Tyremakers Mull Shift in Raw Material Sourcing

This is mainly due to the depreciation of the rupee against the dollar and the steep increase of raw material prices in the last few months, which has led companies to scout for alternative low-cost markets.

“If the exchange rate persists at the current levels, we may have to consider increasing our sourcing base from Europe and the U.S. to other low-cost countries like China, South Korea, Vietnam,” said Kaushik Roy, head of corporate purchasing for Apollo Tyres.

Roy said the prevailing exchange rate may trigger the company to shift its currency to euro instead of dollar. He, however, said even if the purchasing continued to be dollar denominated, it could still accrue the company a cost advantage of around 5%-10% on raw material it purchased due to a combination of local factors, including availability of supply and freight cost amongst others.

Apollo procures 50% of its raw material requirement, which mainly constitutes natural rubber, from the domestic market and the remaining 50% consisting of petroleum-based products from overseas market.

“We will have to wait for the next few days and keep an eye on the currency movement and commodity prices before we take any decision, as globally even though crude prices have softened, petroleum-based products are not showing any signs of lower prices,” said Koshy Verghese, executive vice president of MRF.

Industry players estimate that the increase in raw material prices hit the tyre companies by 30%-40% during January-August this year.

“The industry has been affected by almost 40% in the last few months. At this rate, companies will be lured to hunt for low cost sourcing base even if there is a marginal cost advantage,” said an official of a multinational tyre company who declined to be quoted. (Tire Review/Akron)

GRI recently conducted programs in Sri Lanka to empower women and motivate children under its Green x Circle initiative. The company said these endeavors aimed to address the needs of the community, focusing on both women empowerment and youth motivation.

GRI recently organized a training program titled "Management of household finance under current economic conditions" at the Ingiriya Rubber Collecting Center in Sri Lanka, South Asia led by Shashika Nimali, an NLP practitioner and life coach. The company said this initiative provided women in the industry with essential skills and knowledge to effectively manage household finances. GRI's tailored training sessions equipped participants with tools for informed decision-making, ultimately fostering greater financial security and independence, the company said.