Re: Ceat to invest 2,800 crore; boost capacity by 2.4 crore tyres Ceat as a company shot itself in it's foot in the 2000s when it sold it's radial production facility to Goodyear. It was a shocking move that left it's dealer's gasping for answers (We were one of them).
In the past 2-3 years, they have been struggling to make a comeback.
They have been very serious about the truck radial market which is currently dominated by JK and Apollo and to a smaller extent Bridgestone and Michelin too. The truck radial market is too big for such a small number of players and Ceat senses a serious opportunity because they at least have a brand name unlike the several Chinese companies coming in.
In the passenger car market, they are focusing on the low-priced segment. Cheap tyres that will be hard and run long. No focus on quality, ride comfort, etc... Nothing to mock them because this segment is still extremely large and currently dominated by MRF, JK, Apollo. Ceat senses an opportunity and is going for it.
In the two-wheeler segment, they are doing reasonably well.
Their main problem will be to find dealers ready to sell CEAT to their customers. In the cities and urban areas, it will be a very very difficult proposition. No dealer wants to put in the effort to build up Ceat as a brand again after knowing how the company ditched their stakeholders a decade or so ago.
In the rural market, where things arent so developed, they will find it easier going.
Overall, 2800 crores is frankly not a lot of money over 6 years. This is the maximum investment for this project. If the numbers dont support it, I see them scaling down or they will offer to manufacture tyres on contract for someone else! |