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Apollo Tyres, a leading tyre-maker with an annual turnover of nearly $ 2 billion, has now become a full-range player in the Sri Lankan market with the introduction of its two-wheeler tyres.
Jagath Samarasekera – CEO Ideal Wheels and Tyres; Nalin Welgama - Chairman Ideal Wheels & Tyres; Rajesh Dahiya – Group Head Sales ISO (India, SAARC, Oceania) Apollo Tyres Ltd; Rajesh Udayakumar – Head Sales (SAARC & Oceania) Apollo Tyres Ltd. and Mayank Gupta – Technical and Business Development Manager, Apollo Tyres Ltd.
Group Head, Sales (India, SAARC and Oceania), Apollo Tyres Ltd. Rajesh Dahiya and Ideal Wheels & Tyres CEO Jagath Samarsekhara launched Apollo’s two-wheeler tyres in Sri Lanka in the presence of the company’s business partners and customers.
Since its introduction to the Sri Lankan market in 2011, Apollo’s products have been well received across the country and this prompted the company to introduce its two-wheeler range as well to service the estimated 250,000-300,000 vehicles a year market, while Sri Lanka contributes towards more than 20% of the company’s exports to SAARC countries.
The roads and vehicles in Sri Lanka are very similar to those of India, where Apollo Tyres enjoys a leading position in various product categories. The company also has an Apollo Zone in the up-market area of Galle Road in Colombo, which is operated by Ideal Wheels & Tyres Ltd.
Commenting on the introduction, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA), Apollo Tyres Ltd. President Satish Sharma said: “With Sri Lanka being the top island economy of the future and FDIs in the country increasing nearly 150% in 2016, we see this is as an opportunity for us to increase our focus here. We are looking at capitalising on the increasing automotive sales, especially two wheelers, and we are using our Indian experience on the kind of tyres, services and training required to allow vehicle owners in this country to maximise on product performance.”
Ideal Wheels & Tyres, which is the sole distributor for Apollo Tyres in Sri Lanka, is led by Chairman Nalin Welgama, together with the former captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team Aravinda De Silva, who is the company’s Deputy Chairman. The organisation’s day-to-day operations are handled by its CEO Jagath Samarasekara.
