KANCHIPURAM, India — CEAT Tyres Ltd. has inaugurated production at its newest factory, a car and motorcycle tire plant in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, just 18 months after construction began on the $200 million project.
Chennai, India-based CEAT said the plant, with annual capacities of 28,500 passenger and 2,500 motorcycle tire a day, is its largest car tire plant and claims it's "one of the most advanced tire plants in South Asia."
The unit is CEAT's first tire plant in the southern state of Tamil Nadu and sixth in India; the others are in Mumbai, Nasik, Nagpur, Ambernath and Halol.
CEAT, the world's 29th largest tire maker with 2018 sales of $1 billion, said it expects to invest a total of $570 million in the facility over a 10-year period and create more than 1,000 job opportunities "in the next few years."
Speaking at the opening ceremony, CEAT Managing Director Anant Goenka said Tamil Nadu will offer the company access to many automotive manufacturers, proximity to port and a "favorable" labor environment. He noted that 40% of India's vehicle production is based in Tamil Nadu.
Mr. Goenka said the facility is considered a "smart factory" that will operate at zero-emissions levels and was built on a 163-acre site according to green building standards.
Also attending the event was Shri Edappadi Palaniswami, chief minister of Tamil Nadu, who said the factory was "a jewel in the crown of Tamil Nadu."
Claimed to be one of the first tire factories in India to employ women on the shop floor, the facility is planning to further increase women employment in the region.