Alliance Tire Group (ATG) has opened a new, state-of-the-art tire factory in Dahej, India. Built on a 433,000m² site, the plant has a total floor space of approximately 112,000m².
“When planning and setting up our new manufacturing site, state-of-the-art technology, high environmental standards and corporate social engagement were equally important. With our own effluent and sewage treatment plants and an electrostatic precipitator in the plant’s boiler, we decided to go for zero discharge,” noted Yogesh Mahansaria, founder and chief executive of Alliance Tire Group.
With its excellent infrastructure via rail, road and air traffic, and its close proximity to the Dahej port, the location of the new plant is said to offer excellent logistics. Direct vessels sail to European ports in only 18 to 22 days.
Current capacity of the facility is 33,000 tons per annum (33 ktpa), which will reach 57 ktpa by the end of 2016. During the initial production phase, tires for tractors, harvesters, implements, sprayers and balers will be produced. Special tires for forestry equipment such as logger skidders or harvesters as well as port and mining vehicles will be produced in the next expansion phase. In addition, the production of all steel radials will commence in 2016 with the objective of delivering about 50,000 OTR per year from the end of 2016 onward.
Approximately US$150m will have been spent by the completion of phase two, when a daily output of 160 metric tons will also be reached. Phase two is expected to be complete by the end of 2016.
“The latest machines and technologies are installed at the Dahej manufacturing site. This includes several highly automated processes and control systems, which ensure uniform quality all along the manufacturing process,” added Mahansaria.
The factory is also equipped with its own testing facilities. “If you want to deliver top quality products, testing must commence at the level of incoming raw materials. That’s why we have a very rigid incoming raw material testing and approval system as well as a subsequent in-process material testing and approval scheme. Once the tires are manufactured, we intensively test and validate our products. This includes endurance, plunger and burst features, for example.”
January 12, 2016
