The first tyres will be fitted to the trucks of a Belgian transport company.
24 Sep 2018 | 12203 Views | By Autocar Professional Bureau
Apollo Tyres has begun production of truck tyres from its Hungarian plant. The first lot of these truck tyres – Apollo Endurace RT HD 385/65 R 22.5 – are being deployed by Piessens and Zonen from Londerzeel, Belgium, a company specialising in transportation of construction materials.
“We are pleased with ...
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Apollo Tyres has begun production of truck tyres from its Hungarian plant. The first lot of these truck tyres – Apollo Endurace RT HD 385/65 R 22.5 – are being deployed by Piessens and Zonen from Londerzeel, Belgium, a company specialising in transportation of construction materials.
“We are pleased with the excellent price/quality ratio of these Apollo tyres,” said Patrick and Danny Piessens, owners of the Belgian company. “Prior to making the purchase, we carried out very stringent tests, and the results showed all the characteristics of a premium tyre. The majority of our trucks and trailers have now been fitted with Apollo truck tyres.”
Apollo Tyres first began supplying its truck tyres in Europe in 2017 and has since then expanded sales to various countries. The company says the number of European clients for its truck tyres continues to grow. Apollo Tyres claims that in addition to the favourable price/quality ratio, limited rolling noise and excellent grip, customers “benefit from an excellent cost-per-kilometre ratio”. Being the first country in Europe, where Apollo truck tyres were first introduced last year, Belgium was the obvious choice to start the delivery from the company’s Hungarian plant. With over 2 percent market share already, the country has become an important market for the Apollo.
In partnership with European clients, Apollo says its truck tyres have been tested for over 300 million kilometres and have proven their exceptional durability. All the truck tyres have at least a C-label for fuel consumption and an A-label for wet conditions, which is a unique performance for premium truck tyres. Apollo says it is also providing a five-year warranty on any manufacturing issues, and a buyback guarantee for the carcass, as they can be retreaded many times.
The Hungarian plant, located in Gyongyoshalasz, is Apollo Tyres’ second production facility in Europe, and the sixth worldwide. The production capacity continues to be ramped up on a daily basis in this facility, and will reach the planned capacity for Phase I by 2019.
The Hungarian plant, which went on stream in April 2017, is Apollo Tyres’ first greenfield facility outside India and showcases some of the best practices available worldwide in tyre manufacturing. It is a highly automated plant which uses both IT-driven systems and robotics as also young and skilled associates on the shopfloor, mostly hired locally. Apollo Tyres invested around 475 million euros in this facility, which has a production capacity of 5.5 million passenger car and light truck (PCLT) tyres and 675,000 commercial vehicle tyres. This facility complements Apollo Tyres’ existing facility in the Netherlands, and produces both the Apollo and Vredestein brand of tyres for the European market.