Kumho Tire To Build First European Plant In Poland With $587mln Investment
- By TT News
- December 05, 2025
Kumho Tire will establish its first European manufacturing plant in Poland’s Opole region as the South Korean company seeks to expand its position in one of the world’s largest tyre markets.
The group said the factory is scheduled to begin initial operations in August 2028, subject to investment approval and licensing. Kumho plans to produce 6m units annually in the first phase and expand capacity in line with demand. Total planned investment is USD 587 million.
Kumho has spent recent years evaluating multiple European locations, including Poland, based on logistics, labour availability, infrastructure, market access and investment incentives. The company said Opole was selected as the optimal site owing to supply-chain stability within the EU and the region’s supportive operating conditions.
Europe accounts for about a quarter of global tyre consumption and is home to several major automotive manufacturers. The region represented roughly 26.6 per cent of Kumho’s sales last year. The company has previously relied on exports to serve European customers, which it said limited its competitiveness in the market.
The new plant is intended to strengthen Kumho’s ability to supply high-value-added products, including high-performance and larger-diameter tyres, to European vehicle makers.
Kumho currently operates eight production sites across South Korea, China, the US and Vietnam, with combined annual output of 65 millionunits. The Polish plant will complete what the company describes as a production network spanning Asia, Europe and North America.
Jung Il-taek, Kumho Tire’s Chief Executive, said: “The European market occupies a very important strategic position in the global tire industry,” adding that “Kumho Tire will go beyond simple exports and dramatically enhance premium brand value by strengthening quality and service competitiveness through local European production and supply.”
Apollo Tyres Commits INR 35 bln To Expansion Despite Raw Material Inflation And Europe Restructuring
- By Sharad Matade
- May 19, 2026
Apollo Tyres plans to invest INR 35 billion in FY2026-27, with nearly 80 percent of the capital expenditure earmarked for growth and capacity expansion projects across India and Europe, as the tyre maker seeks to meet strong demand despite escalating raw material costs and geopolitical disruption.
Most of the planned investment will be directed towards expanding truck and passenger car tyre capacity in India, while the remainder will support passenger car tyre expansion at the company’s Hungary plant.
Apollo Tyres said capacity utilisation across both India and Europe had reached about 90 percent, with demand remaining strong in replacement and original equipment markets. The company added that April volumes had continued to show strong momentum despite recent price increases.
The company reported consolidated revenue of INR 73.4 billion for the fourth quarter, up more than 14 percent year on year, while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation margin improved to 14.6 percent from 13 per cent a year earlier.
Revenue from Indian operations rose 14.3 percent to INR 52.4 billion during the quarter, supported by high-teen volume growth in both replacement and original equipment segments.
Neeraj Kanwar, Vice-Chairman And Managing Director, said geopolitical developments in West Asia continued to create uncertainty and volatility across raw material, energy and logistics costs.
The company expects raw material costs to rise by mid- to high-teens sequentially during the current quarter, led by a sharp increase in natural rubber prices. Apollo Tyres said natural rubber prices had risen to about INR 250 per kg from around INR 200 per kg during the fourth quarter.
To mitigate the pressure, Apollo Tyres has announced price increases of 6-8 percent across product categories in India during the current quarter and indicated that further increases may be necessary.
Gaurav Kumar, Chief Financial Officer, said the inflationary environment remained highly volatile.
“Mid to high teens is the current reality,” Kumar said. “We’ve taken about half the price increase that is needed.”
The company said it was also implementing cost-control measures across operations, including reductions in discretionary spending, as it sought to protect margins from higher commodity and logistics costs.
Apollo Tyres continues to restructure its European manufacturing operations as part of efforts to improve profitability. The company said the closure of its Enschede plant in the Netherlands remained on schedule, with production expected to cease by June 30.
Management said the decision was driven by persistently weak European market conditions, elevated energy costs and unusually high wage inflation in western Europe.
Apollo Tyres has taken a non-cash write-off of EUR 43 million related to the plant closure and expects total restructuring-related cash outflow, including social plan payments and legal costs, to exceed EUR 55m.
The company said the restructuring should begin improving European margins during the second half of FY2026-27 as production shifts towards lower-cost facilities in Hungary and India.
Apollo Tyres added that India and Europe would remain priority markets for future capacity allocation decisions, although export demand in some overseas markets had softened amid broader macroeconomic uncertainty.
Linglong Appoints Pradeep Karat to Lead OTR Sales in ME & Africa
- By TT News
- May 19, 2026
Linglong Tire has appointed Pradeep Karat as Sales Director OTR for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, effective from the beginning of May 2026.
Karat will oversee strategy and sales for the company’s specialty tyres division across the MEA region and report to Jeffrey Hughes, director EMEA. He will work with product and marketing teams to expand the group’s presence in the off-the-road (OTR) tyre segment, develop strategic partnerships and support growth in new markets.
Before joining Linglong, Karat worked at Hankook Tire, where he most recently served as senior manager for truck tyre sales in the Middle East and Africa.
Over a career spanning more than 30 years, he has held sales and marketing management roles at tyre manufacturers including Bridgestone, Goodyear and Continental.
“I am very pleased to be part of the Linglong team with immediate effect and to start as Linglong Sales Director Middle East Africa. I will do everything I can to use my experience and expertise to successfully advance Linglong in the MEA region,” said Karat.
Linglong said Karat would focus on strengthening the company’s position in India and key African markets. He will also work closely with Sherif Degheidy, who joined the company in February.
“I have worked with Pradeep in the Middle East in the past and am very pleased that he is now joining Linglong to help us continue to grow our off-highway business,” Hughes said.
“He brings extensive knowledge of the region, knows how to find new distributors and build strong partnerships. Pradeep will seek to expand Linglong's presence in India as well as in key African markets.”
Karat holds a master’s degree in marketing and economics and speaks Arabic, Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam, in addition to English. He will be based in Dubai.
CAMSO Construction Names Stefan Bartella As Area Sales Manager For DACH Region
- By TT News
- May 18, 2026
CAMSO Construction has announced the appointment of Stefan Bartella as Area Sales Manager for the DACH region. Bartella brings solid sales experience and a deep understanding of regional market dynamics to the role. Company officials stated that his expertise will support the organisation’s continued growth in the area. The appointment reflects CAMSO Construction’s commitment to strengthening its commercial team in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Bartella’s knowledge of local customer needs and market trends is expected to drive further business development and reinforce the company’s position across the DACH territories.
The company statement read: “We’re pleased to welcome Stefan Bartella to CAMSO Construction as Area Sales Manager for the DACH region. With solid experience in sales and a strong understanding of regional market dynamics, he brings valuable expertise that will support our continued growth. Welcome aboard, Stefan!”
Nokian Tyres Names Industry Veteran Glenn Arbaugh As Head Of R&D For North America
- By TT News
- May 16, 2026
Nokian Tyres has appointed Glenn Arbaugh as the new Head of Research and Development for North America, marking a strategic move to strengthen product innovation for drivers in the United States and Canada. He will lead the region’s R&D efforts from the company’s manufacturing and research hub in Dayton, Tennessee.
Bringing nearly 35 years of global tyre industry experience in technical leadership, product engineering and design, Arbaugh will oversee next-generation tyre development while enhancing product quality and manufacturing standards at the Dayton Factory. His role supports close collaboration between the North American R&D team and Nokian’s global research operations in Finland.
Since opening in 2019, the Dayton Factory has dedicated all production to the North American market and earned recognition as the first tire plant worldwide to achieve LEED v4 Silver certification. Nokian Tyres, inventor of the winter tyre, continues to offer premium all-season, all-weather and light truck tyres across the region.
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