This coming summer, Apollo Tyres will introduce the new Vredestein Quatrac Pro 2, an ultra-high-performance all-season tyre distinguished by a sidewall created in partnership with the celebrated Italian design house, Italdesign. Engineered and manufactured entirely in Europe, the Quatrac Pro 2 represents a significant advancement in the all-season category, featuring a completely new internal structure, the use of advanced materials and a sophisticated directional tread pattern. These technical elements combine to deliver superior performance, while the tyre’s aesthetic has been developed to visually communicate this capability.

The design of the sidewall, a collaborative effort between Italdesign and Vredestein, is conceived around the theme of ‘Passage’. This concept captures the cyclical nature of the changing seasons, portraying them as a fluid interaction of positive and negative space. The graphics incorporate flowing forms that subtly suggest natural elements such as foliage, precipitation and the movement of air and water. This visual language is intended to reflect the tyre’s versatility, hinting at its ability to transition seamlessly from dry, warm roads to cold, snow-covered surfaces. The result is a distinctive visual signature that reinforces Vredestein’s premium market standing and makes the tyre instantly recognisable, translating its all-weather competence into an expressive design.

This launch marks another milestone in a 27-year design partnership between Apollo Tyres and Italdesign, a relationship that has previously produced notable models like the Sportrac in 1999 and the Ultrac Pro in 2024. The Quatrac Pro 2 continues this tradition of merging advanced engineering with distinguished Italian styling to create a product that stands out. Apollo Tyres’ research supports the importance of this focus on aesthetics, revealing that a considerable number of European driving enthusiasts prioritise tyre design. The study found that 43 percent of respondents find conventional tyres unappealing and would prefer a more distinctive sidewall design, confirming consumer appetite for products that enhance a vehicle’s overall look.

Positioned as a versatile, performance-oriented option, the Quatrac Pro 2 is engineered for a wide array of vehicles, including sports cars, high-performance saloons, hatchbacks and SUVs. It is also built to meet the specific demands of modern hybrid and electric vehicles, offering reduced noise and rolling resistance alongside a robust construction capable of handling increased weight while maintaining responsive handling. With this launch, Vredestein reinforces its long-established leadership in the all-season sector, a market it has helped shape since the early 1990s, and continues to offer the most extensive range of all-season tyres available.

Enrico Lago, Industrial Design Team Leader at Italdesign, said, “The theme of ‘Passage’ suggests a continuous path, where each season is a distinct yet interconnected stage, allowing for personal interpretation of the present moment. In this way, ‘Passage’ invites reflection on life’s transient nature and how we navigate through time. Much like when we design a car, we see the sidewall of a Vredestein tyre as a blank canvas to bring character to a high-performance product. We have enjoyed more than 25 years of close collaboration with the Vredestein brand, and the insights gained from each project have laid the foundation for the next. The Quatrac Pro 2 marks another important chapter in this story.” 

Udyan Ghai, Group Head – Marketing, Apollo Tyres, said, “The tyre balances advanced engineering with expressive design, reinforcing the Vredestein brand’s reputation for innovation and style. We’re proud of our longstanding relationship with Italdesign and it is extremely rewarding to bring to market something that is genuinely unique, perfectly aligned with the tyre’s all-season capabilities.”

Turkey’s first producer of fully bio-based process oils is challenging industry conventions with a zero-waste approach and performance-driven sustainability. Müge Metinöz, R&D Director, Skyhem, explains how a young Turkish chemicals company is transforming an industry long dominated by petroleum derivatives.

When Müge Metinöz joined Skyhem Kimya at a very early stage of its journey, she brought eight years of experience developing more sustainable tyres, focusing on alternative and non-conventional materials and innovative approaches. Throughout that period, one recurring challenge had become very clear to her: the gap between sustainability ambitions and industrial reality.

“What made Skyhem particularly distinctive and exciting for me was its clear recognition of this gap and its decision to address it not by slightly improving existing systems but by rethinking bio-based process oils from the ground up. The objective was never to offer a ‘greener version’ of petroleum-based products but to develop an alternative that is non-food-chain-based, fully bio-based and capable of performing under real production conditions,” Metinöz says.

That approach was both technically bold and foundational for long-term transformation, she reflects. In the global tyre and rubber raw materials market, Skyhem identified strong demand for solutions that transcend sustainability claims – solutions that are scalable, performance-driven and fully compliant with regulatory requirements.

“Being part of the development journey of Ecosky process oils represents, for me, an opportunity to contribute to a transformation that delivers real and measurable impact. The strong interest and positive feedback we are receiving today from markets around the world clearly confirm the tangible nature of this need. With Ecosky-3103, my belief continues to grow that we are not simply introducing a new product but actively contributing to a lasting and meaningful shift in the tyre industry’s sustainability transition,” Metinöz explains.

GREEN CHEMISTRY AS FOUNDING PRINCIPLE

From the very beginning, Skyhem was a company with a clearly defined vision. The company was founded in 2023 with a strong emphasis on green chemistry, but for Skyhem, this has never been merely a marketing label.

“For us, green chemistry has never been a marketing label but rather the starting point of all decision-making processes. Already at the foundation stage, key questions – such as which raw materials to work with, which markets to address and which regulations to be prepared for – were shaped in line with this vision,” Metinöz says.

At the same time, having a clear vision does not mean remaining static, she notes. As Skyhem has grown, the company’s vision has evolved into something more tangible, more measurable and more industrially grounded. In the initial phase, the primary focus was to demonstrate that a fully bio-based, non-food-chain process oil was technically feasible.

“Today, that vision has progressed to delivering solutions that are tested on a global scale, compliant with regulatory frameworks and applicable at an industrial scale,” Metinöz says. One of the most important lessons Skyhem has learned throughout this journey is that sustainability only creates real value when it is addressed alongside performance, process compatibility and scalability.

“As a result, Skyhem’s vision has become even more focused with growth: not simply to develop sustainable products but to contribute to the transformation of the tyre and rubber industry through practical, reliable and performance-driven solutions,” Metinöz says.

TURNING GEOGRAPHY INTO ADVANTAGE

Turkey is not traditionally viewed as a centre for bio-based process oil innovation, yet Skyhem has successfully turned this into a strategic advantage rather than a limitation. Although Turkey has a strong chemical engineering infrastructure and technological capability, process oils used in the tyre industry have historically been fully imported.

Through its green journey, Skyhem has successfully changed this landscape, establishing itself as Turkey’s first domestic producer in this field. The company’s process oils are 100 percent bio-based, outside the scope of the EU Deforestation Regulation and strictly non-food-chain.

“Our process oils, which are 100 percent bio-based, outside the scope of EUDR and strictly non-food-chain, represent a milestone not only for Turkey but also at a global level. This achievement clearly demonstrates that Turkish engineering can compete internationally in the fields of sustainability and advanced materials technology,” Metinöz says.

Turkey’s strategic geographic position, connecting Europe, Asia and Middle East, provides Skyhem with a significant advantage in accessing global markets efficiently and reliably. Today, with its current production capacity, Skyhem has the potential to meet approximately 41 percent of Turkey’s total process oil demand.

“Taken together, these elements show how Skyhem has reshaped perceptions in this field by transforming Turkey’s geography and engineering strength into a strategic competitive advantage,” Metinöz says.

THE CONSCIOUS CHOICE OF BIO-BASED MATERIALS

Skyhem claims to be Turkey’s first producer of fully bio-based process oils. The decision to move away entirely from petroleum-derived oils was not a necessity for the company but rather a conscious identity choice.

“The decision to move away from petroleum-derived process oils was not a necessity for Skyhem but a conscious identity choice. From the very beginning, Skyhem positioned itself not simply as an alternative to existing systems but as a pioneer of more nature-friendly, greener and long-term sustainable solutions,” Metinöz explains.

This mindset allowed the company to place environmental impact and responsibility at the core of its product development process. From a technical perspective, the main challenge was to achieve critical performance parameters – such as process compatibility, viscosity control, ageing behaviour and compound stability – using bio-based raw materials in tyre and rubber manufacturing.

Ensuring that Ecosky-3103 could be used alongside petroleum-based reference oils without creating compatibility issues on existing production lines was one of Skyhem’s key priorities. In this context, the hybrid use flexibility of Ecosky-3103 has proven to be a significant advantage.

“When required, Ecosky-3103 can be integrated into formulations together with petroleum-based process oils, offering manufacturers a gradual and controlled transition path. This approach makes the sustainability transition more manageable and lower-risk while fully preserving production continuity,” Metinöz says.

From a business perspective, the main challenge was earning market trust in a sector that has historically viewed process oils as an immutable component. Thus, highlighting environmental advantages alone was insufficient.

“It was essential to demonstrate – under real production conditions – that Ecosky-3103 is a scalable, consistent and reliable long-term solution. Today, the fact that leading global tyre and rubber manufacturers have begun to adopt Ecosky-3103 in their production clearly validates this approach. The ability of our products to remain fully compatible with petroleum-based systems while delivering sustainability without compromising performance has positioned Skyhem as a trusted solution partner in the market,” Metinöz says.

RECOGNITION AND DIFFERENTIATION

Ecosky-3103 has been shortlisted for the 2026 TTI Awards for Materials Innovation. In Metinöz’s view, what makes this product stand out in an increasingly crowded sustainability-driven market is not only its bio-based nature.

“What differentiates Ecosky-3103 is not only that it is bio-based but also that it is a non-food-chain, EUDR-exempt process oil produced at an industrial scale under a zero-waste principle. It can be directly integrated into existing production lines or applied through partial substitution, and its consistency has been proven under real production conditions. Skyhem’s approach has been to position sustainability not as a statement but as an industrially applicable reality,” Metinöz explains.

PERFORMANCE AGAINST ESTABLISHED OILS

From a tyre manufacturer’s perspective, the critical question is how Ecosky performs compared with established low-PAH and TDAE oils across filler dispersion, rolling resistance, durability and ageing behaviour. In studies conducted by Skyhem, Ecosky-3103, compared with TDAE reference oils, demonstrates predictable, consistent behaviour in terms of filler dispersion and compound homogeneity.

“In both tread and non-tread applications, mechanical properties are fully maintained; parameters such as elongation at break and tensile strength show equivalent and, in some cases, improved values. From a dynamic performance perspective, tan δ and E* measurements indicate that Ecosky-3103 offers controllable effects on rolling resistance and low-temperature performance, depending on formulation design,” Metinöz says.

With regard to ageing behaviour and process stability, Skyhem’s evaluations show that the glass transition temperature (approximately -65°C) remains stable, viscosity levels are consistent across production batches and the flash point lies within a highly acceptable range for industrial use.

“Overall, Ecosky-3103 can be considered an alternative that preserves the performance framework manufacturers are accustomed to when compared with TDAE and low-PAH oils while offering additional functional potential in certain applications. This positions Ecosky-3103 as a technically reliable process oil capable of supporting sustainability objectives without compromising performance,” Metinöz explains.

ZERO-WASTE PRODUCTION IN PRACTICE

Zero-waste production is central to Skyhem’s positioning. At Skyhem, the zero-waste approach is embedded as a core design criterion of the production system. From the product development stage onwards, all input raw materials are selected and used to minimise by-product formation and to allow materials to be recovered and reutilised within the process.

“As our facility is designed according to a closed-loop principle, potential side streams are systematically reintegrated into the production process,” Metinöz says. On the supply side, Skyhem exclusively sources non-food-chain raw materials from ISCC-certified sustainable sources, ensuring environmental impact and traceability remain fully under control.

From an energy perspective, the on-site solar power plant at Skyhem’s chemical facility plays a key role in operations. This system enables the company to cover a significant portion of its energy demand for production from renewable sources. In parallel, all production processes are continuously optimised with a strong focus on energy and resource efficiency.

“Through this integrated approach, the zero-waste principle at Skyhem goes beyond an environmental commitment and becomes a measurable and operational system, directly linked to product consistency, process efficiency and industrial sustainability. Looking ahead, we aim to convert 100 percent of our production energy demand to green energy via solar systems by 2030,” Metinöz says.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THIRD-PARTY VALIDATION

Skyhem has achieved REACH registration and received an EcoVadis Bronze Medal. For global OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers, such third-party validations have become fundamental trust-building elements rather than mere requirements.

“For global OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers, sustainability is no longer based on declarations but on verifiable and auditable systems. For this reason, third-party validations such as REACH registration and EcoVadis assessments have become fundamental trust-building elements rather than mere requirements,” Metinöz says.

EUDR COMPLIANCE AND NON-FOOD-CHAIN MATERIALS

Compliance outside the EU Deforestation Regulation and the use of non-food-chain raw materials are factors that Skyhem often highlights. These factors are becoming decisive for customers today for specific reasons.

With the introduction of EUDR, it is no longer sufficient for raw materials to be sustainable; their origin must also be traceable, verifiable and free from regulatory risk. For this reason, solutions that fall outside the scope of EUDR offer a significant advantage, particularly for manufacturers operating on a global scale, by reducing both operational and commercial risks.

“Raw materials that do not interact with the food chain have likewise become an increasingly important ethical and structural criterion in sustainability discussions. Solutions that do not compete with food resources are preferred due to their higher social acceptance and long-term supply security,” Metinöz says.

When these two aspects are combined, customer sustainability is no longer only about environmental benefits but also about regulatory compliance, supply continuity and forward-looking risk management.

“Skyhem’s approach is built precisely on this understanding – treating sustainability not as a short-term advantage but as a long-term, secure and industrially viable solution,” Metinöz explains.

THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE TRANSFORMATION

Demand for sustainable materials is accelerating, particularly with the rise of electric vehicles. The shift towards EV tyres is reshaping requirements for process oils in fundamental ways.

Metinöz believes that the transition to electric vehicles has already begun to gradually and fundamentally reshape tyre performance expectations. EV tyres operate under much tighter tolerances due to higher torque, increased vehicle weight and stricter noise requirements. As a result, parameters such as rolling resistance, wear resistance and compound stability have become even more critical.

“This shift means that process oils can no longer function merely as softeners; they must act as components that precisely tune the dynamic behaviour of the compound. Consequently, these new requirements place greater emphasis on controlled rheological behaviour, the retention of properties after ageing and predictability across formulations,” Metinöz says.

At the same time, EV manufacturers’ sustainability targets require greater transparency and measurability of the environmental impact of all raw materials used. Within this context, process oils for EV tyres are now expected to meet not only technical performance criteria but also low environmental impact, regulatory compliance and long-term supply security.

“At Skyhem, our approach is built on addressing these multi-dimensional requirements simultaneously, developing solutions that are well aligned with the needs of next-generation tyre applications,” Metinöz says.

GLOBAL VISIBILITY AND COLLABORATION

Skyhem has been highly visible at global tyre industry events. Beyond branding, these platforms contribute significantly to collaboration and product development. At Skyhem, the primary focus is to represent the country in the best possible way within the industry.

“For us, global industry events are not merely platforms to increase brand visibility but environments where technical feedback, mutual learning and collaborative development actively take place. Through these events, we have the opportunity to directly understand the real expectations, technical challenges and regulatory priorities of manufacturers across different regions,” Metinöz explains.

At the same time, such platforms enable potential collaborations to take shape early. From Skyhem’s perspective, the real value lies not in promotion but in fostering a constructive dialogue where the right technical questions are asked and common solution areas are clearly identified.

“This approach supports our products in reaching the market more efficiently and in a more robust manner,” Metinöz says.

CO-DEVELOPMENT WITH MANUFACTURERS

Skyhem’s approach to innovation is highly collaborative. At Skyhem, innovation is not an R&D activity carried out independently of customers but a development process that progresses alongside manufacturers.

“Our work with tyre and rubber producers is based on evaluating products under real formulations and actual processing conditions. All technical feedback we receive is directly incorporated into product improvement. Through this approach, Skyhem’s R&D is positioned not merely as a raw material supplier but as a technical partner delivering practical, reliable solutions aligned with real production requirements,” Metinöz says.

BALANCING GROWTH WITH CULTURE

As a young company scaling internationally, Skyhem faces the challenge of balancing rapid growth with maintaining a strong sustainability-led culture internally. At Skyhem, growth has never been treated as a goal in itself; how the company grows has always been more important than how fast it grows.

“Our sustainability approach is not a policy added later on but a culture that has been embedded into our decision-making processes since the company’s foundation. To be candid, this mindset and philosophy have played a key role in keeping our direction clear throughout our growth journey,” Metinöz says.

As Skyhem grows, the primary focus is to avoid compromising technical discipline and sustainability standards. The company applies the same principles consistently across product development, sourcing and production and approaches new markets and partnerships within this framework.

Metinöz explains, “As a result, growth does not put pressure on our system; instead, it becomes a controlled process that strengthens our existing structure. For us at Skyhem, maintaining a strong sustainability culture depends on having teams that fully understand the processes and on clearly questioning the technical and environmental implications of every decision. This approach ensures that, as the company grows, the culture does not weaken but rather becomes more structured and institutionalised.”

FUTURE GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES

Looking ahead, where does Metinöz see the strongest growth opportunities for Skyhem – in terms of markets, applications or next-generation materials?

“I see the strongest growth opportunities for Skyhem in application areas where sustainability is no longer a choice but a mandatory technical requirement,” Metinöz says. “In the tyre and rubber industry in particular, markets where regulatory pressure and performance expectations are increasing simultaneously show a natural alignment with Skyhem’s solution approach.”

From an application perspective, high-performance tyres, electric vehicle applications and speciality rubber compounds are among the company’s key focus areas. In these segments, process oils are no longer merely auxiliary components; they have become elements that precisely control compound behaviour, further increasing demand for technically robust and sustainable solutions.

“With regard to next-generation materials, Skyhem’s growth strategy is based not on a single product but on a modular and evolvable technology platform. This approach allows us to develop solutions that can be adapted to different markets and applications,” Metinöz explains.

Geographically, Skyhem sees controlled, high-quality growth opportunities particularly in Europe, where regulations are clearly defined and sustainability targets are firmly established.

“In short, for Skyhem, growth is not about volume expansion but about progressing with the right technical value in the right applications,” Metinöz says.

DEFINING SUCCESS

Finally, how would Metinöz define success for Skyhem Kimya over the next five to 10 years, both as a business and as a contributor to the tyre industry’s transition towards more sustainable materials?

“For Skyhem, I define success not solely by growth figures but by the lasting impact we create within the industry. Today, Skyhem has reached a position as a company delivering technically reliable solutions with measurable sustainability and proven industrial applicability,” Metinöz says.

Within the next five years, Skyhem aims to establish strong R&D centres in four different regions. Through these centres, the company plans to provide more effective technical support to Ecosky-3103 users while also developing its own compounds at laboratory scale to evaluate product performance directly at the application level.

At present, Skyhem serves four industries and is actively advancing sustainable, bio-based product development across multiple sectors. Looking further ahead, over the next 10 years, the company aims to evolve into an integrated chemical manufacturing structure and reach a broader customer base through new product classes.

“As a business, we measure success through consistent growth, stable product quality and the ability to build long-term partnerships,” Metinöz says. “In this context, positioning Skyhem not merely as a raw material supplier but as a strategic technical partner for our customers is a critical benchmark for us.”

From an industry perspective, Skyhem sees true success in enabling sustainable materials to move beyond niche applications and become a natural part of mainstream production processes.

“At Skyhem, our objective is to demonstrate – on a lasting basis – that sustainability does not conflict with performance but rather, when addressed through the right engineering approach, becomes a driver that moves the industry forward,” Metinöz concludes.

In 2026, Cabot Corporation reported improved environmental performance in its latest disclosure to CDP, reinforcing a multi-year trend of progress across climate and water stewardship.

The company received an A- rating for Water Security and a B rating for Climate Change in CDP’s 2025 assessment. The Water Security score marks an improvement from a B in 2024, exceeding both global and industry averages, while the Climate Change rating was maintained year on year, alongside improvements in subcategories such as climate risk disclosure, value chain engagement and industry collaboration.

CDP evaluated more than 24,800 companies globally in 2025, covering roughly two-thirds of global market capitalisation, using a scoring scale ranging from D (Disclosure) to A (Leadership).

Cabot positions the results as validation of a long-term sustainability strategy anchored in transparency, operational discipline and continuous improvement. As Jaimee Farrin, Senior Director, Global Sustainability at Cabot Corporation, explains: “Through our commitment to operate responsibly, conserve resources and develop innovative performance materials, we will be relentless in our pursuit of solving sustainability challenges and achieving our net zero ambition.”

Transparent reporting remains a central pillar of this approach. Farrin notes that CDP is one of the environmental and governance disclosure platforms Cabot prioritises, both for reporting and for evaluating performance. She adds, “As part of our ongoing efforts, we are dedicated to transparent reporting, including our climate actions, opportunities and progress.”

CLIMATE CHANGE

On climate change, Cabot has set a 2030 goal to reduce Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 15 percent through process innovation. To progress towards this target, the company is pursuing a comprehensive strategy encompassing renewable energy transition over time, efficiency improvements, investment in breakthrough decarbonisation technologies and the use of alternative feedstocks and advanced energy recovery solutions.

One of the company’s most prominent climate-related innovations is its regenerated carbon technology, developed under the EVOLVE Sustainable Solutions platform. Farrin highlights the role this technology plays in advancing circularity in the tyre industry. She says, “Cabot’s regenerated carbon technology is one of the innovative strategies the company is leveraging to reduce its environmental impact.”

Reclaimed carbon, produced through the pyrolysis of end-of-life tyres, has historically been limited to very low loadings (<10%) in rubber applications due to poor reinforcing properties. Farrin explains that Cabot’s patented regeneration technology addresses this limitation by improving surface characteristics, enabling tyre manufacturers to use higher levels of reclaimed carbon with performance comparable to virgin carbon black.

“Today, we have demonstrated that the technology enables the use of reclaimed carbon content up to 30 percent; however, as we look forward, we are continuously evaluating ways to increase sustainable content while delivering in-rubber performance,” explains Farrin.

Energy efficiency and recovery also form a critical part of Cabot’s climate strategy. The company has implemented energy recovery systems at many facilities worldwide, including 13 reinforcing carbon plants, capturing and reusing heat generated during production to offset electricity and steam typically supplied by the grid and natural gas combustion.

Farrin underlines the strategic significance of these systems, noting, “This opportunity has influenced Cabot’s strategy as we have recently unveiled a new 2030 energy goal – to export 250 percent of the energy Cabot imports, reconfirming the importance of driving even further improvements in the years ahead.”

Beyond direct operations, Cabot continues to strengthen collaboration across its value chain. The company uses Product Carbon Footprints (PCFs) and Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) to substantiate

sustainability benefit claims and is actively working with the International Carbon Black Association to support the standardisation of PCFs across the industry. In parallel, Cabot is engaging with tyre customers to explore joint approaches to improving product life-cycle impacts.

WATER SECURITY

Water stewardship has emerged as a defining area of progress. All Cabot sites globally are expected to identify and pursue water conservation opportunities aligned with local risk conditions. These measures include reducing water consumption in production processes, reusing and recycling water, harvesting rainwater and sourcing grey water from external providers where feasible.

The company-wide focus on annual water balance and risk assessments, enhanced data collection and targeted investment has delivered measurable results. As Farrin notes, these efforts contributed directly to the improvement in Cabot’s CDP Water Security score from B in 2024 to A- in 2025.

At the operational level, Cabot’s reinforcing carbons facility in Altamira, Mexico, has implemented improvements to the recovery and reuse of treated water and identified opportunities to optimise scrubber water discharge, reducing future water consumption in production.

Looking ahead, Cabot has set a 2030 water goal to reduce freshwater withdrawal intensity by 10 percent at sites located in water-stressed areas. Farrin emphasises the broader implications of this focus. She says, “Focusing on freshwater withdrawal in water-stressed areas is crucial to sustaining ecosystems, minimising business risks from operational disruptions and allowing sustainable development for communities.”

Further water conservation and wastewater recycling projects are currently under evaluation across Cabot’s global network to support this target.

Summarising the company’s progress, Farrin concludes: “We are proud of the progress we have made in advancing our sustainability strategy and remain steadfast to our commitment to responsible environmental stewardship, transparency and continuous improvement.”

Indag Rubber Limited reported a sharp rise in quarterly profit, with improved margins offsetting modest revenue growth.

The Indian retreading materials manufacturer said revenue for the three months to 31 December 2025 rose five percent year on year to INR 587 million, while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) more than doubled to INR 60 million. Net profit increased to INR 34 million from INR 8 million a year earlier.

For the first nine months of the financial year, revenue declined 10 percent to INR 1.62 billion, reflecting lower volumes in the state transport undertaking (STU) segment in the June quarter. However, EBITDA rose 24 per cent to INR 161 million and net profit increased 30 percent to INR 88 million.

Vijay Shrinivas, Chief Executive of Indag Rubber Limited, said: “I am happy to share that we have continued to maintain our margin improvement trajectory and also delivered revenue growth during Q3FY26. The revenue growth was primarily driven by both aftermarket and STU business, which witnessed a rebound in volumes. On the profitability front, EBITDA margins improved by ~550 bps YoY to 10.1 percent. This improvement was driven by a better product mix, cost optimisation, and gradual easing of raw material costs.”

“The macro environment continues to improve with Union Budget FY27 raising public capex to INR 12,200 billion, including INR3,100 billion for Roads & Highways, directly supporting freight movement and retreading demand. The recent India-US and India-EU trade agreements have further eased global uncertainty, strengthening the outlook for domestic logistics activity. We remain confident in our ability to sustain the positive momentum in the business. With improving demand fundamentals, a strengthening margin profile, and supportive industry tailwinds, we believe we are well-positioned to deliver consistent and profitable growth while maintaining a close watch on raw material prices and global developments,” says Shrinivas.

Indag Rubber Limited manufactures precured tread rubber and retreading materials from its plant in Himachal Pradesh, with annual capacity of 20,000 tonnes.

Alliance has launched Agri Nova, a next-generation R-1 bias agricultural tyre designed for light-to-medium duty tractors.

The tyre is intended to meet varied farming requirements, including traction, driving comfort and durability, and is offered in 60 sizes and 111 SKUs spanning rim diameters from 12 to 42 inches. It is compatible with both two-wheel drive and mechanical front-wheel assist tractors and is available in tubeless and tube-type configurations.

Dyutiman Chattopadhyay, Chief Technology Officer at Yokohama-ATG, said: “At Alliance, we are deeply invested in building innovative solutions that address the evolving needs of our customers. The launch of Agri Nova is a testament to our commitment to deliver state-of-the-art tractor tyres that unlock high-performance in the field and on road alike.”

The Agri Nova features a three-angle lug design with a higher lug count than its predecessor, angular tie bars and integrated mud breakers intended to support self-cleaning and stability. A square lug profile and wider tread aim to improve contact pressure distribution and reduce soil compaction, according to the company.

Trent Wallin, Vice-President of Sales for North America at Yokohama-ATG, said: “As a next-generation R-1 bias tyre, Agri Nova is built to withstand demanding conditions, reduce downtime, and deliver dependable performance over time. The product development and design engineering behind this tyre are truly exciting; pushing boundaries in a segment where such focused innovation is rare for a bias tyre. We believe our customers deserve the best-performing product in every segment and design category. This launch reflects our deep commitment to customer-centricity and to helping American farmers maximize every season and every investment.”

The tyre carries a seven-year warranty.