Birla Tyres

Origin and Expansion

Birla Tyres is a Kolkata, West Bengal based tyre manufacturing company that produces tyres for two-wheelers, three-wheelers, light and heavy commercial vehicles and earthmoving machinery. The company was established in 1991 and is a subsidiary of Kesoram Industries, which runs under the flagship BK Birla Group of Companies. It produces a wide range of bias and radial tyres and sells them across 17 countries worldwide including regions of Africa, North & South America, Oceania and Asia.

The company collaborated with Italian tyre giant Pirelli for the production and development of tyres. In 1994, Birla Tyres was leased out to four different companies with a profit-sharing formula. Later in 2003, the company partnered with Pirelli to outsource its products. The brand is investing significantly for the improvement of its tyre range across the portfolio.

The plant in Balasore, Odisha was set up with an investment of INR 453 crore. The production unit has a capacity of 275 tonnes of tyres per day or 15 lakh tyres per annum, which was set up in collaboration with Pirelli. Birla tyres contribute about 40 per cent of the total turnover of parent company Kesoram Industries. In 2013, Birla Tyres reached a turnover of INR 600-650 crore.

Since it collaborated with Pirelli, the company has created a strong reputation in the Indian tyre manufacturing space. Birla tyres supply its products to major Indian OEMs, including Bajaj, Hero, Honda, Royal Enfield, Suzuki, TVS, Ashok Leyland, Tata Motors and Volvo, among others. In 2017, the company got INR 350 crore from the promoters to boost its tyre business.

In 2020, the tyremaker, in a move to revive its business, was demerged out of the multi-brand Kesoram Industries into a new passenger car radial company to get a potential partner who would invest INR 200 crore into the existing business and infuse another 150-200 crore as equity and debt. This would scale up the INR 600 crore turnover of the Birla tyres to INR 1500-1800 crore.

In terms of marketing, the company tied up with Athletico de Kolkata (ATK) football team for sponsoring season 2015-16.

Facilities

Birla Tyres has an advanced R&D centre and Tyre Design & Simulation department with some of the world's most cutting-edge equipment, working to create better and safer tyres across all the ranges.

Achievements

• Accredited by many international entities, including DNV Business Assurance, TPM, Standards Organisation Of Nigeria, Government Of India, CAPEXIL for quality of productions and customer satisfaction.
• ISO 9001:2008 certification for Quality Management Systems
• Occupational Health and Safety Management (OHSAS 18001:2007) Certification
• Recognised by the Indian Government for its export achievement in respect of Automobile Tyres, Tubes and Flaps.

Motorcycle and Scooter Tyre

Birla Tyres is recognized among the best motorcycle and scooter tyre providers. The company has been providing a range of products to cater for its large customer base in the Indian market. The firm utilizes superior technology to offer a safer and comfortable ride to not only commuter motorcycle owners, but also those who love performance-oriented bikes. The product range gives superior control at higher speeds, and is extremely durable, ensuring longevity and better value.

Some of the prominent tyres in the range include Birla FIREMAXX F83, Birla FIREMAXX R45, Birla FIREMAXX R51, Birla ROADMAXX BT R43, Birla ROADMAXX F21, Birla ROADMAXX S63, BT CITYMAXX, BT SPORTMAXX and BT SAFEMAXX, among others.

Truck Tyres

Birla Tyres is also one of the leading tyre providers for the commercial vehicle segment of India. The tyres are capable of carrying higher loads and are highly resistant to cuts and tears, hence, offering longer life, higher fuel economy, and more retreads. Some of the well-known tyre models in the product portfolio include 339, Ultra Drive Platina, Ultra Miler Platina, Road Miler, XPL, XPL LG, Samson, 333, Rustom, and Robus and Victus Series.

Manufacturing facilities in India and abroad

Birla Tyre has production facilities at Balasore, Odisha and Laksar near Haridwar in Uttarakhand. The company has formed new offices at Shankagiri, Secunderabad, Panvel, Himatnagar and Siwan. The regional offices are in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru. The company exports 15 per cent of its tyres to the markets in Bangladesh, Middle East, Vietnam, Afghanistan etc.

Birla Tyres Sales Network

The company has a dedicated fleet of sales engineers at prime locations in India to assist customers. The tyremaker exports its products to over 50 countries worldwide and is strengthening itself with each passing day. It has over 170 sales depots and more than 491 sales engineers and 8,831 dealers worldwide, including 103 depot and 3500 dealers in 13 regional distributions of India.