INTRODUCTION

One of the greatest needs of managers of business is to understand and develop marketing
programs for their products and services. Business success is based on the ability to build a
growing body of satisfies customers. Modern marketing programs are built around the “marketing
concept” which directs managers to focus their efforts on identifying and satisfying customer
needs – at a profit.
In present situations of intense competition, and extreme dynamism, companies all over
the world are turning their focuses on to their customers. “Sellers market” concept has been
replaced and “customer is god “concept is of major prime. Earlier goods and services were in
short supply and this helped the seller to call the shots. But situations changed with the advent of
globalization. Today, marketers are directing the total transformation in the way the customers
being perceived. Today, marketers are directing their efforts in retaining the existing customers
and maintaining the customers’ base rather than acquiring new customers. The focus of marketers
is on integrating three elements –people, service and marketing.
Customers can “make or break” a company in today’s world because of the inherent value
of his/her command in the market. So the responsibility of every organization is to ensure
uniform satisfaction levels among its customers. One single dissatisfied customer will pass on the
message to at least nine others sparking off a chain reaction and a spell doom for the company.
Research has shown that acquiring new customers can cost 5 times more than the cost involved in
satisfying and retaining existing customer.
Concept of taking customers for granted is no longer applicable. The idea of product
safety, quality, service and product appeal has brought over many changes. The “caveat- emptor”
attitude of manufactures has been replaced with “caveat-venditor” attitude. The Government
policies on liberalization globalization and privatization along with a series of defense
mechanisms for customers like the customers’ protection laws, regulation of the government, the
powerful hands of the organization, customers’ courts, switching to substitute or competitors that
offer at competitive prices, etc is the major reason for the changes we perceive in the market.

INDIAN TYRE INDUSTRY

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 In the present world, Tyres play an important role in the field of transportation. Tyres are
the workhorses for the mobile society in which we are currently living in. A great deal of public
attention has been provided to this very important commodity. Tyre manufacturers will be
working to bring about much greater uniformity in all aspects if performance.
The Indian tyre industry comprises of 40 companies in the organized and unorganized
sectors and is divided into two tiers:
• Tier-I players[top 5 tyre companies] account for over 80% of industry turnover
containing a well diversified product mix and presence in all three major segments, i.e.
replacement market , original equipment manufacturers and exports.
• Tier-II companies are small in size, concentrating chiefly on production of small tyres,
tubes and flaps and the replacement market. The industry has negligible market share in
commercial vehicles tyre category and is around 20% in the two wheeler tyre category.

The Rs.20,000 crore Indian Tyre Industry is highly raw material intensive and
predominantly a Cross Ply or Bias tyre manufacturing industry. It produces all categories of tyres
except Snow tyre and Aero Tyre for which there is no demand domestically. While the tyre
industry is mainly dominated by the organized sector, the unorganized sector holds sway in
bicycle tyres. The major players in the organized tyre segment consist of MRF, Apollo Tyres,
CEAT and JK Industries, which account for 63 per cent of the organized tyre market. The other
key players include Modi Rubber, Kesoram Industries and Goodyear India, with 11 per cent, 7
per cent and 6 per cent share respectively. Dunlop, Falcon, Tyre Corporation of India Limited
(TCIL), TVS-Srichakra, Metro Tyres and Balkrishna Tyres are some of the other players in the
industry. MRF, the largest tyre manufacturer in the country, has strong brand equity. While it
rules supreme in the industry, other players have created niche markets of their own.
Truck and bus tyres account for over 65% of tyre industry turnover in India. Hence
demand for the above two is the true indicators of performance of Indian economy in general and
also the tyre industry in India. Indian Tyre Industry provides direct and indirect employment to
nearly 1 million or more people taking in to account the dealers, retreaders, growers of natural
rubber, employment in raw material sector etc. The sector is raw-material intensive, with raw
material accounting for 70% of the total costs of production. Total production figures in tonnage:

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 11.35 lakh MT & total production of tyres in all categories: 811 lakh (2007-08). Current level of
radialization includes 95% for all passenger car tyres, 12% for light commercial vehicles and 3%
for heavy vehicles (truck and bus. Restrictions were placed on import of used /retreaded tyres
since April 2006. Import of new tyres & tubes is freely allowed, except for radial tyres in the
truck/bus segment which has been placed in the restricted list since November 2008. Total value
of tyre exports from India is approximately Rs 3000 crore (2007-08) .The major factors affecting
the demand for tyres include the level of industrial activity, availability and cost of credit,
transportation volumes and network of roads, execution of vehicle loading rules, radialization,
retreading and exports.
Evolutionary Phases of Tyre manufacturing in India
Phase Period Characteristics Policy regime
No domestic production. Demand
met through imports. Key players Liberal imports
Phase I 1920-35 included Dunlop , Firestone and
Goodyear

Domestic production begins by

Phase II erstwhile trading companies:
Dunlop, Firestone, Goodyear and
1936-60 India Tyre & Rubber Company
Indian companies-MRF, Premier &
Incheck- enter manufacturing sector
Phase III 1961-74 with foreign technology; licensing of
additional production capacity
Entry of large Indian business
Phase IV 1975-91 houses like Singhania & Modi &
technical collaborations with MNCs, placing of imports under OGL
introduction of radial tyres, vertical
integration and exponential growth
in tyre production & exports
Imposition of tariff & non-tariff
barriers on imports
Regulation on capacity
expansion and repatriation of
profits of foreign companies;
enforcement of export obligation
on MNC; protection from
external competition
De-licensing of production,
with tariff & non-tariff barriers

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 External trade liberalization &
reduction in import duty; re-entry of Progressive reduction in import
Phase V 1992 onwards MNCs either independently or in duty; liberalized imports
collaboration with Indian capital

COMPANY PROFILE – APOLLO TYRES

Apollo Tyres straddles the Indian tyre industry much like the Greek Sun God Apollo's
four horse-drawn chariot races across the vast expanse of the sky, symbolizing the creation of
light, hence knowledge and truth. And like the Greek charioteer, Apollo Tyres has stood the test
of time on the four pillars of vision, integrity, quality and sheer determination.
The history of Apollo Tyres dates back to 1974 when it was incorporated as a company in
Cochin, Kerala through the purchase of a license from the Ruby Rubber Works. Cochin by Mr.
Mathew T. Marattukalam, Jacob Thomas and his associates. In 1976, the company was taken
over by Dr. Raunaq Singh. Apollo's first manufacturing facility (often referred to as the 'mother
plant') is in Perambra, Cochin where production commenced in 1977 with an installed capacity of
420,000 each of tyres and tubes.
The first 20 years of the company's existence were not easy. Those were times when
licenses and quotas ruled the world of manufacturing in a market dominated by multinational
companies with access to technology and machinery and deep pockets.
Therefore, soon after its inception, due to the huge investments required, Apollo wiped
out its net worth and became a BIFR (Board of Industrial and Financial Construction) company
during the Emergency years. However, Apollo Tyres was returned to its owners during the Janata
Government.
Apollo then used to make the entire gamut of tyres required for scooters, bicycles, trucks
and cars. However, the then core team, led by Onkar Singh Kanwar, realized that to make an
impact in the market and become financially viable it had to become a dominant player in the
commercial vehicles segment. At the time, Modi Tyres had an overwhelming market share and
reputation. Extensive on-ground research by the team allowed it to understand the areas in which
Apollo could make an impact.
The philosophy then was 'one product fits all', where regardless of the kind of usage, the
tyres truckers fitted on their vehicles were the same. Team Apollo decided to known as the
'overload' segment and produce tyres which could withstand the extra load the vehicles were
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made to carry, while providing drivers with the crucial safety net. It was a tyre called the Hercules
which was the first of its kind. Later, products like Amar, Loadstar and XT-7, XT-9 and XT-9
Gold were introduced, products still enjoy consumer validation. In fact, XT-9 is the only tyre in
India to have sold more than one crore units, providing the superiority of the product.
In later years, there have been many such first in Apollo's cap. Apart from enjoying the
distinction of being the first tyre company to segment the market on the basis of load and mileage
requirements, it has been the first to introduce packaging for car tyres and tubes and also the very
first Indian company to introduce farm radial tyres. Among other innovative moves, Apollo is the
first tyre company to run customer loyalty and awareness programmes to enable them to derive
optimal benefits from their Apollo farm tyres, and also the first to launch exclusive rural retail
stores 'Apollo Tyre World' for truck tyres. Apollo tyres Ltd. has another first to its credit being
the first Tyre Manufacturing Company Worldwide to be certified for B7799 given for information
security of IT systems.
Another landmark has been the successful implementation of SAP across the organization
for better results and productivity.
 1975 Inception
 1975 Registered as a company
 1977 First plant commissioned in Perambra (Cochin, Kerala)
 1991 Second plant commissioned in Limda (Baroda, Gujarat )
 1995 Acquired Premier Tyres in Kalamassery (Cochin, Kerala)
 1996 Exclusive tubes plant commissioned in Ranjangaon (Pune, Maharashtra)
 2000 Exclusive radial capacity established in Limda
 2000 Established Apollo Tyres Health Care Clinic for HIV-AIDS awareness and
prevention in Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar, Delhi
 2003 Expansion of passenger car radial capacity to 6,600 tyres/day
 2004 Production of India 's first H-speed rated tubeless passenger car radial tyres
 2004 Support in setting up India 's first Emergency Medical Service in Baroda ,
Gujarat
 2005 Apollo Tyres Health Care Clinics in Udaipur in Rajasthan and Kanpur in
Uttar Pradesh

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  2006 Expansion of passenger car radial capacity to 10,000 tyres/day
 2006 Expansion of passenger car range to include 4x4 and all-terrain tyres
 2006 Acquired Dunlop Tyres International in South Africa and Zimbabwe
 2006 Opening of Apollo Tyres Health Care Clinic in Ukkadam, Tamil Nadu
 2006 Launch of DuraTread, treading material and solutions
 2006 Launch of India's first range of ultra-high performance V and W-speed rated tyres
 2007 Launch of Regal truck and bus radial tyres
 2007 Launch of DuraTyre, retreaded tyres from Apollo
 2007 Launch of the Apollo Tennis Initiative and Mission 2018
 2007 Apollo diversifies into transport and logistics
 2008 Awarded the Gold Certificate for its manufacturing units at India
Manufacturing excellence awards
 2008, the company opened their first full-services branded commercial vehicle tyre outlet
called Apollo Trust in Salem, Tamilnadu
 2008 Established a plant in Hungary
 2008 First ever ultra size Off-The-Road [OTR] tyre from Limda Plant
 2009 Acquisition of 100% shareholding control of Vredestein Banden B.V., Netherlands
 2009 commisioning of Chennai green field manufacturing facility
 2010 Launch of habitat apollo

VISION
“To be a significant player in the global tyre industry and a brand of choice, providing
customer delight and continuously enhancing stakeholder value.”
VALUES

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  Care for customer
 Respect for associates
 Excellence through teamwork
 Always learning
 Trust mutually
 Ethical practices

“PASSION IN MOTION “ is apollo’s journey towards excellence.It revolves around 3 key

pillars of people quality and technology using th rigour of six sigma methodology across all
functions
GROWTH PROSPECTIVE IN INDIA

CRITICAL STRATEGIES ADOPTED BY APOLLO TYRES

Various strategies adopted by Apollo tyres include:

 New Product Development Strategy

New Product development have eight steps, Idea Generation, Idea Screening ,Concept
Development and Testing, Business Analysis , Beta Testing and Market Testing , Technical

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 Implementation, Commercialization & New Product Pricing. Apollo is the first Indian Tyre
Company to produce H, V and W-speed rated tubeless tyres and also to introduce radial tyres
for the farm category.
 Strategic Brand Management
"Strategic brand management involves the design and implementation of marketing
programs and activities to build, measure, and manage brand equity." These concepts and
techniques are to improve the long-term profitability of your brand strategies.
The four steps involved are,
 Identifying and establishing brand positioning and values.
 Planning and implementing brand marketing programs.
 Measuring and interpreting brand performance.
 Growing and sustaining brand equity.
Apollo is the first company to launched new scheme of solving the claim within 2 days.
This strategy provided Apollo a great advantage over its competitors.

GLOBAL MANUFACTURING LOCATIONS

• Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
• Chennai, India
• Durban, South Africa
• Enschede, Netherlands
• Harare, Zimbabwe
• Kalamassery, India
• Kundli, India
• Ladysmith, South Africa
• Limda, India
• Perambra, India

RAW MATERIAL PROCUREMENT

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 Raw materials are procured by indigenous procurement and imports. Indigenous
procurement of synthetic rubber from Gujarat, Carbon from Ambalamukal, Andhra Pradesh,
Beads from Tata Steel, etc. is done. Imports of raw materials are nylon from Taiwan, Bangkok,
China, synthetic rubber from Hongkong, Korea, Brazil, rubber and chemicals from Germany, etc.
Chemicals like retarders, accelerators, sulphur, zinc oxide. Payments of raw material are made
using letter of credit

APOLLO SALES

Apollo Tyres make their sales through their dealers. In Apollo 75% of the tyres are sold
out by way of depo sales, 20% through Orginal Equipment Manufacturers and 8 – 10% by way of
exports.

Original Equipment Manufacturers can be classified based on different types of vehicle

1. Heavy and Light Commercial Vehicles
Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, Eicher, Tatra Udyog, SML Isuzu, Force Motors,
Swaraj Mazda, Mahindra Navistar, Asia Motors, Kamaz-Vectra, MAN Force Trucks,
Volvo Eicher

2. Sports Utility Vehicles

Mahindra & Mahindra, Mitsubishi Motors, Tata Motors

3. Farm Vehicles / Agriculture

Mahindra & Mahindra, TAFE, New Holland Agriculture, Punjab Tractors,
International Tractors, John Deere, Escorts

4. Passenger Vehicles
Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Mahindra, General Motors, Hyundai Motors, Skoda
Auto, International Cars & Motors, Volkswagen, Fiat India, Ford India.

5. Speciality Vehicles

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 JCB

MARKETING STRATEGIES

Over two decades, Apollo worked on a portfolio of products, tuned to customer needs and
an array of innovative marketing initiatives to establish itself as a leader in its home market. Some
of these include segmenting customers by their load and mileage requirements, running tyre
loyalty programmes, establishing customer contact programmes which resulted in better health
and driving habits, introducing India’s first farm radials and India’s first range of high-speed
tubeless passenger car tyres. Strategic thinking is a key to the evolution of successful marketing
strategies of APOLLO tyre. This involves the following analyses:

(a) Understanding markets:

Research & Development department helps in identifying the tyre requirements of
consumers according to road conditions. Supported by a series of highly sophisticated
equipment, which help the research scientists develop products as per customers' specific
requirements. Better perspective of the market requires skilful analysis of the trend and how
they affect the market size and demand for the firm’s product. Exploring unchartered areas of
research in the field of Tyre Technology that will provide Apollo Tyres the edge in today's
ultra competitive global market scenario. They are always updating their strategies in order to
hold their market share. Currently Apollo is facing severe threat from foreign firms like Good
Year, Bridgestone.

(b) Finding market niches:

Price, service, convenience and technology are some of the major considerations in
Indian market. Researches have revealed that any customer is oriented towards the low priced
edition of the tyre with a better quality and mileage. Not only Apollo is concerned about the
product but also the availability and the services associated with it, is a major concern. In case
of Apollo, studies are conducted on latest technology involvements in various levels of
operations in the company. They have the facilities and expertise for Development of
compounds for improved performance, raw material development, analytical research reverse

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 engineering, advanced design using CAD, FEA modeling of tyres, simulation testing of the
designed product, product validity & reliability studies.

(c) Product and service planning:

Analysis of the customer’s promotion of the brand, both of the firm and competitors,
besides an analysis of the situation in which the customer uses the product. Research and
development department which develops new products as per the demand of the market tries
to improvise this products or services they collect information from the research person about
their competitor’s products.

(d) Distribution:
Structural changes in inventory management, factors are affecting distribution by road
and sea are some of the key factors that are going to affect the distribution process in the
Indian market. Apollo's products are sold through a combination of outlets ranging from
exclusive dealerships to multi-brand and branded retail outlets.

(e) Managing for result:

With pressure on costs, prices, and margins, marketers will have to make effective
utilization of every rupee spent in marketing. The continuous up gradation of dealer
knowledge is in Apollo's interest and therefore their training is undertaken by the company.
With dedicated field sales, technical and commercial force, they are best positioned to meet
the customer specific needs. There is a synergistic blend of knowledge; experience and hard
work, this multidisciplinary team of scientists are devoted to lead the organisation towards an
outstanding level of success.

(f) Complaint Redressal

One of the effective strategy followed by Apollo tyres is ‘Claim Samadhan’ in which
the complaints registered to the company is redressed within one hour.

MARKETING MIX

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PRODUCT
Product Specifications
Apollo Tyres Ltd follow strict quality control measurement to enhance customer delight.
Apollo tyre follow BIS standards. It gives much emphasis to retain the quality of the products.
The company’s quality policy also concentrates on each state of the tyre manufacturing process
and on all the activities related to production.

Product variations
Product variations are made based on the customer’s specific requirements based on road
conditions. Various types of modifications done are
• Excellent traction in both wet and dry conditions
• Mileage delivery
• Based on load application
• Excellent traction for both on/off-road applications
• Good traction on highway terrain
• More tread rubber
• Dual beads for heavy-load applications
• Stronger casing for high loads and multiple retreads
• Good cornering and braking
• Material provides longer life and wear-resistance
• Extra power and resistance to cuts and cracks
• Strong carcass for multiple retreads
• Noise free
• Less heat build up
• Tubeless tyres

Product Innovation
Product innovations are made by constant Research and Development wing at Baroda on
the customer requirements, seasonal requirements and road conditions of a particular market
segments. Comparison on customer’s preference of Apollo tyre and their competitors are done.
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By analysing the innovative features adopted by competitors, estimating market share and
demand and new ideas of R&D department gives rise to a new product. Mega trials and tests like
Carcass test, Pluncher test are done in laboratories, Endurance test and test trials are done before
the product is launched into the market. In R&D department, there are facilities and expertise for:
• Development of compounds for improved performance
• Raw material development
• Analytical research
• Reverse engineering
• Advanced design using CAD
• FEA modeling of tyres
• Simulation testing of the designed product
• Product validity & reliability studies

PRICE

The growth of the tyre industry is dependent on economic growth, infrastructure

development and also growth in the automobile industry which is cyclical in nature. Most of the
raw materials are petroleum based and their prices are linked to the movement in crude oil prices.
Natural rubber which is one of the major components of the total raw material cost is an
agricultural product and is subject to price and production. Price of tyres are fixed based on the
cost of these raw materials which is highly fluctuating. Initially when the firm started 1kg natural
rubber cost only Rs. 20 which presently cost Rs. 220 / kg. Apollo Tyres always follow a
competitive price. There will be a price fixed by Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association
(ATMA) below which any tyre manufacturer could not price their product. Export price of tyres
is less when compared to domestic market.

PLACE

Apollo tyre reaches customers through dealers. Products are transmitted to the dealers by
way of road with national permit and sea. Apollo has enabled itself and its business partners to
forge ahead of the competition by launching the first 'TRUST' outlet in Salem, Tamil Nadu. The
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first of its kind in India, the Apollo TRUST is a fully automated service outlet providing wheel
alignment, wheel balancing and radial repair services to the discerning truck/bus radial customer.
Another first from Apollo is the specialist farm tyre network "Apollo Pragati Kender" has helped
company to consolidate its position in the market.

PROMOTION

Promotion represents all of the communications that a marketer may use in the
marketplace. Brand building for tyres has to be a judicious mix of conventional advertising as
well as other techniques like customer contact programmes, direct mailing, the Internet, specialist
media and PR.
Broadly defined, optimizing the marketing mix is the primary responsibility of marketing.
By offering the product with the right combination of the four Ps marketers can improve their
results and marketing effectiveness. Making small changes in the marketing mix is typically
considered to be a tactical change. Making large changes in any of the four Ps can be considered
strategic.
Word of mouth is any apparently informal communication about the product by ordinary
individuals, satisfied customers or people specifically engaged to create word of mouth
momentum. Mouth to mouth communication is also practised through their dealers which is a
major promotional tool on which they concentrate. So these dealers are carefully selected and
trained in such a way that they could give adequate information to the customers regarding the
different products available in the market and their features.
Another promotion strategy followed was :
• On purchase of 4 Apollo Tubeless Tyres, the consumer got a Van Heusen gift
voucher worth Rs 1000. A countrywide advertising exposure was created for the
customers of Aspire, Acelere Sportz, Acelere & Hawkz Tyres.
• 'The Mall Drive' a unique outreach programme to change the perception of tyres from
a commodity to a high-end consumer durable.
• At the Auto Car Performance Show which is the single biggest definitive event in
India's automotive calendar Apollo got the perfect opportunity to showcase its new
identity.

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 • Apollo also hosted the 'Design Your Tyre' contest which continues to be very well
received over the years. Apollo participated in the 2009 Mumbai International Motor
Show which also saw participation from all the other leading Indian and multinational
automotive brands like Volkswagen, Honda, Toyota, Fiat, Mitsubishi, Fiat and Mahindra
and Mahindra.
• Branding initiatives like 'Unstoppable Indians' with NDTV Profit and 'Highway On
My Plate' with NDTV Goodtimes have both provided an excellent platform for the Apollo
brand.

EXPORTS

Exports out of the key manufacturing locations reach over 70 destinations across the
world, with key comprising Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South-East Asia.
The international markets have been severely affected due to acute fall in demand, extreme
liquidity crunch and devaluation of some key currencies of important markets. All sectors were
adversely affected on export front due to combination of economic conditions that developed
around the third quarter of the financial year.
Exports of Apollo Tyres were also not left unscathed through robust internal processes and a
strong distribution network developed over the last 2-3 years which helped to blunt the impact of
demand slowdown.
The year under review was creditable for exports for the fact that the overall volumes
exported in passenger car radials (PCR), was not only maintained, on the face of demand slump,
over the previous years volumes but also improved on it. Apollo Tyres continues to be the highest
exporter of PCR tyres from India.
The exports of truck and bus tyres by Indian manufacturers dropped by about 20%.
However, exports of Apollo truck and bus tyres were marginally affected. This decrease is largely
attributed to Apollo's decision not to cut prices in the wake of severe price undercutting by
competition.
Marketing activities continued to be focused at both wholesale and retail levels though plans
are afoot to bring out more retail led initiatives, riding on the launch of the new Corporate Identity.

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The very popular Apollo Vista marketing programs were conducted in a number of countries, and
various technical workshops were held to reach out to the end users in various markets.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Apollo Tyres Ltd’s definition of Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR, stems from its
vision statement of “continuously enhancing stakeholder value”. The key aim is to add value to
the lives of stakeholders, through not-for-profit initiatives. To ensure that all programmes and
initiatives remain sustainable and relevant, they are linked to the company’s business goals and
CSR is treated as a business process. The company believes that if undertaken in the right spirit
and process, social initiatives can be a long term risk mitigator and help manage key business and
operational challenges.
The bulk of Apollo’s community initiatives revolve around the awareness and prevention
of HIV-AIDS. Three key stakeholder groups – commercial vehicle customers or the trucking
community, employees and business partners – are addressed directly through Apollo’s HIV-
AIDS programme.

Our Partners
• Ambuja Cements Foundation
• Avert Society, Mumbai
• Gujarat State AIDS Control Society
• International Finance Corporation
• International Labour Organisation
• Population Services International
• Rajasthan State AIDS Control Society
• Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society

Our NGO Partners

• Astitva Sansthan, Udaipur
• CMDA Truck Terminal Complex Welfare Association, Madhavaram and Poonamallee
• Jan Kalyan Maha Samiti, Fatehpur

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 • Krishnagiri Motor Vagana Pazhudhuparkkum Paniyalargal Nala Sangam (KMVPPNS),
Krishnagiri
• Namakkal Taluk Lorry Owners’ Association, Namakkal
• SIDART, Jaipur
• Tuticorin Lorry Owners' Association, Tuticorin

Health
• AIDS initiative is the biggest and most comprehensive programme at Apollo. Apollo
Tyres health care clinics have been established in and around cities like UP , Tamil Nadu,
Maharashtra , Rajasthan , New Delhi and other large transportation hubs in India. The clinics
focus on diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted disease.
• Emergency Medical Services around their manufacturing locations in India
• Established Highway rescue project in Gujarat
• Plan to launch in Kerala
• Health camps and Medical assistance in villages surrounding the manufacturing location ,
generate awareness about deadly diseases like AIDS, Malaria, TB etc
• Provision of artificial limbs to war wounded soldiers.

Education
• Adult Literacy classes for villages.
• Skill development for women in villages with a view to making them self sustained
members of the community. Tailoring classes are arranged on an ongoing basis and an
Anganwadi (crèche) was also provided to take care of the children from economically
underprivileged families.
• Primary education in keeping with Millennium Development Goal in the villages involved
awarding scholarships to support bright students from economically backward sections of society.

Infrastructure
• Maintenance of school building in the villages.
• Provision of computers to the schools in the village.

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• Provision of water tank for the village as well as laying a pipe line to bring supply of
drinking water for the 500 students of the Government Girls High School, Kodakara, Perambra.

Inclusive Growth
• Opportunity of self employment to war wounded soldiers.

Customer Promotion on safe drive

• Conducting Safe Drive campaign on the national expressways, which included
checking the tyres for damages or wear patterns to ensure that they were safe for an
expressway journey.
• Customers were also given Safe Drive booklets.
• 20 such Safe Drive campaigns have already taken place across the country this year.
Twenty more are planned.

Environment
• Wind Energy project initiated six months back along with Suzlon, has enabled tapping
into a 8 Megawatt Capacity of wind power, with an expected generation of approximately
1.70 million units of power every year.
• Technology Upgradation along with waste heat recovery has resulted in approximately
39,000 cers being granted by UNFCCC.
• Steam energy to replace use of RLNG under an agreement with GAIL.The
project,based on Waste Heat Recovery System from GAIL's Gas Turbines exhaust,
isconceived as a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project under Kyoto Protocol.
This initiative would enable Apollo Tyres to generate 4 MW of Power and allow the two
companies to save around 935 Million Kilo Calories of energy in producing process
steam, thereby also avoiding formation of 55000 tonnes of CO per 2annum.
• Activities are continuously redesigned and shaped to suit the dynamic requirement of
various programmes. Some activities will need to be managed through expert NGO's. For
the future, Apollo Tyres aims to further develop its alliances with the business
community, educational institutions, social organisations and community gatherings to
spread awareness and take action.
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SWOT ANALYSIS

Strengths
• Strong brand recall in a price sensitive Indian market
• Continued market leadership in the dominant industry segment of truck and bus tyres
• Global presence with the acquisition of Apollo Tyres South Africa (Pty) Ltd. (Formerly
known as Dunlop Tyres International (Pty) Ltd.)
• Extensive distribution network in India and South Africa
• Responsive to changes in market conditions and product profiles
• Global quality standards, international process and system certifications
• High usage of information technology systems to hasten the flow of information and
leverage
• Opportunities across 140 locations in India
• Dynamic and progressive leadership, willing to implement change
• Economies of transportation cost, on account of closeness to natural rubber growing belt
• Global sourcing of raw materials
• Best promotion by display
• Advertisement
• Heavy range of product.

Weakness
• No presence in two and three-wheeler segments
• Capital intensive business

Opportunities
• Leadership position in the commercial vehicle segment will enable the Company to
leverage
new and related business opportunities
• New product segments like Truck/Bus Radial (TBR), Off The Road tyres (OTR),
retreading

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 and allied automotive services
• Growth in overseas markets like Europe

Threats
• Imports from neighboring countries at competitive prices
• Raw material price volatility.

FUTURE PLANS

Apollo has initiated steps to implement a Green Field Project in Chennai.

CONCLUSION

Thus Apollo has taken efficient marketing strategies to reach the global customer.
Apollo tyres through their Research and Development is taking constant efforts to study on the
customer requirements, road conditions and market situations to develop innovative products and
also gives much emphasis to retain the quality of the products.

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Strategic thinking is key to the evolution of successful marketing strategies of APOLLO

tyre. This involves the following analyses:

(a)
Understanding markets: Strategic perspective of the market requires skilful analysis
of the trend and how they affect the market size and demand for the firm’s product.
(b)Finding market niches: Price, service, convenience and technology are some of the
niches in Indian market.
(c)Product and service planning: Analysis of the customer’s promotion of the brand, both
of the firm and competitors, besides an analysis of the situation in which the customer uses
the product.
(i)
Distribution: Structural changes in inventory management, mobile

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