Meet your favorite family business: BKT

Meet your favorite family business: BKT

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BKT started with a young entreprenuer in 1960's India and has now grown into a global player in OTR tire industry with a global family of customers in over 160 countries. Despite all the change of the past 60 years, BKT has retained its values as a family business. In this blog, learn more about the fascinating history of BKT.

Prepare yourself for a good 5-minute read as we take a trip down memory lane and recall some BKT adventires over the years!

Once upon a tMahabirprasad Poddarime there was a man named Mahabirprasad Poddar who ran a textile business. The year is 1964 and India is at its early stages of becoming a world-wide business metropolitan. Into the unknown, Poddar takes a leap of faith and shifts gear – all the way from fashion and clothing lines to tires, bicycles and vehicles.

Talk about a plot twist! But Poddar was a man with a plan and we can promise you that the textile business lived happily ever after and in 1987 businesses were divided and BKT was born as bicycle-tire producer. But of course, this is just the beginning!

Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…

A big round of applause to the greatest Off-Highway manufacturer of all times, BKT! But hey, what happened to the bicycles? Let’s go back a bit to understand these (literally) vast changes.
The second generation of Poddar, in the person of Mr. Arvind Poddar, brought a brand-new idea to the table at BKT. As the big dreamer that he is, he thought, why not make even bigger tires? In 1995, BKT as we know it now, started its brand new Off-Highway tires plan and quickly counted 7,000 employees on three continents: in India with the headquarter and five productions sites and with the subsidiaries in Europe (in Seregno, Italy), in the US (in Copley, Ohio) and in Canada (Toronto). More than 2,700 products were exported to over 160 countries around the world. These tires are such globe-trotters!

And speaking of, here they are! A warm welcome to AGRIMAX and EARTHMAX ranges, the first born in 2004 and the latter one in 2008. These special tires are the true milestones and legends shaping the future of BKT.

As you might have guessed by now, great things have happened to BKT over the years. Awards cover the walls and adorn the shelves at BKT, and tire collections and models have come to stay. And the ‘90s-2000 are the years when we focused most on creating our production sites, in record-time.

To BKT it didn’t take that long time to specialize in green talks either since 2009 marks the first year we received the National Energy Conservation Award by the Indian Government, an Award we have been receiving many years in a row.

And Corporate Social Responsibility for us is a more than talks, it is action. This is why we established the “BKT” Foundation in 2008 to strengthen activities such as feeding more than 1.4 million children from 10,000 schools across India and incentivizing education all over the country.

In 2015 we we marked another milestone as we set our biggest plant so far in Bhuj, India. On an area of more than 120 hectares with a 500-million-dollar price tag, the Bhuj plant is equipped with state-of-the-art machinery and infrastructure located in a strategic position. A game-changer, or what?

Talking about games we’ve joined and supported sports championships over the world such as Monster Jam since 2014, the Italian football Serie B, now Serie BKT and Cricket Australia’s Big Bash League since 2018, Spanish football LaLiga since 2019 and the French Ligue 2 BKT, starting in July 2020.

And do you know what? This is just a resume of our history, a book that we passionately write every day and that has more chapters to come.

Humbly said, we couldn’t have done all of this without you guys!
You are the reason why we are still Growing Together and keep on doing so.
That’s how BKT has succeeded.
So, what will the future bring? Well, let’s not get too hasty just yet. But as a remarkable man once sang, we can promise you this: The best is yet to come!

 

 

 

 

 

 

BKT MILESTONES

YEAR FACT


1964

Mr. Mahabirprasad Poddar starts a textile business in Mumbai, a side of the family business that is now run separately
1987 BKT is founded mainly as a bicycle-tire manufacturer
1988 The first plant established in Aurangabad (Western India) begins production of tires for 2- and 3-wheeled vehicles
1990 Car, jeep and light commercial vehicle tires added in the range for the Indian market
1995 Started Off-Highway tires manufacturing; exports to Europe and the USA begin
1996 Launch of forklift bias tires
1997 Launch of implement bias tires
2000 Launch of flotation bias tires
2001 Launch of OTR bias tires
2002 Second plant established in Bhiwadi (Northern India)
2003 Ranked in Business Today’s 500 India’s most valuable companies
2004

Inauguration of BKT’s own mold production plant at Dombivli

  Launch of AGRIMAX, BKT’s first radial tractor tire
  BKT joins the green energy revolution. Windmills established in Northern India provide 40% of the energy requirements of Bhiwadi and Chopanki
2006 Third plant established in Chopanki (Northern India)
  BKT Europe subsidiary established in Seregno (Milan, Italy)
2007 AGRIMAX FORCE - IF technology tire launched
  BKT USA, Inc. established in Akron, Ohio, as AG division
2008 BKT launches OTR All-Steel radial tires
  Corporate Social Responsibility’s arm BKT Foundation is created
  Received Highest Export Award in the Non-Minerals Sector by the Government of India
2009 BKT is given for the first time by the Indian Government the National Energy Conservation Award
  All production is in compliance with EU REACH regulations for improvements of human health and the environment with regards to chemicals
2011 BKT HOUSE, the new Head Office, established in Mumbai, India
2012 Dombivli mold plant relocated and upgraded with modernized machines for increased production output
2013

Recognized as a Premier Trading House by the Government of India

  BKT CANADA established in Toronto, Canada
  AGRIMAX SPARGO, the first VF radial tire for sprayers is introduced
2014 BKT is the Official and Exclusive Tire Manufacturer of Monster Jam worldwide
  10th anniversary of the AGRIMAX
2015 Opening of Bhuj plant 
  Launch of AGRIMAX SIRIO, a new radial tire for high-speed tractors
  First Giant EARTHMAX tire and port radial tire launched
  BKT is awarded as the Port Tyre Manufacturer of the Year by the Dubai Terminal Operator Excellence
2017 The new Research & Development Center in Bhuj is inaugurated, named Mahabirprasad Poddar Knowledge Center and Suresh Poddar Innovation Hub
2018 Mr. Arvind Poddar is awarded by TIA - Tire Industry Association and enters its prestigious Hall of Fame. The award is TIA’s highest honor that is conferred yearly to players in the tire industry – whether they are manufacturers, inventors, suppliers, dealers or retreaders
  BKT activates new sports sponsorships and becomes the partner of Italian football Serie BKT league, French Coupe de la Ligue BKT, Cricket Australia’s Big Bash League
2019 Opening of the new European Headquarters and inauguration of the BKT Space in Seregno, Italy
  BKT becomes Official Global Sponsor of Spanish LaLiga of football
  The biggest tires ever created by BKT are launched on the market: AGRIMAX FORCE IF 750/75 R 46 and EARTHMAX SR 46 33.00 R 51
2020 BKT becomes Title Sponsor of French football Ligue 2 BKT
  The company is partner of the Tractor of the Year award
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