Apollo Tyres Co-Hosts First Indian CV Awards

In association with CV, a commercial vehicle themed magazine for the Indian market, Apollo Tyres has held the first dedicated awards for the commercial vehicle segment in India – the Apollo-CV Awards 2010. Posing with two awards winners are (L to R) P.M. Telang, managing director of India operations for Tata Motors; Satish Sharma, chief of India operations for Apollo Tyres; and R. Pisharody, president of Tatas Commercial Vehicles Business Unit.

The awards ceremony took place on Mar. 8, and a total of 23 awards were conferred upon vehicle and ancillary component manufacturers.

The evening saw Tata Motors walk away with the two most significant awards – CV Maker of the Year and CV of the Year – honors bestowed upon the vehicle manufacturer for its Tata Prime 4028 S. The title of CV Man of the Year was conferred on Dr. Abhay Firodia, chairman and managing director of Force Motors Ltd.

Apollo notes a unique feature of these awards is that, apart from recognizing commercial vehicle and ancillary manufacturers, fleet operators were also acknowledged for their contribution to the industry. Speaking on the occasion, Satish Sharma, chief of India operations for Apollo, said, “The commercial vehicle segment in India has been through several high and lows in the last two years, and has emerged stronger and leaner. With domestic sales on the rise as well, we felt it’s time someone applauded this tireless effort to deliver the best possible product to customers, and at the same time keep pace with tomorrow’s technology.

“This might sound simple, but being in the tire industry we completely understand how tricky such situations can be,” he said. “The Apollo-CV Awards have been instituted to honor the champions among the commercial vehicle makers, ancillary producers and fleet operators – all of whom add considerable muscle to our economy.”

The Apollo-CV Awards 2010 were established in order to recognize product innovation, manufacturing excellence and implementation of best practices. To ensure all candidates were evaluated purely on their respective merits, the jury panel was made up of automotive experts and journalists; to judge the fleet category, an external consultancy firm was engaged to evaluate all applications. (Tyres & Accessories)

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has named Ryan Waldron as president of the company's Americas business unit, reporting to Chief Executive Officer and President Mark Stewart. He succeeds Steven R. McClellan, who retired on April 1.

"At Goodyear, our customers are at the center of everything we do, and in Ryan Waldron, we have a customer-centric, execution-focused business leader with a deep understanding of both the marketplace and all aspects of our business, as well as a proven track record of delivering results," Stewart said. "I am thrilled to announce him as president of Goodyear's Americas business and have enormous confidence that under his leadership, both the company and our customers will reach even greater levels of success."