BKT opens R&D centre in India

BKT has formally opened a new research and development centre in India. Called the ‘Suresh Poddar Innovation Hub’ after the eldest of the three Poddar brothers, it is part of the company’s greenfield facility in Bhuj and is located within a 25-acre area called the Mahabirprasad Poddar Knowledge Center, named after BKT founder, the late Mahabirprasad Poddar.

BKYT says that the centre will deal with research into off-road tyre technology and has been equipped with state of the art equipment and software. It is manned by an “expert team of engineers, chemists and technicians” who will deal with all aspects of tyre development for BKT. They will range from tyre design and compound creation to different aspects of improving product performance and implementing these processes for an “efficient and customised production of cutting-edge tyres.”

Some of the core areas for research will include the search for new materials which can lead to a more sustainable production process and more environment friendly off-road tyres. Another area that the team will focus on is nanotechnologies, especially when it comes to creating new components. Close to the research facility is a test track that will serve as a location for conducting extensive tyre performance tests, simulating real application conditions.

BKT’s aim is to make the Suresh Poddar Innovation Hub the “number one research centre” in the off-highway sector anywhere in the world through the use of innovative technology and employment of new talent. The centre will advance BKT’s stated aim of demonstrating that it is capable of competing with the big players in the market and growing continuously in the OTR and mining sectors.