CEAT reaches milestone at radial ag plant in India

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — CEAT Specialty Tires Ltd. has added a row crop tire to the Farmax low compaction/high traction radial agricultural tire line it's distributing in North America.

The addition of this new tire, the Farmax Row Crop ag radial, coincides with a milestone at the Indian tire maker's year-old agricultural radial tire plant in Ambernath, India, in the country's Maharashtra state.

Available in four sizes — 320/80R42, 340/85R48, 230/95R48 and 270/95R48 — the launch marks the release of 100 unique tire sizes that have been produced at the plant in its first full year of operation.

CEAT, India's No. 4 tire maker, established a U.S. business unit in Charlotte to launch the company's radial ag and specialty tires in the U.S.

The tire joins the Farmax R85, Farmax R70 and Farmax R65 in the Farmax family and is backed by the company's seven-year warranty. All these tires feature what CEAT calls "CTR:" Low compaction, high traction, high roadability.

CEAT also features a line of ag bias tires.

CEAT Managing Director Vijay Gambhire said the company is happy with the reception the company's lineup of tires has received in the U.S. "(CEAT) is well poised to cater to the farming needs of North American farmers with a large range of high-quality radials."

Late last year CEAT earned the Deming Prize, an award that recognizes companies which achieve business transformation by implementing Total Quality Management (TQM). CEAT is the first non-Japanese tire company to have been selected for the prize, considered one of the oldest and most prestigious quality awards in the world.

CEAT, ranked No. 32 in Tire Business' 2018 Global Tire Rankings with sales of $957 million in 2017, was established in 1924 in Turin, Italy. The brand came to India in 1958, and later became part of the RPG Group. It is the No. 4 tire maker in India.