The R&D Link To Shopfloor Efficiencies

JK Tyres is enhancing shopfloor efficiencies on the back of R&D excellence. Sumesh Soman visited the Mysore CoE to establish the link. 

- Sumesh Soman

The Raghupati Singhania Center of Excellence (CoE) at Mysuru, in Karnataka is at the heart of JK Tyre's R&D activities and operational excellence. The facility is well equipped and boasts state-of-the-art laboratories with cutting-edge technology committed to a single purpose of aligning with the latest tyre technology trends. The goal is to also better products and upgrade the existing portfolio to stay relevant. Known to have been established with an investment of about Rs.150 crore, it has over 250 engineers, scientists and technicians that contribute day-in and day-out to find a better solution for the tyre segment. "If we do a random check, 95 out of 100 vehicle owners will have their tyre pressure wrong, but a periodic service of their vehicle is less likely to be missed. A tyre is one product that is not looked after in a very serious manner up until the wear and tear is visible to the naked eye," explained Dr R. Mukhopadhyay, Director-R&D, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. He further added, "This customer behaviour has pushed us to make the product as such that it remains maintenance-free until its totally worn out."

But now the industry is asking a lot more from the product than just longevity. OEMs are demanding good ride quality, less noise and with EVs into the picture, the tyre will have to bear with the instant initial torque. All of this with a long life is what is expected from the product. Mukhopadhyay averred, "The facility is equipped with the latest state-of-the-art machinery and labs that help in developing new compounds and test the products under extreme conditions."

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