The Gurgaon-based tyre major has received accreditation for the wet grip and coast by noise tyre tests on the track. It has already been aggressive in the European market with two manufacturing plants and one R&D centre. With investments, Apollo Tyres is ramping up its testing capabilities to develop tyres for across the segments, including premium passenger, commercial vehicles, high-end motorcycles and off-highway tyres. “The tyre manufacturers are depending on the international labs for advanced characterisation and labelling tests specific to tyres. Thus, investment in both advanced tyre testing as well as labelling infrastructure is needed in this country for quick product development, not only for compliance to latest Indian regulations but also to meet the stringent regulations in other countries and thereby promoting tyre export,” says Daniele Lorenzetti, Chief Technology Officer, Apollo Tyres Ltd in an interview with Motoring Trends.

Last month, Apollo Tyres became the first Indian tyre manufacturer to get the coveted accreditation from NABL for outdoor labelling tests in India. The company has now been accredited with ISO/IEC 17025 for the wet grip and coast by noise tyre tests on the track. This accreditation is extended for testing different tyre categories for vehicles such as passenger, light truck, commercial (C1, C2 & C3) classes, farm and motorcycle. This testing capability is linked to the Indian government’s plan to implement the ‘Star Rating’ of tyres, in line with the tyre labelling regulation in Europe.

According to Daniele Lorenzetti, Chief Technology Officer, Apollo Tyres Ltd, the growing focus of the automobile manufacturers on fuel efficiency, higher performance on ride and comfort, and safety is fuelling demand for more tyre component level testing. “Light-weighting in automobiles can alter transfer path for noise and vibration into the cabin, calling for corresponding modification in tyre design. Along with the introduction of AIS 142 standard, similar to EU R117 for labelling of the tyre, huge outdoor testing infrastructure is required, especially in proving grounds,” said Lorenzetti.

Electric Vehicle (EV) related challenges of higher weight, NVH concern, higher torque requirement and subsequent wear rate and battery life would be substantial concerns to tackle during the development process, stated the Apollo Tyres executive. “Similarly, for reducing the number of physical tests, simulation and modal development need to be evolved. Adequate testing infrastructure for validation of simulation and advanced characterisation is also simultaneously required. Hence, more indoor advanced testing infrastructure is required for NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness), F&M (Force and Moment) and traction performance validation,” added Lorenzetti.

Today, safety and convenience features are not limited to premium vehicles but are also provided in mid-level and entry-level vehicles, and the same trend is evident in India. Hence, while increasing capability, testing capacity also needs to be enhanced, thinks Lorenzetti.

Indian tyre manufacturers and testing services have basic levels of testing capacity such as safety requirements, durability, braking strength and dimensions. With the Indian government’s NATRIP (National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project), vehicle and component level testing facilities have improved. “The tyre manufacturers are depending on the international labs for advanced characterisation and labelling tests specific to tyres. Thus, investment in both advanced tyre testing and labelling infrastructure is needed in this country for quick product development, not only for compliance to latest Indian regulations but also to meet the stringent regulations in other countries and thereby promote tyre export,” explained Lorenzetti.

Like the automobile industry, the tyre industry’s evolution at a broader level depends on economic, social, cultural, technological and climatic changes. The Indian tyre Industry is also evolving with the Indian macro-economic growth, advancements in technology, increasing emphasis on sustainable environmental practices and policy, and institutional and regulatory requirements.

Currently, the tyre industry is going through a highly challenging period, with lockdowns across Indian states owing to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. While this impacts the demand side, pressure on the margin front is also felt due to the rising raw material prices.

However, with the Indian government’s reinvigorated policies and programmes such as “Atmanirbhar Bharat”, localisation push, EV subsidy, economic stimulus package to thwart pandemic crisis and vehicle scrappage policy, the automotive industry in India is poised to grow at a higher trajectory. “Shift in customer preference to private vehicles from public transport and shared mobility owing to Covid might also generate an uptick. We are optimistic with the and its positive effect on the tyre industry,” said Lorenzetti.

Tyre technology is also evolving in tandem with the automobile industry to pursue higher fuel efficiency, higher performance, driver safety, vehicle stability, light-weighting and heavy load carrying capacity. Additional advanced features such as vehicle connectivity and electrification of functions are also taking place at OEMs, which calls for intelligent talking tyres.

“Unlike in the past, the Indian vehicle market is now fast evolving. Earlier, customers had very few variants/choices available. Now, many models are introduced that call for higher bandwidth of resources. The premium segment is also poised for faster growth, and so comfort, without compromise on traction and durability, is added into the performance requirement list for tyres,” said Lorenzetti.

Indian government’s policies and regulations for sustainable growth are now major drivers for evolution in India. It has already issued a draft notification proposing new tyre norms as a part of the Automotive Indian Standards (AIS) 142:2019. The proposal states that tyres of all cars, buses and trucks shall meet the requirements of rolling resistance, wet grip and rolling sound emissions, in line with the limits of the European regulations.

Virtual testing is also gaining traction in the auto industry as it saves development time and money and gives flexibility to engineers. Global launches, stiff competition, legal compliance to emissions, demand for more electrification and self-driven vehicles push the development process shorter than ever. The time available for development is becoming shorter and shorter. At the same time, the demands set for the characteristics of a car are becoming increasingly stringent, as is the bandwidth required for various models and variants of vehicles. So, virtual proving is the key to faster product development while tackling tyre testing capacity constraints.

“However, simulation is as good as its verification and validation. Verification is the process of determining that a model implementation and its associated data accurately represent the developer’s conceptual description and specifications. Validation is the process of determining the degree to which a simulation model and its associated data are an accurate representation of the real world from the perspective of the intended uses of the model. Hence, adequate characterisation testing capability is also simultaneously required for wide-spread application of simulation,” said the CTO of Apollo Tyres.

Apollo Tyres is an Indian company that has been expanding aggressively in the European market. Today, the company has seven manufacturing plants – five in India and two in Europe (Hungary and the Netherlands).

Being a preferred partner for global OEMs, Apollo Tyres is continuously enhancing testing capabilities at its state-of-the-art R&D centres. With the two global R&D centres at Chennai, India and Enschede, Netherlands, the company aims to meet discerning OEM needs. “With the synergies between the two R&D centres, and its advanced testing capabilities, we continuously develop winning products and new technologies while also being at the forefront of meeting new regulatory requirements,” said Lorenzetti.

The company’s extensive investments in tyre testing not only help it in developing tyres for premium luxury passenger and commercial vehicles but also high-end motorcycles and off-highway tyres (OHT). “At our R&D centre, characterisation capabilities are continuously developed for the determination of traction, NVH, F&M, ride and handling, comfort, tread wear, fuel efficiency, durability and footprint,” added Lorenzetti.

Automotive test centres with large proving grounds funded by the Indian government are already evolved in India. Its NATRIP project aims to create core global competencies in the automotive sector in India by facilitating seamless integration of the Indian automotive industry with the world through setting up of state-of-the-art automotive testing, homologation and R&D infrastructure facilities.

Collaborations at various levels are also taking place to further enhance the vehicle test centres to tyre-specific test facilities. Earlier, Apollo collaborated with one of the test centres of the Indian government to pioneer the indigenisation of tyre labelling and certification tests in India. Similar collaboration would be beneficial for the industry to evolve faster.

“While large vehicle OEMs have their own limited proving grounds, the massive investment and maintenance requirement for this kind of infrastructure may be challenging for tyre companies to set up. Though collaboration among leading tyre companies would be a welcome scenario, the scale and size of the industry need to be evolved for such a tie-up,” said Lorenzetti.

The EV segment brings its own challenges with the higher weight of vehicles, NVH concern due to fewer and lesser noisy components, higher torque requirement and subsequent wear rate, and battery life. Apollo Tyres is gearing up for the same with capital intensive testing facilities such as “flat track” for traction, F&M tests and hemi-anechoic chamber for NVH tests. Apollo Tyres’ test machines are specially designed with multiple features, such as the very high torque ramp-up rate to match the futuristic EV requirements.

“It is heartening to note that major premium OEMs wholeheartedly partner with Apollo Tyres for joint development of products, featuring advanced technologies and engineering. We are committed in our endeavour to be the trusted partner for our esteemed customers and society at large by enhancing value with best-in-class efficiency through sustainable models for environment conservation,” said Lorenzetti. (MT)

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TIP Group has been named one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For in Europe. The list, produced by Great Place to Work, draws on employee feedback gathered through the Trust Index survey, so it mirrors workers’ own experiences on the job rather than external assessments.

This honour represents the newest step in TIP’s broader Great Place to Work journey, which has brought employer recognition across Europe for several years. The company’s workplace culture rests on three core values: team spirit, integrity and reliability and people. These principles guide how colleagues collaborate, serve customers and fuel success across the region.

TIP earned Great Place to Work certification in all nine countries surveyed in 2023 and has since extended it to 11 European nations. TIP France was recognised among France’s Best Workplaces for companies with 250 to 1,000 employees in March 2026, while TIP UK was named a Best Workplace in Manufacturing, Production & Transportation in September 2026. Rooted in employee experience, these honours reflect a culture of collaboration, trust and mutual support. As TIP expands across Europe, it stays committed to investing in its people and fostering an environment where careers grow and success is shared.

Arjen Kraaij, CEO, TIP Group, said, “This recognition reflects our people and the culture they create every day. It is especially meaningful because it is based on the experiences and feedback of our employees. Their teamwork, dedication and willingness to support one another are what make TIP special. I would like to thank all colleagues across Europe for helping build the company we are today.”

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Good Business Lab brought together senior automotive executives, industry actors and shopfloor workers at a leadership conference in New Delhi to discuss strategies for increasing female workforce participation across India's automotive manufacturing sector.

The event followed the organisation's September research report, which revealed that women account for 8.7 percent of the combined original equipment manufacturer and component manufacturing workforce across the country.

The conference addressed findings from a three-year study by Good Business Lab spanning over 55 automotive firms, 400 stakeholders and 1,900 individuals. Discussions focused on practical shopfloor interventions to improve recruitment and retention, including talent supply chains, night-shift operational frameworks, last-mile transportation solutions and childcare infrastructure.

Industry panels examined career progression pathways, performance metrics for middle management retention, and workplace safety conditions required to support long-term employment.

The event featured three panel sessions covering business metrics, worker perspectives, and sector-wide operational scalability. Executives participating in the discussions included Suman Mishra, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Mahindra Last Mile Mobility; Viveka Bhandari, Chief Operating Officer of Padmini VNA Mechatronics; Sunil Arora, Managing Director of Abilities India Pistons & Rings; Satyaprakash Patil, Chief Human Resources Officer of Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India; and Vinkesh Gulati, Chairperson of the Automotive Skills Development Council.

A panel of female shopfloor associates from Abilities India Pistons & Rings, Asahi India Glass, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India and Sansera Engineering detailed their career trajectories and operational experiences in vehicle assembly and component production.

Nirmal Deshpande, Managing Director of Good Business Lab, said, “The evidence increasingly mirrors what we are hearing from industry: women’s participation is no longer just an inclusion imperative, but a business necessity. Several leading firms are already showing what is possible; the challenge now is scale. We brought business leaders, women workers and the wider ecosystem together to chart the path ahead. The opportunity is clear: now we need to turn what works into action across the sector.”

Good Business Lab plans to collaborate with automotive manufacturers, philanthropic organisations and industry bodies to pilot shopfloor solutions and co-design workforce frameworks across the manufacturing sector.

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JSW MG Motor India, one of the leading passenger vehicle manufacturers, has announced the eight winning startups selected for the 6^th edition of the MG Developer Program.

The startup engagement initiative, centred on the theme 'Innovation in Automotive', evaluated over 130 applications before selecting the finalists for pilot deployment consideration.

The selected startups comprise Nayan Technologies, Technod8.AI, LiveNSense, LW3, Smaartbrand by Acquink Solutions, Fitsol, Cautio and Meta Materials Circular Market.

The chosen entities specialise in artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, industrial software, battery supply chain tracking, mobility intelligence, supply chain decarbonisation and automotive circular economy systems.

The winners will collaborate with the vehicle manufacturer and program partners to test and implement pilot projects across industrial operations, manufacturing, customer experience and mobility services.

Anurag Mehrotra, Managing Director, JSW MG Motor India, said, "We are entering an era where the boundaries between mobility, data, and artificial intelligence are rapidly converging. The next wave of transformation in the automotive industry will be driven by innovators who can connect these ecosystems and create solutions with real-world impact. Through the MG Developer Program, we are committed to providing startups with a platform to collaborate, experiment and scale breakthrough ideas. The winning startups of Season 6.0 represent some of the most promising innovations across automotive technology, sustainability, industrial intelligence, and mobility services. We look forward to partnering with them to explore pilot deployments and unlock new possibilities for the future of mobility."

The sixth season was conducted in partnership with DPIIT, Startup India, JSW, NCPI BHIM, Jio, Gulf Oil India, TiE Delhi NCR, iCreate, Allianz Partners India, TERI, BSES Rajdhani Power Limited, LICO Materials and Pulse Energy.

The program saw more than 40 startups shortlisted for presentations, with 18 reaching the final jury stage. Since its launch in 2019, the program has evaluated over 1,680 startup applications covering connected vehicles, electric mobility, artificial intelligence, and manufacturing technologies.

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Cummins India has announced the appointment of Gbile Adewunmi as Managing Director and India Regional Leader, effective 1 November 2026. Adewunmi will assume the position alongside his current role as leader of Industrial Markets within Power Systems, where he will continue to direct business operations for the division.

In his current role as Vice-President, Power Systems Industrial Markets, Adewunmi oversees customer and partner operations across industrial segments, including mining. His work in the division has focused on hybrid-electric retrofit systems, mining technologies, and power solutions aimed at operational efficiency and emissions reduction.

Jenny Bush, President of Power Systems, Cummins, said, “Gbile is a respected global leader with deep experience across Cummins and a strong track record of delivering customer-focused growth and business performance. His enterprise perspective, ability to build high-performing teams and commitment to our customers make him exceptionally well positioned to lead Cummins India Limited and the India region while continuing to advance our Industrial Markets strategy.”

Adewunmi said, “I am honoured to take on this expanded role and to work alongside the talented teams across Cummins India, the India region and Industrial Markets. “India is a critical market for Cummins, and I look forward to partnering with our employees, customers and stakeholders to build on our strong foundation and continue powering a more prosperous world.”

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