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KENYA/TYREXPO INDIA
Forbros Eyes East African Market from Kenyan Base
to Midland as the plant used to operate at a meagre 200-250 tyres per month before shifting to the Kenyan Capital. “Nairobi is a much bigger market compared to Mombasa, and plant volumes have trebled in last six months. Now, we are doing 600 retreads and are targeting 1,000 retreads by year end,” informed Krishnan.
Midland was forced to offer long term credit in Mombasa as generally practiced in the retreading industry in Kenya, and, according to the
company, has had difficulties in retrieving the money from the market. “Lots of money is still held up with fleets in Mombasa and we never know how long it takes to collect,” he said. Therefore, Midland has become more careful in Nairobi and prefers to work with fleets and companies paying up regularly.
The precure plant, supplied by the Coimbatore based Gemeni, is installed with 3 eight-tyre chambers and uses the Indian rubber brand Narmada.
The acceptability of retreading in the Kenyan market brings in tread rubber suppliers from all over India. Almost all the major tread rubber brands from India have a presence in Kenya, which is regarded as a
bonding gum in Nairobi for supply to the local retreaders,” said Jaison Jose, Director, Forbros Tyre & Tread Ltd. The Kerala plant produces around 100 tonnes of tread rubber each month.
The group has operated a 1,500 tyre per month retreading plant at Ras-al- Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the last decade.
The Indian supplier entered the Kenyan market a year ago and is now supplying to all the major cities including Nakuru, Eldoret, Mombasa and Nairobi. It supplies around 15 tonnes of bonding gum and 25- 30 tonnes of tread rubber in the Kenyan market each month, with precured treads and camelback for truck, tractor and OTR tyres being supplied from the Kerala tread rubber
manufacturing facility.
After tasting initial success in the Kenyan market, Forbros plans to establish a sales network in the East African countries of Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Congo and Sudan. “There is no point in focusing on one market. Therefore, we plan to have a supplier network in all the East African countries,” he stressed.
Jaison Jose, Director, Forbros Tyre & Tread Ltd.
Aryan Machinery Launches Retreading Programmes
to Integrate Industry
gateway to the East African market. The Indian suppliers generally attempt to gain ground in the Kenyan market initially, before venturing into the other East African countries.
“We have a tread rubber manufacturing plant L P Rubber Industries in Rubber Park, Ernakulam in Kerala and produce
The recent Tyrexpo India show in Delhi brought a number of retreaders and equipment suppliers from the Indian hinterland in search of new ideas and clients, clearly indicating a positive outlook for the industry despite the ongoing slowdown. While retreaders were looking for the latest computerised plant machinery, many equipment makers were ready to offer customised plant equipment.
capacity. It supplies almost every machine for the conventional, precure and OTR retread plant. Aryan has also entered into the niche market of retreading bike tyres. “We have been retreading around 1,500 bike tyres each month for the last six months and the idea is to popularise as well as increase the acceptability of retreading in our main Central Indian market,” said Sanju Pillai,
Sanju Pillai, Director, Aryan Machinery
Midland Shifts Mombasa Plant to Nairobi
Midland Tyres & Retreads Ltd has announced the relocation of its Mombasa unit to Embakasi near Nairobi airport. The move was completed around seven months ago. “We shut the Mombasa unit last year and have now brought it to the
capital as it became difficult to control the plant from Nairobi,” said Krishnan Unni C K, Plant Head, Midland Tyres & Retreads Ltd. The Mombasa plant was originally started five years ago in 2011.
The move to Nairobi brings volumes
Krishnan Unni C K, Plant Head, Midland Tyres & Retread Ltd
One retreading machinery maker in the Central Indian state of Chattisgarh is in the middle of introducing a series of programmes to integrate the retreading industry. Raipur based Aryan Machinery manufactures complete retread plant machinery and provides turnkey solutions. Established in the year 2000, Aryan Machinery claims to have supplied around 1,200 machines in the retreading industry in Central India. It specialises in smaller autoclaves with a 1 to 5 tyre
Director, Aryan Machinery.
The company believes that there is considerable part of the population that does not understand retreading. By retreading bike tyres, the company intends to showcase the reach of retreading.
The company says it is now starting a new vertical Eco Tyre Solution to create a franchisee network, bringing plants using Aryan machinery under a single network. “This will help us create a network of people using our machinery besides helping us to
58 Retreading Business