BKT: One-stop-shop for Off-highway Tyres Solutions
BKT, which is a brain-child of Late Mahabirprasad Poddar, founder chairman and Mr Dharaprasad Poddar, chairman who set up the company in 1951 as a textile trading house, attained its current status through sheer devotion and professionalism that it has been practicing since its inception.
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"Today BKT is a well diversified Indian industrial conglomerate recording a staggering sales targets of over $800 million per annum. With its total dedication to speciality, BKT has emerged globally as the preferred supplier to major OEM’s in construction, agricultural and industrial tyres segments and has established its presence in more than 120 countries across the globe and enjoys the privileges of being one of the largest tyres exporters out of India," Mr. Arvind Poddar, Vice Chairman & Managing Director. |
"Though BKT ventured into the tyres segment in 1988 when it started manufacturing two and three-wheeler tyres but the real success story started in 1995 when it began manufacturing the off-highway tyres said Mr. Arvind Poddar, Vice-chairman & Managing Director adding that today it is a well diversified Indian industrial conglomerate recording a staggering sales targets of over $800 million per annum."
According to him, BKT’s unmatched quality and complete consistency in offering specialty tyres has taken the global off highway tyres market by storm, which is further demonstrated by the fact that 95% of BKT tyres are sold to the demanding offshore market of which over 50% is being exported to the technologically advanced Europe. The company has also made inroads in other major markets including North America and the Middle East, followed by South America, Africa, Australia and Asia. With its total dedication to specialty, BKT has also emerged globally as the most preferred supplier to major OEM’s in construction, agricultural and industrial tyres segments and has established its presence in more than 120 countries across the globe and enjoys the privileges of being one of the largest tyres exporters out of India, added Mr. Arvind Poddar.
With complete focus on intensive market research, in-depth product knowledge and excellent product development capabilities, BKT is continuously evolving to achieve a greater footprint to remain a record breaker in the segment. To achieve the targets, the company is committed to manufacture and maintain superior quality of products backed by the advanced technology and multiple rigorous quality checks exactly matching to the utter satisfaction of its customers and alongside has evolved a growth oriented organization in all spheres of its businesses.
Its world class manufacturing plants are stretching across northern and western fringes of the country and the fourth plant is also coming up in western India on a seaport. All the manufacturing units together manufacture vast varieties of over 1900 Stock Keeping Units (SKU) thereby making BKT as one of the most sought after brand offering one-stop-shop to its distributing channels across the globe. The company has deployed top class machines and equipment strongly backed by equally efficient, highly talented and trained team of engineers and technicians manning its entire manufacturing process as a result of which its end product is not only matching international standard but also satisfying varied needs of the consumers.
On this Mr. Arvind Poddar explained that BKT has developed the habit to be always in the forefront to adopt newer technologies and use world-class raw materials in the entire tyre manufacturing process. It has been proactive in tandem with its equipment suppliers to modify the equipment, making them best-suited to its production lines. He elaborated that the entire range of raw materials at BKT is sourced from top quality suppliers with whom we have enjoyed an excellent rapport and cordial relationship for years together ensuring continuous supply with consistent quality.
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"BKT is consistently maintaining the quality of tyres as its each product has to cross over 450 tough testing stages during the entire manufacturing process and then brings out one of the most reliable product in terms of the lowest claim ratio in the industry," Mr. Rajiv Poddar, Executive Director |
Mr. Rajiv Poddar, Executive Director avers that during manufacturing process our every product passes through an efficient compound mixing and tyres making machines for which our manufacturing plants are fully equipped with the most modern machinery and are very well maintained to get the optimum output ensuring complete quality and quantity controls. Effectively handling multiple mould changes and managing more than 40 compounds everyday thereby blending charisma into tyres and serving the diverse needs of customers in a given time span. BKT is consistently maintaining the quality of tyres as its each product has to cross over 450 tough testing stages during the entire manufacturing process and then brings out one of the most reliable product in terms of the lowest claim ratio in the industry, he added.
In its scheme of things capacity enhancement is a regular exercise, which in turn is resulting in higher output with the passage of each quarter; moreover, its fourth plant is aimed at doubling its capacity to reduce the tyre lead times. In addition, the new plant would be a greenfield project with ultramodern facilities having advanced technological equipment on a vast and spacious tract of land which will again take care of the future expansion plans.
BKT offers tyres for multiple requirements covering agriculture, industry, construction, earthmoving and also for all types of terrain, lawns and tyres used in the garden vehicles because of its vast varieties, high quality and competitive price offerings. It offers tyres in various weight variants starting from less than half kg to 2100kgs and rim sizes ranging from 5 inches to 54 inches thereby making the most sought after choice for OEMs in agriculture machinery for global players.
BKT’s Agrimax has high demand in agriculture segment because of its capability to cater to modern farming techniques. In this segment, the company offers various variant of farm radials for multiple applications.
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"We have been continuously expanding our production bases and attained the most comprehensive product range and can easily be categorized as "One Stop Shop" for “Off-highway Tyre” solutions. BKT is known for its widespread network, efficient and reliable production mechanism, which is entirely transparent, flexible and trustworthy to give complete satisfaction to the discerning end-users," Mr. Anurag Poddar, Executive Director |
BKT’s capability of offering production flexibility enabled it to build unmatched market prowess to quickly response to consumer related requirements anywhere at any point of time across the globe. BKT offers wide range of off highway tyres right from the conventional variety of cross ply tyres to the latest and most sophisticated polyester radials, all steel OTR radials, aramide-belted run flat for defence applications. It also offers tyres for agriculture farms to deep mining operations. “We have been continuously expanding our production bases and attained the most comprehensive product range and can easily be categorized as “One Stop Shop” for “Off-highway Tyre” solutions. BKT is known for its widespread network, efficient and reliable production mechanism, which is entirely transparent, flexible and trustworthy to give complete satisfaction to the discerning end-users, said Mr. Anurag Poddar, Executive Director.
BKT uses best-in-class machinery and 3-D modeling systems which give greater control during the moulding process of tyre dimensions. In order to maintain quality control, checks are increasingly and repeatedly carried out at every stage starting from raw materials selection to the finished product. The process is equally supported by the state-of-the-art manufacturing tools driven by experienced operators allowing BKT to manufacture tyres of outstanding quality efficient and cost-effective. All its manufacturing plants are ISO 9000 and IS0 14000 certified. BKT has set up a sophisticated testing centre with modern equipment, including those used for endurance-testing and also regularly conducts tests under international regulations outside India which further reinforces the confidence of its R&D team. BKT runs on SAP and the entire process is integrated with the world’s renowned IT oriented infrastructure thereby injecting the cutting edge which is essential in the current and emerging global competitive scenario.
BKT’s R&D team and its mechanism is one of the best in the industry with vast experience and is credited with developing successful solutions to variety of customer requirements right from small Turf tyres to large OTR tyres consistently. Its research and development centre is the most modern and capable of developing various types of rubber compounds required for manufacturing tyres for varied applications. Giving the product a global touch, BKT is also associated with European testing facilities ensuring that its products perform to demanding and stringent applications. It has put in place sufficient resources and infrastructure, dedicated and devoted team of engineers for R&D and also for technical support, quality control and complete testing equipment for compound development, 3D Modeling & EDM Process for tyres and allied moulds, controlled laboratory tests and tie ups for outdoor testing facilities.
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BKT has deployed hi-tech machines and equipment strongly backed by equally efficient, highly talented and trained team of engineers and technicians manning its entire manufacturing process as a result of which its end product is not just matching international standard but also satisfying varied requirements of its customers. |
BKT is firmly committed to the tag line “Growing Together” this is being perceived where people and machines share a strong professional fellowship, resulting in the valuable choice of BKT tyres on the part of both new and loyal clientele.
Regular participation in trade events brings BKT closer to its consumers and promotes awareness of the product innovations developed regularly by BKT. With the mother brand firmly entrenched in a position of strength, BKT is building strong sub-brands to offer customized products to specific niche categories.
Apart from this, the company is equally committed to social causes including protecting environment and major chunk of its energy requirement is being met through non-conventional and renewable energy sources.
NBM&CW November 2011
