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ECCO TYRES EXPANDS IN SOUTH INDIA Mumbai based Ecco Tyres is expanding in Southern India as part of a long-term strategy to spread its business over the whole of the country. The Elgi Franchisee has further strengthened its relationship with its principal as it has taken over the one of Elgi’s operational retreading sites in the Southern Indian state of Telangana. COUNTRY REPORT - INDIA Vikrant Pathak, Managing Director, Ecco Tyres VikrantPathak “Wehavealready been averaging about 300 tyres per month production at the Hyderabad site and are targeting to reach 1,000 tyres per month by March 2024,” “We took over the Elgi plant in Hyderabad in July,” informed Vikrant Pathak, Managing Director, Ecco Tyres. “The site is func- tional on two Elgi-owned autoclaves of 8 and 2 tyres respectively, with a monthly capacity of about 2,000 tyres.” Ecco Tyres originally opened its first plant in Taloja in Navi Mum- bai, the Capital of the Western Indian State of Maharashtra. The Navi Mumbai site has been operational as an Elgi franchisee since 2021 and retreads 1,200 tyres each month on a single autoclave of 8 tyres. “We have already been averaging about 300 tyres per month produc- tion at the Hyderabad site and are targeting to reach 1,000 tyres per month by March 2024,” he assured. On the reasons for expanding in Hyderabad, he said, “The city infra- structure is improving very fast. Highway connectivity has improved due to the improving road infrastructure between the two major south- ern states of Andhra Prasdesh and Telangana. Moreover, Hyderabad is an evolving IT hub.” Ecco Tyres has also opened a sales and collection centre in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, in order to further strengthen its distribution and sales in the Southern part of the country. Vijayawada is one of the most rapid- ly growing urban markets of the country. The sectors that contribute to the city’s economy are transportation, construction, education, enter- tainment, food processing and hospitality. While Hyderabad is the second site of the company, Ecco Tyres is also finalising an additional expansion with the setting-up of a third site by early next year in India’s smallest state of Goa as part of its strategy of building a pan-India presence, followed by a potential fourth plant in the North-Eastern part of the country. “The Goa plant is likely to commence operation in March 2024,” said Pathak. “We will disclose the location of the fourth plant once the Goa site becomes operational.” P.36