In an exclusive interaction with Tyre Trends, Dr Manish Jaiswal, Director, National Automotive Test Tracks (NATRAX), shares the key developments taking place, how the organisation is supporting the domestic tyre industry, upcoming trends and future plans.

At present, what are the services that you’re providing for the tyre industry at NATRAX?

NATRAX is a proving ground where vehicles and all their components are tested on our various tracks. A proving ground is essentially a place where a vehicle must prove itself under various challenging terrains. It needs to test and certify itself, as well as support development activities. Our tracks cater to durability, acceleration, braking, noise, endurance, high speed, grip handling and wet-grip conditions.

Tyres are the only point of contact between a vehicle and the surface. Therefore, for vehicle dynamics testing, the tyre industry is a crucial component. NATRAX supports tyre industry in terms of the testing requirement for acceleration, braking, cornering, handling and noise.

What about homologation?

We support the tyre industry in various ways when it comes to homologation. One of the key activities is tyre labelling, in line with the new AIS 142 requirements. Every tyre must be labelled, similar to safety ratings. This labelling involves testing for rolling resistance, wet handling, wet grip and noise.

All these activities take place at NATRAX, making us the default agency for tyre labelling. We are also planning to procure a rolling resistance machine, which should arrive in a month or two. Once that happens, the entire set of tyre labelling activities will be conducted at NATRAX for both commercial vehicles and passenger vehicles. This is one of our significant new developments.

What are the latest demands from the tyre industry?

We are in close contact with tyre manufacturers for various activities. One key demand is for wet handling and aquaplaning tests, for which they currently need to go abroad because such facility does not exist in India. Wet handling and aquaplaning on curves are critical safety features. For instance, when a thin film of water forms on the road, the tyre can lose its adhesion to the surface, so it’s vital to test grip in such conditions.

We are planning to build a special-purpose track for wet handling and aquaplaning and are requesting government funding for this. Once established, this will prevent the tyre industry from needing to go overseas for these tests.

Another growing concern is tyre wear and its environmental impact. Previously, emissions were only considered in terms of tailpipe emissions, but tyres also contribute to microplastic pollution and other wear particles that spread through road contact. We are collaborating closely with the tyre industry to find solutions – whether through a tyre wear machine or a specially designed track. This could become a major project, but we are committed to addressing this need.

Are you supporting tyre makers for their products designed for exports?

Tyre manufacturers often have to go to agencies in Japan and Germany for comfort testing. Developed markets have very different requirements because the driving conditions vary significantly from those in India. Comfort and ride quality are far more important in developed markets.

We are discussing how to address this need domestically. While it’s not an immediate concern, we must eventually ensure that the tyre industry can conduct 100 percent of their testing in India. Some tests, like those for snow and ice conditions, will always be challenging to replicate here due to cost and environmental factors. However, most other tests are within our long-term plans.

Has simulation reached a maturity level where it can replace physical testing?

Simulation has evolved significantly over the last 25–30 years, but we haven’t yet reached a point where it can fully replace physical testing. The complexities of vehicle systems – including OEM products, components, tyres, control systems, road conditions and driver behaviour – make complete reliance on simulation difficult.

India also faces challenges in developing high-fidelity simulation models. Accurate virtual replication requires the integration of confidential data from various partners, which is not easy to achieve. Nonetheless, we are planning for the future by developing the right simulation environment and infrastructure, such as high-fidelity simulators and virtual testing benches. This will help reduce dependence on track testing and streamline product development.

Do EV tyres require separate on-ground testing?

EV tyre testing largely follows the same procedures as conventional tyre testing, with standards remaining consistent across both types.

However, from a manufacturing and design perspective, EV tyres often use different materials and designs – including rubber, elastomers, fabric and steel – tailored to meet OEM requirements. These differences may eventually call for specific tests, but the current standards remain aligned.

In developed markets, there are separate summer and winter tyres. Do you think India needs this distinction?

Fortunately, India does not experience the extreme temperature variations seen in countries like the US, Canada or parts of Europe. In those regions, temperatures can range from 30 degrees Celsius to -10 degrees Celcius, necessitating different tyre types for safety and traction.

In India, extreme cold weather is limited to specific areas like Kashmir and only for brief periods. Given this, the added cost of maintaining separate summer and winter tyres is not justifiable.

What are NATRAX’s immediate investment plans?

While we have not worked out the exact figures, we are in the process of investing significantly (in 2025) in form of rolling resistance machine and upgradation of two-three tracks for tyre industry requirements. Our immediate future plans include significant investments for a new wet handling and aquaplaning track.

We maintain close communication with the tyre industry, prioritising their requirements to support their growth and development.

Which companies are you currently working with?

We collaborate with almost all Indian tyre manufacturers and are also engaging with multinational and global tyre brands. The goal is to develop their R&D ecosystems in India.

As international players shift their development activities to India, local testing becomes inevitable. This shift will allow NATRAX to play a crucial role in supporting their R&D and testing needs.

What is the lead time for tyre makers to approach NATRAX for testing, and how long does testing typically take?

Many tyre manufacturers have teams stationed at NATRAX around the clock, so there is no lead time. Testing happens daily.

If they have special requirements, they approach us and we are usually able to accommodate them. Approximately one-third of our track usage comes from the tyre industry. With our 50-kilometre proving ground – the largest in India and one of the largest globally – we operate at an entirely different scale.

As we expand our facilities for ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) and connected vehicle testing, even more tyre industry testing will take place at NATRAX. We aim to become the go-to solution for all tyre industry needs.

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India’s growing importance in the global tyre and rubber industry received a strong endorsement with HF Group announcing a EUR 20 million investment in a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Bengaluru.

The announcement was made during the inauguration of HF India’s new Assembly Hall Unit II, a milestone that reflects the company’s long-term commitment to India and its confidence in the country’s manufacturing future.

The proposed greenfield facility will be developed on a 10-acre site near Bengaluru Airport and is scheduled for completion by 2028. Spread across nearly 20,000 sq. metres, the new factory will be almost four times larger than the current assembly operations and will incorporate digital manufacturing, automation, smart production systems, and advanced engineering capabilities.

The upcoming facility will focus on productivity, precision engineering, sustainability, and smart manufacturing while supporting both the Indian market and HF’s global operations. The investment underlines the company’s confidence in India as a major manufacturing hub for the global tyre and rubber industry.

Ian Wilson, Managing Director & Co-CEO, HF Group, said, “This is not the end of our investment in India. It is perhaps the end of the beginning. India is entering a take-off decade and the economy runs on tyres. We see tremendous opportunities for growth and are committed to investing in the future of the Indian market.”

With more than 175 years of global experience, HF Group has steadily strengthened its presence in India. The journey began in 1995 with the establishment of Indus to serve the growing rubber processing industry. The partnership with HF Mixing Group in 2011 brought global mixing technology expertise to India, while the complete acquisition of the Indian subsidiary in 2024 marked another important milestone in the company’s India strategy.

Today, HF India manufactures and supports a broad portfolio of mixing and rubber processing equipment, including intermeshing and tangential mixers, banbury technology, mills, curing presses, and aftermarket services. The company also offers process support, training, upgrades, inspections, and spare parts under its customer-centric philosophy of ‘Holding the Customer’s Hand.’

Emphasising the importance of customer partnerships, Wilson said, “We are not here simply to sell machinery. We want to hold our customers’ hands throughout the entire lifecycle of their equipment and support them through process optimisation, performance improvements and future growth.”

As HF embarks on its next chapter in India, the new facility represents not only an investment in manufacturing capacity but also a long-term commitment to localisation, technology and customer partnerships.

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TBC Corporation (TBC), one of North America’s largest marketers of automotive replacement tyres through wholesale and franchise operations, has named Ron Harper as its new Chief Supply Chain Officer. He will report directly to President and CEO Don Byrd and assume responsibility for the company’s entire supply chain function.

Harper brings over 26 years of experience steering global supply chains for multi-billion-dollar enterprises. His most recent role was Executive Vice President of Supply Chain at PrimeSource Building Products, overseeing planning, inventory, repack operations, service metrics and analytics. He has also held senior logistics and strategy positions at Sonepar USA, Nordstrom, Samsung SEA, and JCPenney.

The new chief holds a master’s degree in supply chain management from the University of Denver and a bachelor’s in industrial management from Michigan Technological University. His appointment underscores TBC’s focus on strengthening operational efficiency and logistics performance.

Byrd said, “Ron’s depth of experience in building transformative supply chain solutions aligns with our deep commitment to providing customers with the high-level efficiency, product availability and agility they expect from TBC. As market needs change and demands fluctuate, TBC is continuing to respond by having a supply chain strategy that minimises disruptions and maximises efficiency to ensure the highest levels of customer support and satisfaction.”

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The Rubber Board of India has announced the appointment of N Hari as its new Chairman, effective for a tenure of three years. Hailing from Pallikkathode in Kottayam, Kerala, Hari brings considerable experience to the leadership role, having previously served as a Board member representing small rubber growers from the state.

His initial term on the Board commenced on 28 June 2022 and spanned three years. During this period, he also held the position of Executive Committee Member from 7 October 2023 to 6 October 2024. This progression from membership to the executive committee and now to the chairmanship reflects his sustained engagement with the organisation.

His appointment is expected to steer the Board's initiatives in supporting the rubber sector, focusing on grower welfare and industry development across India.

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The Indian automotive landscape is currently undergoing a seismic shift. Driven by the rapid rise of rural urbanisation, an aggressive government push for electrification and the development of world-class road infrastructure, the industry is witnessing a period of robust growth. With sales of both new and used vehicles touching record highs, the demand for high-quality tyres remains in a significant upswing.

At the helm of one of the market’s most prominent players is Rajarshi Moitra, Managing Director of Bridgestone India and Vice-Chairman, Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ATMA).

In an interaction with Tyre Trends, Moitra discusses the company’s future-ready roadmap, from its substantial capacity expansions to a ‘sharp and deep’ strategic focus designed to maintain leadership in an increasingly premium and electrified market.

A BULLISH OUTLOOK ON THE SUBCONTINENT

While global economic indicators remain varied, Moitra is unequivocally optimistic about the local trajectory. “The Indian automotive industry is at an exceptionally positive juncture from a medium-to-long-term perspective,” he asserts.

This optimism is grounded in several structural tailwinds that suggest India is slated for very strong growth. Key among these factors is the sheer room for market expansion.

“Firstly, we are still significantly under-indexed in terms of car penetration, with only 50 cars per 1,000 people – well below even some smaller developing nations,” Moitra explains.

Furthermore, the geographical spread of wealth is changing. Bridgestone is observing massive growth in Tier 2, 3 and 4 towns, a phenomenon Moitra attributes to ‘rural urbanisation’.

Bridgestone India estimates a transformative half-decade ahead for the industry. “The number of affordable households – those capable of purchasing a car – will double in India over the next five year. When you couple this with the government’s massive capital outflow into road connectivity and the rise of e-commerce, it creates a very bullish environment for both passenger and commercial mobility,” Moitra says.

THE ‘SHARP AND DEEP’ STRATEGIC PILLAR

Despite India being the world’s largest two-wheeler market, Bridgestone is famously absent from that segment – and intends to stay that way for now. Moitra clarifies that the company’s philosophy is rooted in specialisation rather than horizontal expansion. “At Bridgestone, we believe in being ‘sharp and deep’ in our strategy,” he says.

Currently, Bridgestone India’s business split is heavily weighted towards the consumer segment, with 70 percent of sales coming from Passenger Car Radial (PCR), 25 percent from Truck and Bus Radial (TBR) and 5 percent from Off-the-Road (OTR) segment.

“We see enough headroom for growth within the passenger car segment across products, channels and customer experience, so we are focusing our resources on maintaining our leadership there,” Moitra notes, dismissing any near-term plans to enter the two-wheeler space.

Instead, the company is doubling down on ‘white spaces’ within the consumer car category, specifically targeting higher rim diameters and specialised compounds for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).

INVESTING IN CAPACITY AND LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

To support this growth, Bridgestone is moving aggressively on the manufacturing front. With current operations running at 90–95 percent capacity, the company is in the midst of a major investment cycle.

At present, the company’s Pune plant has a capacity to produce 4.01 million passenger car tyres and around 693,000 truck & bus radial tyres, while the Indore plant has a capacity to produce 7.11 million radial tyres for passenger cars and light trucks.

“Our last major investment was USD 85 million in October 2024, which is being ramped up in phases through 2029,” Moitra confirms. This capital is being used to scale volumes and enhance technical capabilities at the Indore factory.

The new investment is expected to further add 1.1 million tyre production capacity in Pune by CY2029, thus taking its total production capacity to around 11.1 million units in the country.

“Our strategy is two-fold: we want to be future-ready for market demand while simultaneously sweating our current assets to drive higher efficiency,” Moitra explains. Crucially, this expansion isn’t just about physical output; it’s about local autonomy. Moitra highlights that a ‘very large part’ of procurement is now local, decided by teams on the ground in India.

The launch of a Satellite Technology Centre in 2025 has further decentralised the company’s innovation engine. According to Moitra, this centre plays a pivotal role in increasing local leverage and technical presence, allowing the Indian arm to maintain a balance between local agility and global sourcing.

EVs AND PREMIUMISATION

As the Indian market matures, consumers are demanding larger wheel sizes – a trend Moitra says is led by OEMs. “We are seeing a clear market shift towards higher inches – for example, a car like the Maruti Suzuki Swift moving from 14-inch to 15-inch and others moving from 16-inch to 17-inch,” he observes.

Bridgestone’s ‘all-inch’ strategy covers the spectrum from 12 to 20 inches, but their brand strength is most potent in these premium, higher-diameter sizes.

This premiumisation dovetails with the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). Bridgestone has positioned itself with an ‘EV-ready’ portfolio, exemplified by the Turanza 6i. “It balances long-lasting durability and safety with low noise and comfort – essential for EVs,” says Moitra. To ensure they capture this nascent but fast-growing market, the company expanded the range from 36 sizes in 2024 to 72 sizes by 2025.

The OEM relationship remains the cornerstone of this technological foresight. “The OEM segment allows us to see ahead of the curve regarding future vehicle technologies,” Moitra explains.

At present, 35 percent of their consumer business is OE-based and Bridgestone is in active discussions with many of the newer automotive entrants arriving in India.

While Bridgestone is aggressively expanding its footprint in new tyre technology and premium consumer segments, it is taking a markedly more conservative approach towards the retreading sector in India. Despite the potential for material circularity, the company does not view retreading as a strategic priority for the immediate future.

Moitra clarifies that Bandag, Bridgestone’s global retreading arm, is not currently active in India, and there are no plans to introduce it in the near-term. This decision is driven largely by the unique and challenging dynamics of the local market, which is currently dominated by cold retreading.

He points out that a significant pricing challenge exists when ‘cold retreads versus biased tyres versus some of the cheaper tyres’ are compared, making the business case difficult to justify at this stage. Consequently, Bridgestone has opted to remain focused on its core segments for the next two to three years rather than entering the retreading space.

SUSTAINABILITY AND THE ‘INSTITUTION OF RESPECT’

Beyond the numbers, Bridgestone is attempting to build what Moitra calls an ‘institution of respect’. This involves a heavy commitment to environmental goals. The Pune plant already holds the distinction of being the first carbon-neutral facility in the Bridgestone group.

“Sustainability is a core agenda across our entire value chain,” Moitra explains, noting a public commitment to reduce the company’s carbon footprint by 50 percent by 2030, including Scope 3 emissions. This holistic approach ranges from manufacturing processes to material circularity in the tyres themselves.

Looking ahead, the goal is to protect a dominant market share – currently over 20 percent by volume and 23 percent by value in the passenger car aftermarket. To do this, Bridgestone plans to expand its physical reach by 30 percent over the next five years, building upon its current network of over 4,000 touchpoints.

As the company transitions its branding from the Olympics to Formula E, the focus remains clear: high performance and the next era of mobility. “It’s the perfect platform to showcase our technological edge,” Moitra concludes.

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