BKT’s Bhuj Plant: An epitome of tyre making

By OEM Update Editorial December 14, 2016 12:13 pm IST

Balkrishna Industries Ltd, popularly known as BKT, is one of the global majors in the off-highway tyre business. With over 92 per cent of its products exported to more than 130 countries across the world, BKT has emerged as a true campaigner of ‘Make in India’. And now, with the setting up of a world-class facility in Bhuj, BKT aims to claim the global leadership position.

Inaugurated at the beginning of December 2015, the Bhuj plant is designed to produce tyres of unmatchable quality which can meet the future market demand while matching with all the norms of environmental, economic and technological sustainability.

If the off-highway tyre market were a chess game, BKT would be preparing to declare checkmate and claim its place as a global leader, said Rajiv Poddar, Joint Managing Director, BKT. He adds, “Bhuj has enabled us to play a completely new game from the perspective of exponential growth and aiming at global leadership.”

Manufacturing competence
From an initial production of 10 tonnes per day, BKT is currently producing 600 tonnes per day, which would eventually reach 800 tonnes per day by 2017. From 200 SKUs, the tyre maker currently offers a complete product portfolio consisting of over 2,400 SKUs. From 100 moulds a year, it is currently making over 300 moulds to ensure final product quality and design, along with a very short time to market.

Now the company plans to capture more market share in the domestic market especially in the construction and mining segment. BKT is looking for creating strategic partnership with major construction and mining equipment OEMs.

Bhuj becomes the ‘game changer’ for BKT
Thanks to a 500-million-US-dollar investment, BKT’s Bhuj plant is transpired as a state-of-the-art, world-class tyre making facility. Presently, about 175 tonnes are rolling off the production lines in Bhuj every day even though the plant has a capacity of 350 tonnes per day.
The main plant area of 72 acres is armed with internationally sourced highly efficient, state-of-the-art equipment including 9 Marangoni machines from Italy, 13 mixers, 177 presses, and 65 tyre building machines.

Today Bhuj plant is capable of making tyres of a diverse range – from 5-inch lawn tyres to 49-inch giant OTR tyres. The tyres currently produced in Bhuj plant include various sizes of Maglift solid tyre and Liftmax LM 81 tyre, both for forklifts, in addition to Portmax PM 93 in size 280/75 R 22.5 for straddle carriers, Radial multipurpose truck tyre Multimax MP 540, and the giant OTR Radial tyre 27.00 R49 Earthmax for mining applications.

The Maglift range is currently available in 22 sizes both in standard and LIP versions. A non-marking compound is being developed for which BKT has a dedicated mixer. Additional compound with antistatic properties is also under development. BKT is also in the process of developing deep tread solid tyres.

Strategically located
The Bhuj site stretches over an area of 300 acres (121 hectares) in a geographically strategic location near well-developed roadways and about 60-km from the Port of Mundra on the Arabian Sea.

R&D initiatives
Today, BKT’s researchers, engineers and technicians can boast of having the most advanced equipment for chemical, physical and mechanical testing. The company spends more than 3 per cent of its turnover in R&D. The state-of-the-art R&D centre, which is expected to be completed by early 2017, will empower Bhuj plant by facilitating research on new polymers and development of new tread compounds.

“In view of the cutting-edge machinery and technologies available at the new Bhuj production site, the R&D department had to face a great challenge in redesigning the highly technological manufacturing processes taking full advantage of the new generation equipment,” acknowledged DM Vaidya, President and Director – Technology, BKT.

“On the other hand,” he adds, “state-of-the-art technology and processes were an essential prerequisite for the realisation of new products such as giant OTR and radial forklift tyres.”

Advanced testing to enhance tyre performance
Thanks to a large variety of tests, many relevant features such as traction, handling, comfort, noise, fuel consumption, braking, rolling resistance, soil compaction and many more can be measured by means of high-precision devices and instruments. A 776-metre long outdoor tyre testing track is designed for testing tyre performance and driving comfort on various surfaces from uniform road conditions to bumpy terrain.

As a result of this unique source of information, BKT is able to further enhance tyre performance and optimise user-specific solutions.

BKT at Bauma Conexpo India 2016
BKT is one of the key exhibitors of Bauma Conexpo India 2016 and is all set to mesmerize visitors with its gigantic range of construction and mining related off-highway tyres. The company’s newest mining tyre EARTHMAX SR 46 27.00R49 (E-4) is expected to be the showstopper at Bauma Conexpo India 2016. Designed to carry heavy loads in severe rocky and abrasive mining operations, the rigid haul truck tyre SR 46 offers superior cut and chip resistance leading to improved tyre life.

Milestones
28th Jan 2011: Groundbreaking
3rd Mar 2012: First solid tyre produced
16th Mar 2012: First pneumatic tyre was cured
21st Mar 2015: Reached a daily production of 100 tonnes a day
Dec 2015: Plant inauguration