CEAT radials chosen as original equipment for Micro Cars
(From left) Ruvindhu Gunerathne, Director Marketing and Senani Perera, Chief Operating Officer of Micro Holdings (Pvt) Ltd. with Shivan Jayasuriya, Deputy General Manager Marketing of CEAT Sri Lanka at the Micro Cars head office
CEAT’s radial tyre manufacturing operation in Sri Lanka has entered a new phase, being designated an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) by Micro Cars Limited, the country’s prolific automobile assembly company.
The highest-selling radial tyre brand in Sri Lanka, CEAT tyres are now being fitted on to Micro Panda and Micro Panda Cross cars rolling off the assembly lines, and manufacturer CEAT Sri Lanka said it is developing a new size for Micro’s luxury sedan, the Emgrand 7.
“CEAT tyres are designed and produced for Sri Lankan road conditions and market requirements at a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant,” CEAT Sri Lanka Managing Director & CEO Mr Vijay Gambhire said. “These tyres have been widely used across the country and in 25 export markets, in addition to being put to the ultimate test on some of Sri Lanka’s race tracks. They are therefore ideal as an OEM tyre.”
The Micro Panda, one of the most popular compact cars on local roads, is fitted with the CEAT Milaze 165/60 R 14 tyre, while the Micro Panda Cross uses the CEAT Milaze 185/55 R 15 tyre. Both tyres belong to the Low Noise (LN) category, with CEAT’s new five-pitch tread pattern that minimises tyre noise. A special Silica-based tread compound and notched and wider angle grooves deliver better water displacement for superior performance in wet conditions. The tyres are engineered for better mileage, one of the key factors for consumers.
For Micro’s Emgrand 7 sedan, CEAT Sri Lanka is producing another high performance tyre in the 205/65 R 15 size. Micro’s MPV3 Vans already use the CEAT Milaze 165/70 R 14 tyre.
“Local value addition is an important element in the value proposition that our cars represent,” said Mr. Senani Perera, Chief Operating Officer of Micro Holdings (Pvt) Ltd. “We are impressed with the quality and performance parameters of CEAT radial tyres, and are delighted to designate CEAT as an Original Equipment Manufacturer.”
CEAT manufactures and supplies half of Sri Lanka’s tyre requirements, encompassing the radial, commercial, motorcycle, three-wheeler and agricultural machinery segments. In the radial tyre segment, the number of sizes released by CEAT in the local market stands at 33, with 20 for cars, eight for vans and five for sports utility vehicles (SUVs). The company has also launched a series of speciality tyres manufactured locally in six sizes for heavy duty service and industrial applications.
A global tyre brand present in 110 countries and now headquartered in India, CEAT is an acronym that stands for Cavi Electrici Affini Torino, or Electrical Cables & Allied Products of Turin, with origins that date back to 1924 in Italy. A National Business Excellence Award winner in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015 and a National Quality Award winner in the ‘Manufacturing – Large’ category in 2013, CEAT – Sri Lanka is a successful Indo-Sri Lanka joint venture between the RPG Group of India and Kelani Tyre Sri Lanka.