Bridgestone India, part of the Bridgestone Corporation of Japan, is upbeat on the Indian tyre market and its business in the rapidly growing automotive sector.

It is on course to expand its manufacturing plants at Chakan near Pune in Maharashtra and Kheda near Indore in Madhya Pradesh, to meet its future requirements.

The company, which has a manufacturing capability of 25,000 tyres per day, functions at near-full capacity, and recently announced investments of about $304 million for expansion over the next five years. The investment will increase the manufacturing capacity to about 40,000 tyres per day by 2022. The company also seeks to broaden the range of tyres it makes in India to suit the requirements of original equipment manufacturers.

The company has roped in the badminton star and Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu as its brand ambassador in India, with a three-year contract. Franco Annunziato, Executive Chairman, Chief Executive Officer of Bridgestone Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, said, “We see India as a strategic market with huge potential for growth. In order to meet the future requirements and widen the product range, we are investing in expansion of capacity. As a global leader for tyres and rubber, we expect to consolidate our market presence in the region.” Kazutoshi Oyama, Executive Director of Bridgestone India, said, “We are in the process of expanding our footprint in India, which has emerged as one of the fastest growing automotive markets. So far we had invested over $500 million and the $304-million expansion will enable us to bring best technologies and processes and provide a wider variety of products as per the demands of the OEMs as also after market.”

“We are strong in the OEM segment as well as in the aftermarket segment. And as we grow, we plan to expand our market share,” he said.

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