Apollo Tyres opens global R&D Centre in the Netherlands

ERJ staff report (LMH)

Enschede, the Netherlands - Apollo Tyres Ltd has opened a global R&D centre in Enschede, the Netherlands. The 'state-of-the-art' facility will serve as a hub for the development and testing of car and van tyres for all the company's product brands - Apollo, Vredestein and Dunlop.

Apollo Tyres Global R&D BV will start operations with more than 100 R&D specialists from various parts of the world, including 20 car tire specialists from India and South Africa, and will later be scaled-up to nearly 150 people, the tire maker said in a 14 Jan news release.

“The global R&D Centre is an important milestone in our journey to become a $6 billion tyre company by 2016. This world-class centre will play a key role in bringing cutting-edge technology and innovation in the development of car and van tyres of the future,” said Onkar S Kanwar, Chairman, Apollo Tyres Ltd.

Apollo Tyres recently restructured its research and development team, creating two global R&D hubs: in Enschede, for a car and van tires, and Chennai, India for commercial vehicle tires.