ATG is now Yokohama Off-Highway Tires

BIO TYRE OIL BRINGS ADDED BENEFITS

Alliance Tire Group has been renamed as Yokohama Off-Highway Tires (YOHT).

Yokohama Rubber had announced in October 2020 that it will consolidate its various off-highway businesses into one single entity- YOHT.

This includes Yokohama’s off-the-road (OTR) tyre businesses across the globe and Alliance Tire Group (ATG) with its tyre brands Alliance, Galaxy and Primex, which Yokohama bought four years ago. 

YOHT today released a new corporate identity, a new corporate logo, that draws on the 100 years plus the legacy of Yokohama while underlining its own distinct space in the Off-Highway segment. As a result, the current trademark of ATG will cease to exist from January 1, 2021, globally.

The ATG website will now be migrated to www.yokohama-oht.com. Similar changes are being done for the apps and will be available on Google and Apple app stores.

The new identity will start reflecting on all communications through the year 2021 on all digital and print platforms.

Nitin Mantri, Director YOHT America, said, “The consolidation of OHT businesses announced earlier will be strongly supported by the new identity of YOHT globally. This will result in closer integration of the brand equity and technological expertise of Yokohama with the strengths of companies grouped under ATG; namely – strong sales network, diverse product line up and superior cost competitiveness. This rebranding exercise collectively reflects our successful past while embracing future aspirations. We are excited to showcase this corporate identity to our stakeholders across the globe.”

YOHT will have a global footprint with the leadership team based in Tokyo, Boston, Amsterdam and Mumbai. The new unified global entity will offer a full-range of OHT tyres from small forklift tyres to ultra-large ROTR (radial off-the-road) tyres, to meet a wide range of customer needs for construction and industrial vehicles as well as agricultural and forestry machinery. 

YOHT  will be supported by Yokohama Group’s global off-highway tyre production network of  eight plants in four countries and three R&D facilities in Japan, India and USA. 

Epsilon Carbon Appoints Munish Kumar Rathi As President And Business Head For Carbon Black

Epsilon Carbon Appoints Munish Kumar Rathi As President And Business Head For Carbon Black

Epsilon Carbon Pvt. Ltd. has announced the appointment of Munish Kumar Rathi as its new President and Business Head for Carbon Black.

With more than 25 years of extensive global leadership experience, Rathi brings a strong background in profit and loss management, multi-site manufacturing leadership, strategic planning and business transformation. His career is marked by a demonstrated ability to drive operational excellence and foster sustainable growth across various international markets.

The company is anticipating that his leadership will play a key role as Epsilon Carbon continues to expand its global footprint and accelerate innovation within the carbon black business segment. The organisation has formally welcomed Rathi to the team, expressing confidence in his capacity to guide future strategic initiatives. This move underscores Epsilon Carbon’s commitment to strengthening its leadership team in pursuit of long-term global competitiveness.

TVS Srichakra Approves INR 2.2 billion Capacity Expansion For Madurai plants

TVS Srichakra Approves INR 2.2 billion Capacity Expansion For Madurai plants

TVS Srichakra has approved capital investment of up to INR 2.2 billion to expand production capacity at its manufacturing facilities in Vellaripatti, Madurai.

The expansion will cover the company’s two-wheeler tyre and off-highway tyre plants, with investment of up to INR 1.1 billion allocated to each facility.

TVS Srichakra said the two-wheeler tyre plant currently has capacity of about 21 million to 23.5  million tyres a year and operates at utilisation levels of around 80 to 85 percent. The company plans to add about 5 percent capacity, with completion targeted in the first half of FY2028-29.

The off-highway tyre plant has existing capacity of about 75 to 85 metric tonnes a year and operates at utilisation levels of 75 to 80 percent. TVS Srichakra plans to increase capacity at the plant by about 25 percent, with the addition scheduled for the first half of FY2027-28.

The company said the investment would be financed through a combination of internal accruals and debt.

TVS Srichakra said the expansion is intended to meet growing demand for its two- and three-wheeler tyres and off-highway tyre products.

JK Tyre Reports Record FY26 Revenue of INR 163.84 Bln, Q4 PAT Jumps 94%

JK Tyre Reports Record FY26 Revenue of INR 163.84 Bln, Q4 PAT Jumps 94%

JK Tyre & Industries reported record consolidated revenue of INR 163.84 billion for FY26, registering an 11 percent year-on-year increase, supported by strong domestic demand and volume growth across key tyre segments.

The company’s consolidated EBITDA rose 25 percent to INR 20.89 billion, with EBITDA margin improving to 12.8 percent.

Profit before tax increased 46 percent to INR 10.43 billion, while profit after tax climbed 52 percent to INR 8.60 billion during FY26.

For the fourth quarter, consolidated revenue rose 12 percent year-on-year to INR 42.33 billion.

Quarterly EBITDA surged 42 percent to INR 5.46 billion, with margin at 12.9 percent, while Q4 PAT nearly doubled, rising 94 percent to INR 1.99 billion.

Chairman and Managing Director Dr Raghupati Singhania described FY26 as a year of robust performance, highlighting record volumes in both truck and bus radial and passenger car radial categories.

Domestic sales volumes during Q4 grew 21 percent overall. Truck and bus radial replacement volumes increased 53 per cent, while OEM demand in the segment rose 23 percent. Passenger car radial replacement volumes were up 26 percent and OEM demand increased 10 percent.

The company said growth momentum was expected to continue into FY27, supported by new vehicle launches, infrastructure development and sustained replacement demand.

JK Tyre also highlighted strong traction in electric mobility. More than 70 per cent of electric buses operating in India currently run on its tyres, while the company supplies EV tyres to nearly eight two-wheeler OEMs and has secured orders for electric passenger vehicle models including Renault Duster EV, Hyundai Creta EV and Tata Motors’ Nexon and Punch EV variants.

Its Mexico business, operated through JK Tornel, contributed nearly 20 per cent of consolidated revenue and is expected to maintain growth across Mexican, Latin American and US markets.

Goodyear Executive David Cichocki Elected to USTMA Board

The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) has elected David Cichocki, Managing Director, Americas, and chief sales officer, Americas Consumer, at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, to its board of directors.

“I’m pleased to welcome David to our Board. His extensive experience and expertise across the tire and consumer goods industries will be invaluable as we navigate today’s complex industry,” said Anne Forristall Luke, USTMA president and chief executive. “His proven leadership will strengthen our ability to seize emerging opportunities.”

Cichocki joined Goodyear in early 2026 and is responsible for overseeing the Americas region and leading the company’s Americas Consumer sales business.

He brings more than 30 years of leadership experience across industrial and consumer goods companies to the USTMA board.

Before joining Goodyear, Cichocki served as senior vice-president of US sales at Whirlpool, where he managed a portfolio valued at more than $10bn across retail and direct-to-consumer channels.

He also spent more than 20 years at Kraft Foods and Nabisco in a range of senior leadership roles.