Ralson Tire North America (RTNA) has named Brian Sheehey President as of 30 April 2025. Sheehey joined Ralson Tire North America as Senior Vice President in 2022 and has 35 years of total experience in the tyre industry.

After finishing the development of a state-of-the-art medium/heavy truck tire production facility in Indore, India, Ralson made its debut in the US commercial tyre market in 2023. With the potential to generate four million units per year, the factory now produces one million TBR units. The facility produces a wide variety of commercial vehicle tyres under the Ralson and Accelus brands. In America, RTNA's distribution network is growing quickly. The opening of two East Coast distribution centres was also recently announced by the company.

Manjul Pahwa, Managing Director and CEO, Ralson Tyres Ltd, said, “Brian has played an instrumental role in our outstanding growth, and the future looks bright for the Ralson and Accelus brands in North America under his leadership. In today’s challenging market, Brian and the RTNA team have done a great job of helping our customers solve deficiencies in their supply base, improve their margins and address opportunities faster than most of the larger legacy brand competitors.”

Sheehey said, “I look forward to growing the Ralson and Accelus brands in North America, Ralson Tire North America is focused on increasing cash flow for our partners. It is a simple idea but not always executed well by tyre manufacturers. RTNA is committed to bringing back the ‘personal touch’ in business relationships, combined with our laser focus on providing dealers and fleets a high-quality product at a reasonable cost that they can depend on every day of the year.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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