Tri Virtual series concludes with discussions on‘ Regulations and Sustainability’
The Indian apex automotive industry body, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), along with Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA) & Indian Tyre Technical Advisory Committee (ITTAC) today hosted its 3rd and the final virtual edition of ‘Road Safety Advocacy for Tyres.’
Under the ‘Tri Series Seminar’, ATMA and SIAM has organised three separate editions to spread awareness on various aspects of tyre care, road safety, and sustainability, so as to advocate for the road safety mission initiated by MoRTH, Govt. of India. The 1st edition on Tyre Care & Road Safety and 2nd edition on Technology and Environmental Challenges were organised successfully and were very well received.
The 3rd edition of the virtual program witnessed widespread participation from government officials as well as industry leaders and subject experts, who deliberated upon topics such as Sustainable Mobility, Standards and Regulations.
In his welcome address, Mr Prashant K Banerjee, Executive Director, SIAM, said, “Tyres, surprisingly, are the most neglected, yet the most regulated and the most used part of any vehicle. If we are talking about sustainability, it is important that the industry collectively puts in efforts to develop environmentally friendly tyres. Objective of this series was to impart knowledge and create awareness among motorists on tyre safety, technology, and the upcoming regulations for automobile industry. I want to thank MoRTH for supporting this seminar on Road safety advocacy for Tyres.”
On the occasion, the Guest of Honour, Mr Gaurav H Gupta, Deputy Secretary, MoRTH, said, “Road safety continues to be a concern as it is the leading cause of injury and death across the world, killing more than 30 lakh people globally, with 11 % from our country. Vehicles more than 10 years old accounted for 38% of the accidents. The Ministry of Road, transport and Highways is committed to bring down these fatalities from Road accidents by 50% till 2030, as per the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The Government of India has taken some key initiatives to ensure Road Safety such as the Creation of the national road safety board, State support program on road and financial grants to institutions on road safety. We must understand that tyre is the most important part of any vehicle but it is often overlooked. Now, new tyre norms are coming in and it will be a big step towards road safety and improving fuel efficiency. Tyre is also a highly regulated product. It’s our mission that no accidents occurs due to lack of maintenance and awareness.”
In his presidential address, Mr Anshuman Singhania, Chairman, ATMA, said, “The tyre industry and its raw material partners have been putting in efforts to create a sustainable ecosystem using resource efficient raw materials. Our collective vision as an industry is to support a circular economy and increase the use of sustainable materials in tyre manufacturing. The industry is taking a relook at materials, processes and new technology to ensure sustainable tyre manufacturing. Apart from using eco-friendly materials, tyre companies are also putting in efforts to reduce carbon footprint through renewable energy efficient processes. We need to strike a fine balance between comfort, performance, handling, fuel efficiency and safety. The next in line would be connected mobility, where extensive use of sensors will be seen, even in tyres.”
Mr Rajiv Budhraja, Director General, ATMA, said, “Tri series on ‘Road Safety Advocacy for Tyres’ is truly a milestone event for SIAM and ATMA. This has shaped up the temperament for more such initiatives between the organisations & brought all the stakeholders of the value chain – OEMs, tyre & testing industry, Govt organisations together. ATMA and SIAM will collectively take forward such initiatives to make Indian roads safer by bringing in sustainable processes and technology in tyre manufacturing.”
Mr Sudharshan Gusain, Convenor, Safety-SC, ITTAC said, “When we talk about Road Safety related to tyres, we must emphasize on what we call PART, where P stands for pressure, A for alignment, R for rotation and T for tread. Tread depth measurement is extremely important from a safety perspective. Then comes the magic triangle – Rolling resistance, Wet grip and Wear resistance of tyres. New technologies are coming up offering low rolling resistance, thereby guaranteeing better safety and higher fuel efficiency.”
During the inaugural session Mr Niteesh K Shukla, Director, ITTAC, also highlighted the commitment of the industry towards setting new regulations and standards to make the industry more sustainable in the future.
Followed by the inaugural session, the Presentation session started with the first presentation on ‘Challenges with the localization program under Aatmanirbhar’ by Mr Jagdish Hegde, Director & Sr. Vice President –IEBCI, Isuzu Motors India Pvt Ltd. He talked about the Indian tyre industry and how things are changing in terms of volumes and demands.
The second presentation on ‘Tyre Technology- Past, Present and Future’ by Mr P K Mohamed, Chief Advisor, Research & Technology, Apollo Tyres Ltd, talked about the innovations in the tyre industry. He also spoke about how new materials and technologies are coming up for tyres, and also for OEM’s.
The third presentation was on ‘Readiness of test infrastructure for standards & labelling program’ by Mr Amit Karwal, Deputy General Manager, ICAT about tests adopted by the Indian tyre industry and also spoke about the testing infrastructure and AIS regulations in India.
The fourth and the fifth subject were on ‘Lifecycle assessment in automobile value chain’ and ‘emerging trends in Global tyre regulations for sustainable growth’ by Mr Bharat Sharma, Additional Secretary, CPCB, and Dr Thomas Becherer, Manager-Standards & Regulations, EMEA, Continental Tyre (Europe), respectively. Mr Bharat Sharma laid emphasis on the processes involved and present case scenarios in automobile value chain. Dr Becherer presented on different certifications on tyres, and major challenges faced by the industry, globally.
Presentation session was were moderated by Mr VK Misra, Technical Director, JK Tyre and Mr T C Kamath, Deputy General Manager, MRF.
With this, the tri series on ‘Road Safety Advocacy for Tyres’ concluded today.
