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. 

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Prinx Chengshan took part in the SHACMAN Group Worldwide Partnership Conference in Xi'an on 15–16 October, where dealers, key accounts and industry partners from across the globe gathered. The company attended as a core strategic partner of SHACMAN and acted as exclusive tyre sponsor of the vehicle stunt show, joining domestic and international customers to examine fresh opportunities in the global commercial vehicle sector and help shape a new model of collaborative industry growth.

Cooperation between the two firms has deepened since 2024, centring on original equipment fitment for flagship high-end models including the Delong X5000 and X6000, with products offered domestically and overseas. Dependable product quality and supply chain assurance have enabled Prinx Chengshan to grow into a core tyre supplier to SHACMAN, consistently furnishing tyre solutions for its flagship ranges.

A dedicated stunt driving segment formed part of the conference, with Prinx Chengshan as sole tyre exhibitor backing the performance vehicles. Cars fitted with Chengshan XSTANCE PRO S10 and CDR621 tyres carried out sustained drifts, high-speed turns and other demanding manoeuvres, remaining stable even under extreme conditions such as tyre burnouts and showing strong wear resistance.

Li Wenli, a three-time national truck racing annual finals champion known as China's top heavy truck driver, rated the tyres highly for grip, durability and handling stability. Live demonstration in place of specification presentations made technical strengths tangible, letting partners observe stability under extreme friction and high-torque loads.

The conference allowed the company to strengthen mutual trust and communication with SHACMAN and to showcase its commercial vehicle tyre capabilities; at its 50th anniversary milestone, Prinx Chengshan reiterated its commitment to keep improving its global service network, advance alongside SHACMAN on a new globalisation journey and help build an industrial ecosystem defined by mutual benefit and collaborative development.

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Michelin has opened a 1,000 sq ft tyre and service store in Jammu in partnership with Maha Shakti Auto, expanding its retail presence in the northern Indian city.

The Michelin Tyres & Services (MTS) outlet is located in Main Bazar, Gumat, in Jammu’s commercial district. It will serve customers in the city and surrounding region, offering tyres for passenger cars, two-wheelers and commercial vehicles.

The store stocks Michelin’s Primacy, Pilot Sport, Latitude Sport and LTX Trail tyre ranges. Its facilities include wheel alignment and balancing systems, automotive accessories, and mechanical repair and maintenance services.

The outlet was inaugurated by Benjamin Coesnon, Marketing Director for India at Michelin, alongside the Maha Shakti Auto team.

Shantanu Deshpande, Managing Director of Michelin India, said “Jammu is an important market in Michelin's growth in North India. Its role as a regional trade and transit hub is creating steady demand for safe, reliable and high-performance mobility solutions. Our new Michelin Tyres & Services store brings Michelin's globally benchmarked products and services closer to customers in the region. Building on our recently launched Made-in-India Primacy 5, we will keep delivering mobility solutions tailored to the evolving needs of Indian consumers."

The company said the store was designed to address driving conditions in the region, where steep gradients, sharp curves and changing weather make tyre grip, braking stability and durability important considerations.

Maha Shakti Auto has 30 years of experience in Jammu’s automotive aftermarket, according to Michelin. The partnership combines the local business’s technical expertise and market knowledge with Michelin’s tyre technology and product range.

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The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has announced that the No. 77 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, fielded by Schubert Motorsport and fitted with the company's ADVAN global flagship tyres, secured the NLS Speed Trophy series championship. The award goes to the team accumulating the most points across all classes throughout Germany's Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS). As the series champion in the NLS premier SP9 Pro class, the No. 77 also claimed a KW Team Trophy, presented to the car and team with the highest points total in each class.

This season marked Yokohama Rubber's role as an official partner of BMW M Motorsport in the NLS, with the No. 77 BMW M4 GT3 EVO carrying ADVAN colouring. Across the 10-round campaign, the ADVAN-shod No. 77 produced consistently strong results, earning two overall victories and two second-place finishes. The ADVAN A005 for dry conditions and ADVAN A006 for wet conditions supplied the grip and durability needed to contend in fiercely competitive races across varying weather. ADVAN-equipped cars had previously taken the NLS Speed Trophy in 2020 and 2023.

Beyond the NLS, Yokohama Rubber partnered with BMW M Motorsport at May's ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring. The No. 77 ADVAN-coloured entry placed 8th overall and 7th in the SP9 class, while BMW M Motorsport's No. 81 BMW M3 Touring 24H, also on ADVAN tyres, took 4th overall and 1st in the SP-X class.

Under its three-year (2024–2026) medium-term management plan, Yokohama Transformation 2026 (YX2026), the company's consumer tyre strategy seeks to maximise sales ratios of high-value-added tyres by expanding the ADVAN and GEOLANDAR brands, winter tyres and 18-inch and larger products. Yokohama Rubber views motorsport participation as vital to strengthening ADVAN and GEOLANDAR, and continues to compete in a wide range of events worldwide, from top-category to grassroots racing.

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Prinx Chengshan presented its Chengshan brand at the 140th China Import and Export Fair, which opened in Guangzhou on 15 October. The Canton Fair, known as China's leading trade event, has a history of nearly seven decades and functions as an indicator of the country's foreign trade while offering Chinese brands a platform to demonstrate innovation and meet international buyers.

At the fair, the company highlighted products including the ET16 wide-body dump truck tyre, whose wide and deep transverse tread grooves provide strong traction for smooth starts on soft, uneven mining terrain and help lower risks such as wheel slip and vehicles becoming stuck. The ELD12 loader tyre was also featured for its wear resistance and load-bearing capacity across demanding conditions, with resistance to excessive deformation under heavy loads supporting stable and safe equipment operation.

The participation coincides with Chengshan Group's 50th anniversary and Prinx Chengshan's accelerating global expansion. Founded in Rongcheng, Shandong Province, in 1976, the company now operates three production bases, two R&D centres, three sales centres and four technical centres worldwide. On 9 October, its Malaysia plant produced its first tyre less than 11 months after construction began, marking progress in overseas production and supply chain resilience.

Prinx Chengshan has also increased investment in the off-the-road tyre segment, operating a green and smart OTR tyre factory in Shandong and achieving mass production of giant tyres in sizes including 27.00R49, 30.00R51 and 33.00R51, while rolling out its first 57-inch giant tyre, size 46/90R57. Its OTR products serve mining, construction, ports, airports, agriculture and industrial operations, offering system solutions for global agricultural mechanisation, engineering projects and resource development.

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