Hungary PM Orban Opens New Apollo Plant

Hungary’s Prime Minister, Victor Orban, inaugurated Apollo’s large greenfield facility in Hungary in a grand opening ceremony on April 7 that was attended by eminent dignitaries. Apollo Tyres had invested 475 million euros in the facility which is the company’s sixth factory in the world and its second facility. It is expected that by the end of Phase I, the plant would have the capacity to produce 5.5 million passenger car and light truck (PCLT) tires and 675,000 commercial vehicle tires on an annual basis.

Orban inaugurated the plant by breaking a coconut in the traditional Indian mannerSpeaking at the opening ceremony, Orban stressed the importance of safety and security and and stressed that Hungary is emerging as the driving force in Central Europe.

The plant, which is Apollo’s first greenfield facility outside India is located less than 100 km from the Hungarian capital of Budapest. It is a state-of-the-art plant with in which IT-driven systems and robotics are employed to streamline the production process.

Speaking on the occasion Onkar S Kanwar, Chairman, Apollo Tyres said that with the inauguration of the plant, Apollo Tyres has crossed another milestone in its global growth journey. The output from the plant is expected to help Apollo to increase its presence and market share in Europe, where Apollo is seeking to transform itself from being seen as a replacement tire provider to one that will increase its OE collaborations.

Apollo had begun construction of the plant, which is spread over 72 hectares at Gyongyoshalasz on April 10, 2015. Apollo’s second facility in Europe is its plant in the Netherlands and the Hungarian plant will supplement the production of this facility and make both Apollo and Vredestein brand of tyres for the European market.