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INDIA RUBBER EXPO
Surinder S Kandhari (middle) at the Rubber Expo, Mumbai
Niraj Thakkar, President, AIRIA (middle), Ashok Mittal (in t-shirt), Chairman IRE 2013 & M F Vohra, Regional Chairman, Capexil
8th India Rubber Expo Penned for Delhi in 2015
products and create business opportunities.
The show travels to different parts of the country and the next edition will be organised in the Northern part of India. “The 8th India Rubber Expo will organised in Pragati Maidan, Delhi from 15th – 17th January 2015,” said Thakkar.
Commenting on the challenges being faced by the industry, Thakkar said that the industry demand is to abolish the 10 per cent import duty on rubber. Currently, there is a tax on imported rubber and it should be
either removed or reduced to a moderate level, he added.
India is the third largest consumer of natural rubber in the world and largest producer of natural rubber globally. The country produces more than 1 million tyres annually, is home to 5,000 manufacturing units and produces more than 35,000 rubber products, employing close to 400,000 people. India’s tyre production has increased according to ATMA by 28 per cent recently, and exports are up by around 18 per cent.
The 7th India Rubber Expo organised at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai from 22nd – 24th Jan 2013, attracted 550 participating firms from India and around the world. The 3 day show was visited by around 25,000 visitors from across 42 countries. “The first show in 2001 was organised in an area of merely 1,800 sq mtrs, whereas, this edition occupied an area of 30,000 sq mtrs with foreign exhibitors making up around 35 per cent of the event,” said Niraj Thakkar, President All India Rubber Industries Association (AIRIA).
The organisers estimated three times more business in this year’s edition. The 6th edition conducted business of around US$ 50 million. “The 7th edition is the largest to date and it
and is a show certified by the US Department of Commerce.
The show has a number of firsts to its credit as for the first time a Buyer- Seller Meet was organised by Capexil (Chemicals And Allied Products Export Promotion Council).“We received 30 buyers from Germany, ASEAN, Africa and CIS countries,” Thakkar informed. This was the first time that a Vendor Meet was conducted where major buyers of rubber products from the auto component industry, the railways and the defence sector have also been invited to participate. Interestingly, for the first time a concurrent Rubber and Tyre Industry show was also organised with a few key exhibitors such as Ceat and Al Dobowi.
UAE-based Al Dobowi Group is planning to enter India’s new tyre market but also has an eye on the retreading sector. “We are bringing in our tyre labels like Infinity and Eternity to the Indian market. We are also studying the Indian retreading industry and may enter it at a later stage,” confided Surinder S
governments in India. “We are holding negotiations and will soon finalise the plant location,” said Kandhari. However, he made it very clear that the tyre business would be the first priority. “Initially, we will set-up the tyre business and it would be followed by our entry into the retreading sector in about one year’s
Al Dobowi to Enter the Indian and South African Markets
might realise business of around US$ 150 million,” Thakkar estimated. The show was supported by the Rubber Board and Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA)
Also for the first time, the expo witnessed major participation by small and medium enterprises with a special zone dedicated to them allowing them to showcase their
Kandhari, Chairman, Al Dobowi at the recently concluded Rubber Expo in Mumbai. The company was showcasing its tyre range for the first time at the Rubber Show. “Our participation here is an indication of Al Dobowi entering into the Indian market,” Kandhari added.
Al Dobowi plans to bring in the radial tyre brand Infinity with its Chinese partner, while it is also bringing in a new label Eternity, which is a bias-ply brand, with an Indian partner. “Currently, our partner in India is Baroda-based Innovative, Kandhari informed. Innovative is contract manufacturing the tyres and giving 40 per of its production to Ceat and 60 per cent as its own own brand, out of which a 10 per cent share is of Al Dobowi labels.
Meanwhile the company is looking for a suitable location for setting-up a plant in India. Al Dobowi has already zeroed in on a few locations and is in touch with a couple of state
time.” Al Dobowi would soon be opening an office in Delhi to govern its operation in India.
Interestingly, Al Dobowi is also planning to enter the well-developed retreading market of South Africa. “Our South African tyre subsidiary Tyrecor is already selling tyres in that market. Now, we are planning to retread tyres in that market too, which is regarded as one of the most developed retreading markets globally,” Kandhari explained. Tyrecor is headquartered in Cape Town and has branches in Johannesburg, Durban and Mapa Luanga.
The company plans to enter the South African retreading market either in a joint venture with a local partner or independently. “We are holding negotiations with a South African company for our retreading foray. We will soon take the decision and finalise the entry,” Kandhari informed.
30 Retreading Business