Trelleborg starts two-wheel tire production at Indian JV

Mumbai, India — Trelleborg Wheel Systems (TWS) has started trial production at its two-wheeler tire manufacturing joint venture plant in Bharuch, in the western Indian state of Gujarat.

Syam Trelleborg Tires LLP, which is 24% owned by Trelleborg and 76% owned by Yogesh Agencies & Investments Pvt. Ltd, is set for mass production in early 2022, TWS said in a 14 Jan statement to ERJ.

“We got a DOT for the Gujarat plant where we’ve completed our core manufacturing buildings and set up status-of-the-art machinery,” said a TWS spokeswoman.

Trelleborg, she went on to say, expects the partnership to strengthen its position in the two-wheeler market segment.

“Increasing production… can solidify our presence in parts of Asia, augmenting motorcycle operations across Europe and North America as well,” she added.

The project, announced in late 2018, was scheduled to begin production by year-end 2020. No further details on the capacity or financial size of the investment have been given. 

Trelleborg’s existing manufacture of tires for two-wheeled motor vehicles is concentrated in Europe. Products include Mitas-branded tires for selected niches, such as enduro and motocross, as well as scooters, mopeds and motorcycles.

Owned by the entrepreneur family Mahansaria, Yogesh Agencies was the founder of Alliance Tyre Group, which was sold to Japan’s Yokohama in 2016. 

Additionally, according to its website, the company "co-promoted" off-highway tire maker Balkrishna Industries Ltd, which was founded in 1987.

The Mahansaria family will be in charge of sales of Mitas two-wheel tires in India and the other South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries, except Sri Lanka.