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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Pirelli is all set for the Japanese Grand Prix with the three hardest compounds in its range – the C1 as the Hard, C2 as the Medium and C3 as the Soft – marking the first appearance of the C1 in race weekends of the 2026 Formula 1 season. Suzuka’s legendary 5.8-kilometre figure-of-eight layout, with its eighteen demanding corners and rapid directional changes, places immense stress on tyres, making this selection essential.

Recent resurfacing work, which began ahead of the 2025 event and has since been substantially completed across the remaining two sectors, introduces a smooth but still dirty asphalt surface expected to offer low initial grip. Under these conditions, graining – particularly on the Soft compound – is a typical concern. Last year, such wear was limited to the front axle and faded as the track evolved. With a larger expanse of new asphalt this time, teams will need to closely monitor both graining and its effect on degradation throughout the weekend.

The behaviour of the hardest and softest compounds will be especially telling. If the C1 delivers solid grip and the C3 shows the consistency seen in Shanghai, all three tyre options could become viable for race strategies. Temperatures will also play a decisive role. With the race held a week earlier than last year, ambient conditions may stay near 15°C, keeping thermal degradation in check. Whether a one-stop strategy remains feasible will likely hinge on the severity of graining and its impact on performance, making qualifying preparation critical for properly heating the tyres.

The 2025 race saw a dominant one-stop approach, with most drivers starting on the Medium before switching to the Hard around lap 20 – a path taken by the entire podium finishers. As the 40th edition of the Japanese Grand Prix approaches, Suzuka continues to host the event except for four early editions held at Fuji. Michael Schumacher holds the record for most wins here with six, while McLaren leads constructors with nine victories.

Adding a distinctive local touch, the third podium cap crafted by Pirelli Design with designer Denis Dekovic draws inspiration from cherry blossoms in full bloom during this period. The cap is available through Pirelli’s online store.

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TyreSafe, UK’s charity dedicated to raising tyre safety awareness, is calling for a shift in driver mindset, moving beyond reliance on enforcement to foster a culture of proactive vehicle safety. This follows new research from Uswitch that exposes a disconnect in how motorists approach maintenance. While the threat of penalty points prompts some action, it falls short of establishing consistent safety habits. TyreSafe argues this ‘safety gap’ reveals the limitations of an enforcement-led strategy, suggesting true road safety depends on motivating drivers to perform checks to protect lives rather than merely avoid punishment.

The findings paint a complex picture. Although over 4.8 million penalty points were issued in 2025, with the vast majority linked to speeding, only a third of motorists conduct vehicle checks specifically to evade penalties. While a significant majority of drivers with existing points altered their behaviour after being penalised, only half believe penalty points enhance road safety. For TyreSafe, this highlights a clear challenge: consistent vehicle maintenance has not yet become an automatic, routine part of driving habits.

This gap between awareness and action is particularly critical for tyre safety, a ‘silent risk’. Unlike speeding, which is highly visible and rigorously enforced, tyre defects often go unnoticed until they contribute to a serious incident. The statistics are stark, with an estimated six million illegal tyres on UK roads. Each year, tyre defects cause over two million MOT failures and result in thousands of penalty points. Given that tyres are the vehicle’s only contact with the road, their neglected state represents a persistent and underestimated danger.

In response, TyreSafe advocates for education alongside enforcement, warning that relying on fear of fines fosters reactive compliance rather than a preventative mindset. To address this, TyreSafe urges road users to embrace the simple ACT protocol: regular checks of air pressure, condition and tread depth. By encouraging drivers to internalize these routine habits, TyreSafe believes it is possible to bridge the gap between knowing what is safe and consistently acting on it, preventing thousands of needless incidents caused by poorly maintained tyres.

Stuart Lovatt, Chair of TyreSafe, said, “Enforcement clearly has a role to play in improving driver behaviour, but it cannot be the only motivator. What this data highlights is a safety gap. If only a third of drivers are checking their vehicles to avoid penalty points, we need to ensure everyone is checking them for the right reason – to stay safe. Tyres are a hidden risk. Unlike speeding, they’re not always visible and often go unchecked until something goes wrong. But when tyres fail – whether through low tread, incorrect pressure or damage – the consequences can be immediate and severe. The reality is that many tyre-related incidents are entirely preventable. A few simple checks, carried out regularly, can make a life-saving difference. We need to move beyond a culture of compliance driven by enforcement and towards one where tyre safety is seen as a fundamental part of responsible driving.”

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Falken Motorsports kicked off its new season in commanding fashion, leveraging the performance of Falken racing tyres to secure a podium finish at the 58th ADAC Barbarossa Prize. This event, originally intended as the second round of the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) but elevated to the season opener after a cancellation, saw Sven Müller and Tim Heinemann claim third place in the No. 44 Porsche 911 GT3 R.

After qualifying 10th despite not completing a perfect lap, the duo demonstrated the tyres’ full potential. Starting driver Müller engaged in fierce battles from the opening lap, and the pair steadily advanced in their teal-and-blue Falken Porsche through the field to reach the top five by mid-race. In the closing stages, Heinemann delivered decisive overtakes, coming within a second of second place on the final lap to seal an early-season podium.

For customer team Max Kruse Racing, the Audi R8 LMS GT3, running on alternative fuel, finished 23rd with Jan Jaap van Roon, Tom Coronel and Rudy van Buuren. The sister car, driven by Dominik and Marcel Fugel alongside Benjamin Leuchter, placed 30th, while both VW Golf GTI TCR entries retired early. Falken Motorsports now prepares for the 57th Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken-Trophy on 11 April, the third NLS round, building towards the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring (14–17 May).

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Celebrating more than a century in the industry, Galaxy has launched its 100+ years campaign, a tribute to its enduring legacy as a premier name in construction, earthmoving and material handling tyres. The company has launched a campaign video highlighting the brand’s longstanding record of reliability, a reputation built on strength and resilience that has made Galaxy a global leader ready for any challenge.

With a history of serving customers worldwide through specialised, application-driven tyres, the brand’s success has been driven by popular models such as the Hulk, Beefy Baby, HTSR, LDSR, Yardmaster Ultra, MFS 101 SDS and Port Max. Now, drawing upon decades of engineering know-how, Galaxy is poised to expand into the UTV and ATV market this year. This strategic move broadens its portfolio across new off-highway applications while staying true to its commitment to innovation and dependable performance.

Scheduled to run throughout 2026, the campaign reinforces Galaxy’s role as a proven, steadfast partner – equipped to handle the extra load, no matter the destination. Click here  to watch the campaign video.

Angelo Noronha, CEO, Yokohama-ATG, said, “It is a moment of immense pride for all of us at Galaxy as we celebrate over 100 years of excellence in the off-highway tire segment. The campaign showcases the brand’s success over this period, deeply rooted in customer centricity. We are grateful to our global customers, partners and stakeholders for their trust and continued support throughout this journey as the brand marches ahead to the next century.”

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