After being selected as ATMA Chairman, Satish Sharma, President (APMEA) & Whole Time Director, Apollo Tyres, has big plans for the automotive and tyre industries, from enhancing exports to self-sufficiency in Indian rubber. He shares his views on collaborations in the tyre industry, the challenges of the sector and the problem of India being used as a dumping ground. Read on…

How have your priorities changed ever since being selected as the ATMA chairman?
I was the ATMA chairman even four years ago, and this is my second tenure. In terms of priorities, I want to pick up from where I left. At that point, we had started this whole journey of improving our exports. In fact, I was on record to say that the tyre industry could be the poster boy for the Indian government.

Looking back, I’m very happy to see that the exports have improved rather well. And this is just the beginning; we could do much more. Therefore, one priority is to see how we enhance our exports significantly from where we stand today.

The second priority is that a lot of regulations are on the anvil for the vehicles and the tyres as well. So my idea would be to engage with all the stakeholders and get them fast paced rather than going about it in a slow manner. Plus, I would like to get all views on board, optimise them for the industry, the government and different stakeholders and get them rolling, working towards a seamless transition for the regulations and betterment of all the stakeholders.

As for my third priority, it is the self-sufficiency point of the Indian rubber. The Indian rubber is a key priority of the commerce minister, Piyush Goyal, to narrow the gap between domestic demand-supply of natural rubber, which is around 35 to 40 percent. Hence, some of us have come together at his behest and have contributed in monetary terms to help the rubber board to do serious plantations in the potential of the North East. That corpus has been formed and one year of it has gone by. The acronym is NEMITRA. It is a collaboration between the tyre industry and the rubber board, under the aegis and direction of the commerce ministry. So we are very hopeful that the work we put in is going to yield results and India will be able to narrow this deficit between production and consumption.

Speaking of production and consumption, are you seeing a revival in demand?
The demand recovery for tyres is always an organically growing demand. If you look at the GDP of the country, it’s rather sectoral and a K-shaped recovery. Therefore, some sectors associated with infrastructure, e-commerce or the real estate sector, etc. are doing very well. However, at the same time, there is very steep inflation, and there is a possibility or worry that this inflation might destroy demand. The entire supply chain has to pass through this inflation and, finally, it has to be borne by the consumer. Whether the consumer reduces consumption or continues to consume at the rate at which he/she was before is a bit of a worry. But so far, the demand is holding on at a broader level.

OEMs are reviving as the chip shortage is getting under control. We are seeing CVs – a cyclical business – at the beginning of its upcycle, which is good news for them. In PVs, the supply chain issues are getting eased off. Plus, the tractor sector is also reviving; with a good monsoon forecast, the rural economy should come back – maybe not to the same level from two years ago, but still reasonably good.

With the current world situation, from the Covid pandemic to the Russia-Ukraine war to high inflation rates, do you think there is a need for more collaborations between tyre companies?
Collaborations have to be there, but they have to be very finely defined. Collaborations can always be on larger subjects like sustainability or raw materials, where research work can be done, resulting in collaboration. So these are areas where a deeper collaboration will help the industry. But it cannot be used to tackle inflation – that has to be left to market forces.

What are the present challenges you see in the tyre industry that need to be addressed?
The organic challenges include preparing ourselves for electrification and the changing regulatory framework. However, the key challenge for the Indian tyre industry right now is inflation. Our balance sheet sizes have halved over the last year. Moreover, the profitability has reduced significantly. There is a significant phase lag to the cost push. Therefore, these key challenges are what we really need to take care of in the short-term.

There has been a ban on Chinese tyres. How is this impacting the Indian tyre industry?
All global tyre companies that have come in India are now producing their tyres in the country. And therefore, it is self-sufficient as far as tyres are concerned. So technically, imports are not required to that extent, from that point of view.

The problem comes about when we are used as a dumping ground and the economic value of everything that has been put into place gets destroyed. And moreover, the promise we have for the Indian industry is getting short-changed. So that’s the argument.

I was telling my industry colleague, whose company is entering the US market, to not go the wrong way. But, in fact, to go, set up and position the Indian product and brand name the right way and to not spoil the market and get branded as the next cheap manufacturer after China. Because if one does it that way, then he/she is going to spoil it for everyone.

And, truth is, we can really do it the right way. We do have a cost arbitrage. Hence, we can give a more honest price internationally and give tier 1 quality at a tier 2 price. However, if one were to position oneself at the bottom of the barrel, then it will spoil everything.

What is happening to recycling and renewable sources to make tyres? How are things shaping up in India?
One regulation is on the anvil, which is the extended producer responsibility. It is in the draft stage and we are in discussion with the government. Fortunately, by the nature of our country, there is a self-recyclability of any and all products. Of course, this is in the unorganised segment, and we don’t talk or hear about it. But we have seen tyres being sold to make something as useful as slippers. So it finds its own value.

But there are no satellite pictures available in India showing dumps and dumps of used tyres lying anywhere; you will find that in the Middle East. But the government is organising this whole thing, and we have the extended producer responsibility coming – it will have a far higher recyclability and will focus more on renewable energy and getting green raw materials. Plus, it will prioritise the increase in the usage of recycled tyre parts.   

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Bridgestone has announced executive leadership changes for its West region (Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa), effective 1 May 2026. Scott Damon continues as West CEO, Robert Johnson has been appointed Group President of North America and Wade Sempkowski succeeds Johnson as West Chief Financial Officer.

The company is decoupling the roles of West CEO and Group President of North America to provide clearer scope and focus for its business goals. In his new position, Johnson will assume leadership of North America Core Tire and hold end-to-end ownership and accountability for the full North America profit and loss.

Johnson joined Bridgestone in 2016 as Executive Director of Finance for Bridgestone Retail Operations and later became Vice President of Finance for the Americas Tire Group and Vice President of Stores for Bridgestone Retail Operations. He was named West CFO in May 2024. Before Bridgestone, he held senior finance and operations roles at Advance Auto Parts, Best Buy and Lifepoint Health, earning a finance degree from Belmont University and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas.

Wade Sempkowski

Sempkowski started at Bridgestone Americas in 2019 as Director of FP&A, later becoming Vice President of Finance in 2022 while also serving on the TireHub Board of Directors. His prior experience includes sales analytics and finance roles at Mars Petcare and Southern Land Company, and he holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee and an MBA from Vanderbilt University.

Scott Damon, Bridgestone West CEO, said, “Robert and Wade are experienced leaders with a strong understanding of our business, our customers and the priorities ahead. Robert brings a powerful combination of financial, operational and customer-facing leadership to the North America region, and Wade brings deep finance expertise to the West CFO role.”

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Japanese tyre and rubber major Yokohama Rubber Co, has announced plans to construct two new manufacturing facilities for mining and construction machinery tyres in India and Mexico.

These plants will facilitate the transfer of off-the-road (OTR) tyre production acquired from The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in February 2025. The company also intends to install equipment at these sites to increase production capacity for ultra-large OTR tyres.

Yokohama Rubber will build a greenfield plant in Odisha, India, representing a capital investment of USD130 million. The facility is designed for an annual production capacity of 9,150 tonnes. Construction is set to commence in Q3 of CY2026, with production expected to start by Q3 of CY2028. This site will assume production currently outsourced to Goodyear facilities in Europe and the United States.

A new brownfield plant will be established in Mexico as a Phase 2 expansion of an existing passenger car tyre plant site. This facility will require a capital expenditure of USD 115 million and will have an annual capacity of 10,650 tonnes. Construction is scheduled for Q3 of CY2026, and production is planned to begin in Q2 of CY2028.

The company is also transferring OTR tyre production from Goodyear plants to a site in Romania acquired in May 2025, as well as to existing factories in Japan, the Czech Republic, and India.

These investments are central to the ‘Yokohama Transformation 2026’ (YX2026) management plan, which aims for significant growth through strategic acquisitions and production network enhancements. By expanding its capacity across all off-highway tyre (OHT) categories, Yokohama Rubber seeks to improve its global market position and corporate value.

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CAMSO Construction has announced the appointment of Andreas Lüllau as Area Sales Manager for the DACH region. His career in industrial and construction tyres began in 2007 at Industriereifen Kontor Lüdtke, where he developed extensive industry experience. The company stated that his strong background adds valuable expertise and a solid understanding of the DACH market. CAMSO Construction looks forward to his contributions in strengthening the company’s regional presence and partnerships.

The company statement read: “His career in industrial and construction tires began in 2007 at Industriereifen Kontor Lüdtke, and since then, he has built extensive experience across the industry. This strong background adds valuable depth to the expertise he brings to the team, along with a solid understanding of the DACH region. We look forward to the contribution he will make in strengthening our presence and partnerships in the market. Welcome to CAMSO Construction, Andreas!”

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Radar Tires has named Anthony Sbona as Territory Sales Manager for its Radar brand in North America. Entering the tyre industry in 2018, Sbona quickly established a strong foundation in sales and customer relationship management, later expanding his expertise across distribution channels and gaining a deep market understanding. His career progression reflects consistent growth and adaptability in a competitive sector.

Known for building relationships and driving results, Sbona now brings a fresh perspective and solid industry experience to the team. His new role focuses on expanding the Radar brand’s reach, strengthening distributor partnerships and accelerating growth across his assigned territory, positioning the company for sustained regional success.

Rob Montasser, Vice President for Radar Tires North America, said, “We’re excited to welcome Anthony to the Radar Tires team. Anthony’s experience gives him a strong understanding of the market and his region, and we’re confident he will play a key role in continuing to grow our presence across North America.”

Sbona said, “I’m excited to be part of the rapidly expanding Radar Tires team. I look forward to building strong partnerships, growing the brand, and contributing to the continued success of Radar Tires.”

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