Wednesday, 24 February 2010 07:49
Altai Tyre Plant OJSK
PRESIDENT: Natalia Portnova
OPERATIONS: production of tires for trucks, vans and passenger cars, agricultural machinery and aviation
EMPLOYEES: 3445
www.ashk.ru
Even though things change quickly and rapidly in our world, and it’s hard to describe it as a stable place, but there are things that proved to be strong enough to survive and keep going over the time. The history and development of Altai Tyre Plant OJSC would be an example of those. It does not mean that there had not been or are not challenges to make it harder for the company to go forward though. Things like global changes of the raw materials prices, unpredictable exchange rate, and market declines couldn’t keep the company from annual overall production rise and systematic upgrade of the production technologies.
Short Summary of Long History
1956 was the year when the building of the tyre plant began. Different shops were built, added or modernized during the Soviet era, and this period was the time of revival of the plant. The free market economy brought about some serious challenges for the plant administration. Therefore, the challenges caused the changes in their turn. In 2004, the name and the owner was changed, and Altai Tyre Plant OJSC was formed. The major goal of the newly formed enterprise was establishing firm position on the market by producing wide range of high quality products. Big investments were made to modernize the production process in 2005. This meant that the native equipment used at the plant shops was exchanged with a modern and more sophisticated one. Relevant tyre types and automobile inner tubes started to be produced. On the top of that, such unique products as aircraft tyres continue to be manufactured. 2006 was marked with the beginning of the production of the Forward trade mark tyres.
The Recent Years and the Years to Come
The recent years were mainly focused on reaching better quality of the products. Lots of work that has been done has led to offering new most popular standard sizes, which in its turn promoted sales significantly. Altai tyres sales have risen almost by 30%. The list of regular customers now includes oil companies, Russian Railways, military units that began to use Altai tyres for the military vehicles. Another major achievement of 2006 was the beginning of supplying the biggest Russian automobile factories, such as KAMAZ OJSC and Stavropol truck trailer factory with the products of the plant. One more highlight of 2006 was that the company won the tender to supply Russian Federation Ministry of Defense with automobile and aircraft tyres. Big government orders were carried out within the set time limits. This laid the foundation for further cooperation and for widening the range of products due to special orders of the military departments. All of the above didn’t happen just like that, but rather it was the result of effective management, wise sales policy, and attractive prices that helped the company reach these results as well as develop new markets. Altai Tyre Plant has established close business relationships with customers in Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Africa. By the year 2007, due to the quality and prices offered to the customers Altai Tyre Plant had become the leader on the Russian market. The demand in fact became so high, that the company raised the production by 30%. At the same time production of 13 models of tyres of the most popular standard sizes was launched. This production growth was provoked by some important strategic tasks that have been solved within 4 years of hard work. The production of tyres almost doubled. It raised by 70,5%. The range of the products was widened by 90%. The price-list of the company included 43 models of tyres in 2004, while there are more than 80 positions in it now. Two trademarks represent Altai Tyre Plant products for the automobiles and agricultural equipment today. Forward trademark encompasses the models of products that are the result of the modernization policy. Forward tyres are produced on the new equipment out of the improved materials. Since 2009, the plant started the production of Altaishina tyres. Those are the tyres that belong to so to say traditional range of tyres. They are simple and reliable tyres for everyday work. Because it holds on to some crucial principles, such as flexibility and mobility it is possible for Altai Tyre Plant to take immediate measures according to the market changes and to use favorable growth opportunities efficiently. 9 aircraft tyres were added to the Altai Tyre Plant models range in 2009, which increased the market share by 20% compared to the last year. Another impressive fact would be that 43% of the Russian aircraft tyres were produced in Altai during the October of this year. October of 2009 gives even more information in regards to the plant development. The statistics for that month shows that the plant position in the light truck section has risen from 11% to 12,5%, and Altai Tyre Plant share in the agricultural equipment tyres section has grown from 12,3% to 22,3%. This shows that the company remains one of the biggest producers of tyre products in Russia. Today Altai Tyre Plant takes the second place in the amounts of agricultural tyre production in the country and the third place in the truck tyres production.
Openness for Foreign Markets
It’s no wonder the company focuses on the outreach to the foreign markets after having gained such success on home markets. One third of the plant products (30,4%) is exported. Some of the regular customers of the plant would be companies in Azerbaidzhan, Armenia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Egypt, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Cuba, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, United Arab Emirates, Serbia, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Estonia and Ethiopia. The administration of the company has great ambitions about future development of the business having new lines of production in mind. Those are, first of all, the production of all metal-cord, large-size and ultra large-size tyres. Another area of interest for the Altai Tyre Plant is the modern technology of production of car and truck tyres. It’s obvious that the company isn’t going to stop going forward. Having reached the tops due to desire to develop and the ability to act immediately, Altai Tyre Plant is now looking forward to new tops to reach together with its partners.
A Closer Look at Forward
Nowadays over 4000 people are working at Altai Tyre Plant. The total area of the plant is 55 hectares, 40 of which are under major production buildings. Over 80 tyre models for trucks, light trucks, cars and agricultural equipment are being produced in there, as well as 23 standard sizes of automobile inner tubes for tyres and 38 standard sizes of aircraft tyres. The company is mostly known for its Forward brand that was originally meant to be an umbrella brand. The goal was achieved and the number of the sub brands has risen over the years of work on the Russian market. That is why it is worth having a closer look at Forward tyres. Forward Traction tyre line is for the trucks, buses and trolleybuses. This brand includes 5 truck tyres of 3 standard sizes. These models are characterized by high quality and durability, because they are produced according to the improved technology on the new equipment. Forward Traction 1260, Forward Traction 310, Forward Traction 281, Forward Traction I-N142B, Forward Traction O-40BM, are mostly used on such cars as KAMAZ, Ural, ZIL, GAZ, MAZ, KRAZ. Forward Industrial tyre line is used for the agricultural, road-building and other special equipment. These tyres are mostly used on lift cranes, loaders and auto graders. These tyres are quite a new line of production and are being produced with the latest equipment according to the highest quality standards. Forward Industrial 140 is the first tyre Altai Tyre Plant offers in the building and road equipment segment of the market. Forward Professional tyres are produced for the cars and buses. This line includes 7 models of 4 standard sizes. Forward Professional 156, Forward Professional 121, Forward Professional А-12, Forward Professional И-502, Forward Professional 121, Forward Professional 121M, Forward Professional 131, Forward Professional BC-1 are suitable for any season of the year. Forward Dinamic is the tyre line for the VAZ, Volga, IZH, Oda and similar foreign cars. Forward Dinamic 121, Forward Dinamic 720, Forward Dinamic 730 are produced in 2 standard sizes for dynamic driving on any road. Forward Arctic tyre line offers two models of tyres for cars for driving in winter. Forward Arctic 700 and Forward Arctic 710 are produced in the same standard size according to the highest safety requirements with their thoroughly worked tread patterns. Forward Safari tyres are represented only by one model but with further development of the line in mind. These tyres are to be used on UAZ cars of new modifications and the off-roaders. Forward Safari 131 tyres serve well for driving through all kinds of areas. Today Altai Tyre Plant is one the three biggest industrial enterprises of Altai area and it keeps developing. The plant increases the production volume, carries out serious modernization of the equipment and develops new markets both in Russia and in the Central Asia region. It seems that the company is in its best period of growth and development.
