operate, we faced government-mandated operating restrictions and labour shortages that prevented us from running the plants at total capacity.

On the positive side, our plant in Israel was running at full capacity and continued shipments as planned. All sales and administrative employees at global locations were working from home and were doing their best to be accessible at all times. In North America, our network of national warehouses was open, stocked at historically high inventory levels and operating at full local, regional, and national distribution capacity to ensure continued deliveries to locations.

Our competitive position, market share, brand and diversification of our businesses in products and regions helped us see some all-time highs during these challenging times.

Q) Vendors and customers got panicked because of the uncertainties instilled by the lockdowns. How did you keep their morale and confidence intact in those tough times?

Padmakumar G: Unprecedented lockdown led to unprecedented initiatives for YOHT. The acute restrictions and lockdowns created many urgent situations that required immediate attention in the early days of the pandemic. At YOHT, we believe that no crisis should go to waste.

Adaptability, inventiveness and tenacity of our team paved the way to a ‘recovery mode’, and we started planning for the longer-term proactively. We did not face substantial business and operational disruptions – from mitigating the effects of reduced supply to managing disruptions to logistics suppliers and hurdles in meeting their contractual obligations to customers.

YOHT has an agile team that quickly reprioritised the customers’ requirement and ensured critical supply continuation through our multiple sourcing locations. We closely integrated with suppliers, vendors and customers to have better visibility. Consistent communication and streamlining the complexity helped us keep our commitments while keeping the morale and confidence in the most challenging times.

Q) YOHT is mainly into export of products and imports of raw materials? How did you cope up with the supply-demand situation?

Padmakumar G: Prioritisation of critical supply with effective utilisation of available inventories of finished goods, raw materials, and production capacities were the immediate focus in the lockdown situation. What also helped is that we have a wide base of sourcing raw material from multiple sources. We were able to keep our facility running at full efficiency to meet market requirement. We stepped up all measures to ensure that our customers get our products in the earliest shipments.

Q) ATG is now a part of Yokohama, a global giant in the tyre industry. What changes has Yokohama brought in the supply chain?

Padmakumar G: Yokohama has a strong legacy of quality, and its manufacturing and supply chain is very process-driven. The Kaizen processes and digitalisation of our daily supply chain activities helped us improve our process and culture. 

Q) What did you learn from the pandemic?

Padmakumar G: The importance of supply chain resilience and risk management is more apparent than ever. Most importantly, we learned the importance of being able to react, adapt and set up crisis management mechanisms to weather situations of uncertainty. 

Q) There has always been pressure to reduce cost and improve efficiency by shortening the order-to-delivery period. Could you share a couple of examples highlighting the company’s efforts that reduced the cost and enhanced supply chain efficiency?

 Padmakumar G: To shorten the order to delivery, YOHT has initiated Strategic Inventory build-up through S&CP (Sales & Capacity Planning) and effective cost management through strategic buying of raw materials. We have also increased the manufacturing flexibility to reduce delivery in our business of handling 3500+SKU’s.

Q) What new ideas will the company implement at the Visakhapatnam plant to have better supply chain management?

Padmakumar G: Investment in technology that will gain data insights like MES & digitalisation, improving transparency and considerations on sustainability in the supply chain will be key focus areas of our SCM processes in the Visakhapatnam plant. 

Q) What are the current challenges in the business?

Padmakumar G: Current situation of increased raw material cost, an aggressive demand for containers and increased shipping cost are some of the major challenges in SCM across industries. 

Bekaert has flagged off its first fleet of LNG-powered trucks in India in collaboration with GreenLine, the country’s leading provider of sustainable heavy trucking solutions. The joint initiative is aimed at supporting India’s vision for a gas-based economy and reducing the carbon footprint of road logistics.

The foundation of the collaboration with GreenLine is a mutual dedication to operational innovation and ESG standards. Bekaert has the infrastructure required to trial this effort in Chennai and Halol, with plans to expand following a six-month learning period, thanks to GreenLine's LNG ecosystem, which is supported by real-time telemetry and a smooth refuelling network. It is anticipated that each LNG truck will save up to 24 tonnes of CO₂ a year, making a significant contribution to Bekaert's targets of 65 percent of sales coming from sustainable sources and carbon net zero by 2050.

Dinesh Mukhedkar, Procurement Operations Lead – South Asia and Procurement Global Shared Service Centre Lead, said, “As part of our purpose, ‘Establishing the new possible’, and our ambition to lead in safe, smart and sustainable solutions, decarbonising logistics is an essential step. Heavy-duty transport contributes nearly 90 percent of emissions in Indian logistics. Switching to LNG helps reduce CO₂ by up to 30 percent and particulate matter by up to 91 percent compared to diesel. GreenLine’s mission and integrated support made them the ideal partner. Together, we are shaping a cleaner, more sustainable future for logistics in India.”

Trelleborg Tires is all prepped up to debut the ART1000, its first agricultural rubber track for high-powered machinery, at the upcoming Agrishow 2025, the largest agribusiness trade show in Latin America. The company will also display its TM150 CFO tyre, which is developed for a new generation of sprayers, along with a wide selection of products designed for modern farming. The event is scheduled to be held from 28 April to 2 May in Ribeirão Preto (SP), Brazil.

Trelleborg Tires enters the agricultural rubber track market with the ART1000, a tyre designed for high-horsepower machines. In addition to optimizing vehicle economy and offering additional strength and long-lasting durability, the ART1000 is engineered for remarkable adaptability and mobility of agricultural machinery in all operating circumstances. Its track design incorporates cutting-edge tread bars that reduce soil compaction, encouraging nutrient absorption and robust root development. In demanding high-pull applications, the high self-cleaning capability maximizes overall performance and lowers operating costs by improving ride quality and increasing traction. Even in the most demanding agricultural settings, ART1000's exceptional wear and cut resistance is ensured by its cutting-edge engineering and sophisticated rubber compounds.

The TM150 CFO series, which comes in sizes VF380/90R46 and has both VF (Very High Flexion) and CFO (Cyclic Field Operations) technology, is also making its debut in Brazil. CFO allows for greater load capacity during cyclic operations at up to 30 kmph when installed on contemporary, powerful sprayers. Because of its unique internal construction, the TM150 can operate at lower pressures, increasing its ground footprint, reducing soil compaction, and improving traction.

At Booth #E8b, Trelleborg will also display a range of high-performance tyre solutions including PneuTrac, a hybrid between a radial agricultural tyre and a track designed for smooth navigation in vineyards and orchards, the multi-award-winning TM1000 ProgressiveTraction tyre and the company’s patented agricultural TW rim profile for contemporary tractors, combines and harvesters.

Marcelo Natalini, President at Yokohama TWS South America, said, “Trelleborg Tires brings innovation from the soil up, delivering high-performing tyre solutions to boost productivity and protect their land. At Agrishow 2025, agri professionals will have the chance to connect with our tyre experts on site and see these technologies live, from the new ART1000 rubber track to our most advanced tyre ranges, designed to handle the challenges of next-generation machinery and modern field operations.”

Goodyear Tyre & Rubber is conducting a strategic review of the farm tyre business at its Indian subsidiary, signalling potential changes as the US manufacturer evaluates its global operations.

The Indian unit disclosed in a regulatory filing that its board has acknowledged communication from its American parent regarding the review. Goodyear will be examining "all strategic, operational and financial opportunities" related to the agricultural tyre business, according to the statement filed under SEBI disclosure requirements.

The Ohio-based tyre maker has not indicated any specific plans or timeline for the review. The company cautioned that there is "no assurance that the strategic review will result in the implementation of any transaction."

This move is part of Goodyear's broader efforts to optimise its global portfolio amid challenging market conditions in the automotive sector.

As part of a strategic effort to increase its presence in the region's premium original equipment (OE) market, Kumho Tire has confirmed its plans to establish its first tyre production facility in Europe by 2027.

The company has shortlisted Poland, Serbia and Portugal as possible locations for the plant, which is projected to need an investment of more than KRW1 trillion (USD 705 million). The decision is closely linked to Kumho’s ambition to strengthen its partnerships with European automakers and was revealed by Kumho Tire CEO during the South Korean premiere of Kumho's new Ecsta Sport tyre line.

Kumho has recently secured OE supply contracts with major brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Volkswagen Group. At the moment, Kumho runs eight tyre production plants in China, Vietnam, South Korea and the US. Its capacity to compete in the premium OE market, however, has come to be perceived as being constrained by the absence of a European production base. Through the benefits of local production, the new facility will improve response to European client requests, save freight costs and shorten delivery times, all of which will strengthen the company's partnerships.