Following the takeover of Avon’s US parent Cooper Tire by the Indian group Apollo Tyres, Apollo joint chairman Neeraj Kanwar has intimated that the future of its factory at Melksham in Wiltshire — which makes Avon motorcycle tyres — is secure.
In a tyre trade press interview, Kanwar outlined plans to focus on maintaining manufacturing and investing in growth at the Cooper plants Apollo has acquired. “On a broad basis we see significant growth potential at each of the operations and believe that we will need to add capacities at key locations,” he said. “We are not looking at closing any of the facilities around the world. Instead, we might consider expanding these facilities in the long run. We will follow the broad principle of near-sourcing, that is producing close to key consuming markets, that Cooper has so successfully been following for the last few years.”
As for Cooper’s British manufacturing presence, which had been the subject of some speculation before Apollo’s arrival on the scene, Kanwar was forthright. “We are not looking at closing Melksham,” he said. “It is a profitable operation that adds significant value.”