“The roadmap is focused on strengthening and expanding our portfolio across OHT, OTR, commercial vehicles and other specialized applications, while progressively building a stronger presence in global replacement and OEM markets.”
Birla Tyres is entering a new phase with a sharper focus on Off-Highway Tyres and specialised applications. From your perspective, what are the most important changes taking place in the off-highway tyre market today, and where do you see the strongest areas for growth?
From my perspective, the biggest change in the off-highway tyre market is that customers are increasingly looking beyond just the purchase price and focusing more on productivity, tyre life and overall cost per hour. The off-highway tyre market is evolving rapidly, driven by mechanization in agriculture, infrastructure development, mining activity, and increasing demand for higher productivity from equipment. At the same time, application-specific products and stronger technical support are becoming important differentiators. For Birla Tyres, I see strong growth opportunities in Agriculture, Construction & Industrial, Mining and Port applications, particularly across India and emerging international markets. Our focus is on building the right product portfolio while offering customers a strong value proposition based on performance, reliability and total cost of ownership.
Construction, mining and infrastructure equipment operate in increasingly demanding conditions, where tyre performance directly affects machine productivity and operating costs. How is Birla Tyres approaching the balance between durability, traction, heat resistance, load carrying capacity and overall tyre life across different applications?
In off-highway applications, there is no single tyre design that can maximize every performance parameter, so our approach at Birla Tyres is application engineering rather than a one-product-fits-all philosophy. We look at the complete duty cycle—load, speed, haul distance, surface condition, operating temperature and the traction requirement—and accordingly optimize the tread design, compound, casing construction and ply configuration.
For example, in mining and heavy construction, cut and impact resistance, heat dissipation and casing durability become critical, whereas in loaders and backhoe applications, the priority shifts towards traction, stability, load carrying capability and resistance to chunking. In port and industrial applications, where equipment operates under repetitive heavy loads, we focus strongly on casing strength, heat build-up and wear consistency.
Ultimately, the objective is not simply to achieve maximum tyre life—it is to deliver the lowest cost per operating hour without compromising machine productivity. That balance between tyre life, uptime, safety and operating economics is our approach to specialized off-highway applications.
Your OTR portfolio covers applications ranging from mining and earthmoving to graders, industrial equipment, underground mining and backhoe loaders. How does the engineering approach change when developing tyres for such fundamentally different operating environments?
In OTR, engineering is essentially about managing different types of stress. Mining tyres are engineered around high loads, heat and impact resistance, while underground applications demand stronger cut, penetration and sidewall protection. Grader tyres require precise tread geometry for lateral stability and controlled traction, whereas backhoe loaders need a balance of traction, casing flexibility and stability during frequent loading cycles. So, the real engineering capability is in selecting the right combination of carcass architecture, compound, tread depth and pattern geometry for each machine and application.
Birla Tyres is investing in material research and advanced design and simulation, including areas such as nano-carbon composites, resin synthesis and polymer grafting. How are these technologies translating into measurable improvements in tyre performance, and which areas of material science do you believe could make the biggest difference to the next generation of off-highway tyres?
From my perspective, material technology becomes meaningful only when the customer can see the difference in actual tyre performance. Technologies like nano-carbon composites, advanced resins and polymer modification should ultimately help us deliver better wear resistance, lower heat build-up, stronger cut resistance and improved casing durability. In OHT, where tyres operate under extreme loads and harsh conditions, even incremental improvements in these areas can significantly improve tyre life and machine uptime. Going forward, I believe the biggest opportunity will be in developing smarter compounds that can deliver both toughness and heat resistance without compromising traction—a combination that is particularly important for next-generation OHT applications.
At Bauma CONEXPO India 2026, what did you observe in terms of changing equipment configurations, customer expectations and tyre requirements, and were there any particular market trends or conversations that could influence Birla Tyres’ product development priorities?
What stood out to me at Bauma CONEXPO India 2026 was that the conversation is clearly moving from equipment capacity to equipment productivity. Machines are becoming more powerful, operating cycles are getting longer, and customers expect higher utilization with minimum downtime. This naturally puts much greater demand on tyres in terms of load capability, heat management, traction, stability and durability.
In my interactions, I also observed that customers and OEMs are becoming much more application-specific in their expectations. A tyre that simply fits the machine is no longer enough—they want to understand how it will perform in their particular terrain, load cycle and operating environment. There is also increasing interest in localization, dependable supply and faster product development, particularly as equipment manufacturers expand their product platforms in India.
For me, the biggest takeaway was that our product-development priorities should increasingly be influenced by direct field inputs from OEMs, fleet operators and end users. Instead of developing a product first and then finding the application, we should identify the performance gap in the field and engineer the product around it.
I strongly believe the next competitive advantage in OHT will not come from simply having the widest range. It will come from having the right product for the right machine, validated in the right application. That is where Birla Tyres can combine its engineering capability with closer OEM and customer engagement to build a very relevant OHT portfolio.
Birla Tyres is rebuilding its product and technology roadmap across OHT, OTR, commercial vehicles, agriculture and other specialised segments. What would you like the market to associate with the next chapter of Birla Tyres, and what are the key milestones you are working towards?
For me, it is extremely exciting to be part of the next phase of Birla Tyres and to contribute towards our long-term vision. The ambition goes well beyond rebuilding the brand—it is about creating a technology-led, globally competitive tyre business, with a stated aspiration of reaching around ₹3,000 crore revenue by FY30, backed by significant investment in products, manufacturing and technology.
The roadmap is focused on strengthening and expanding our portfolio across OHT, OTR, commercial vehicles and other specialized applications, while progressively building a stronger presence in global replacement and OEM markets. For OEMs particularly, the journey is about moving from product supply towards joint development, validation and long-term platform partnerships.
Personally, I would like the market to see Birla Tyres as a company that has successfully combined the trust and strength of its legacy with a new generation of products, technology and global ambition. For me, an important milestone will be when customers and OEMs across geographies increasingly recognize Birla Tyres as a preferred long-term partner, rather than simply another tyre supplier.
