Maxxis Tyres is one of the world’s largest tyre brands. The company delivers high-quality tyre products to customers in 180 countries and employs more than 30,000+ people. Maxxis India (Maxxis Rubber India Private Limited) started its business in the year 2015 in India. Maxxis is currently an OEM tyre supplier to some of the mainstream two-wheeler manufacturers like Honda, Hero Moto Corp, and Yamaha apart from some four-wheeler majors like Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra, Tata, Jeep in India and many more. The company is expected to play a vital role in achieving Maxxis’ global vision to become one of the top five tyres manufactures in the world by 2026. In an email interview with Power Drive, Mr. Chu Tsang Chih (Kurachi), Director, Maxxis India, opens up about the Company’s future roadmap, growth plans and product strategy for the Indian market.
1. How is Maxxis Tyre driving ahead in the times of the ongoing global pandemic?
The Covid pandemic created disruptions across the globe and for all industries. Having said this, we have collaborated closely with our suppliers and dealers through which we have gained accelerated momentum. Our process ensures our partners / suppliers have the resistance to overcome challenges. Also, during the pandemic, our focus has been on safety and quality which make certain that our suppliers and partners do not compromise on these factors, especially amidst the second wave of the covid pandemic. Also with end-to-end visibility, Maxxis is positioned to tackle any challenge while continuing to grow and meet customer demand. Maxxis achieved the highest OE sales after the pandemic with an average sale of over 2.4 lakh tyres. Despite Covid – 19 pandemic, the company had sufficient supply and storage of raw material capacity to consider OEM orders smoothly due to the effective forecast methodology.
2. Presently which OEMs are among your top clients in India?
Maxxis has formidable strength in the OEMs market where our quality and technology enable us to better serve our OEM partners. We have partnered with some of the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturers- Hero Moto Corp, Honda Motorcycles and Scooter India Limited, Yamaha Motor India and Suzuki Motorcycles.
3. Tell us about your future OEM partnerships and investment plans in India?
We are working on new alignments and partnerships with new set of OEMs for the two-wheeler market as well as working on expanding our portfolio for the replacement market.
4. Which are the company’s best-selling products in India? What do you attribute to the success of these products?
Maxxis produces the highest quality products with an increasing focus on safety and reliability, hence our products are developed from a combination of superior raw material and world-class technology.
Below are the Maxxis best – selling products in India:
• Extramaxx tyres – The Extramaxx tyres have been witnessing huge demand. The tyres have been made up of the world’s strongest Aramid Fibre, and the dual compound technology minimises rolling resistance while improving stability and tyre life.
• M6182- M6182 is perfect for both serious off-roading and city driving. Its powerful directional semi-lug pattern gives great stability whether you are riding in a straight line or attempting a challenging sharp-corner-stunt. This tyre is suited for all weather conditions be it Dry or wet, patchy, or smooth land.
• M6304- The M6304 is designed for serious off-roaders. Its large tread blocks with deep grooves give more stability, better water channelling and outstanding durability. This tyre is perfect for all geographical and weather conditions and suited for long off-roading drives.
• M6000/M6000R- The M6000/M6000R is science in design. Its reinforced side wall strength and computerized tread pattern gives rear wheels a whole new definition. Created to challenge wet and dry roads with better speed handling and unwavering stability, the M6000/R takes the joy of riding to a whole new level.
• M6301- The M6301 is designed to take the rough with the wet. Its special Lug pattern treads, with effective water dispersal abilities, manoeuvre wet roads with panache. Take a dry road, and its large tread blocks come into play, giving high surface contact and the stability and power, every rider seeks.
• M6305- The M6305 has a special nylon-ply construction design. Its deep tread grooves give better water channeling and great traction on any kind of off-roading terrain. In short, its durable, stable and dependable.
5. Tell us about your present sales channel in India.
We have created a robust network of 35+ distributors and 3000+ dealers in India. We are further looking at amplifying our touch points for effective customer outreach.
6. What are the new products that we can expect from your stable in the near future?
Currently, our portfolio covers 82% of market’s users’ scenario and we plan to raise it more than 90% this year. The various line-up of tyres for sports bike with different applications for road and weather conditions will be introduced in a very short time. We are also going to launch products in cruiser/touring segment. Apart from this, we have put many products in new product development mode for E-vehicle segment by looking at its potential in upcoming time which will help us to capture market share of 15% becoming one of the top five tyres manufactures in the world by 2026.
7. What is your comment about the trends in the domestic tyre industry?
According to the India tyre market report by IMARC Group, the market to reach a volume of 245 Million Units by 2025 growing at a CAGR of 4.8% during 2020-2025. Moreover, the growing radialisation for providing additional mileage, increase use of smart tyres, and improve the driving experience for vehicles has further augmented the product demand which has boosted the tyres sales in the country, thereby positively influencing the growth of the India tyre market. Customers are preferring light sports and cruiser motorcycles due to increasing per capita income, availability of financial aids and improving lifestyle. Moreover, EVs are along in demand due to lucrative government subsidies as a part of buying encouragement and heavy investment done by two wheeler manufacturers. As a result, premium tyre segments and Electric two wheeler tyres are gaining demand.
8. What are the aspirations of the company in the next five years and how do you wish to accomplish this?
With the long-term vision to achieve a 15% market share by 2026, we are working diligently towards strengthening our ecosystem. As a technologically progressive brand, we will be introducing new path-breaking technologies. In the last 6 years, we have introduced the latest technologies to cater for our technology-centric customers. Also, with a clear push to EVs by the Government, Last year, we launched the M922F which has a special edge when it comes to tyre designs for electric two-wheelers. The new M922F tyres are built with specialized compound technology which helped us in producing lighter tyres. This lighter weight in turn reduces energy consumption by five to ten per cent, enhancing the range of an electric two-wheeler. Also, we are further strengthening our product portfolio and has plans to launch products in the cruiser/touring segment. Recently we have introduced Maxxplore, Extramaxx – 2, M116 – Rib pattern in more than 15 sizes and in sports motorcycle segment. We have also launched a premium sports tyre Extramaxx for Honda Hornet 2.0, and more than 15+ sizes has been introduced. We will be expanding our network base with current tally close to 3500 dealers pan India and firming new OEMs partnerships. Maxxis has been continuously working to meet our diverse customers demographics and needs.
Power Drive 