Now supplies 11 automobile brands assembling vehicles in Sri Lanka, contributing to local value addition
Six years after it entered into its first Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) partnership in Sri Lanka, CEAT Kelani Holdings has grown into a significant contributor of value addition to the country’s burgeoning automobile assembly industry.
Locally-manufactured CEAT tyres are now original equipment in 11 brands of vehicles rolling off assembly lines in Sri Lanka, ranging from Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs), cars, buses, lorries, pick-up trucks, motorcycles and scooters, the company said.
These tyres, many of them designed precisely to vehicle manufacturer specifications, fit more than 30 models of vehicles, including 16 bus models and five models of motorcycles now assembled in Sri Lanka.
CEAT Kelani currently supplies more than 150,000 Original Equipment (OE) tyres annually to the local vehicle assembly industry covering more than 90 per cent of vehicles assembled in Sri Lanka, and the OE segment accounts for 12 per cent of the CEAT branded tyres sold in the domestic market.
“The OEM partnerships a manufacturing brand like CEAT has entered into are extremely significant to all tyre users, because they demonstrate the automobile manufacturers’ confidence in the quality and performance of the products,” CEAT Kelani Chief Operating Officer Mr Shamal Gunawardene observed. “These partnerships are based on stringent evaluations of our tyres by experts and are based on CEAT’s ability to satisfy the technical requirements of each type of vehicle.”
“Through OEM projects, CEAT enhances its own manufacturing capabilities, aligns with global quality standards, and tailors products to meet local needs,” he added.
Among the automobile brands that have chosen CEAT tyres as original equipment in Sri Lanka are Hyundai, JAC, JMC, DFSK, Mahindra, Micro, Tata, Lanka Ashok Leyland, TVS, Bajaj and Dyno.
CEAT Kelani’s OE partnership for the Hyundai Grand i10 assembled in Sri Lanka in particular, represents a major milestone for the brand. The tyres, designed and rigorously tested by German experts at CEAT’s Research and Development Centre in Frankfurt, Germany, meet the stringent OEM performance standards set by Hyundai, one of the world’s leading automotive brands.
CEAT is the only locally-manufactured tyre brand to be IATF 16949:2016 certified by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) for compliance with the International Standard for Automotive Quality Management Systems. This prestigious international certification reinforces the brand’s capability to serve automotive OEMs worldwide.
CEAT tyres undergo rigorous testing by the vehicle manufacturers that have selected them as original equipment to ensure they meet and exceed the required performance and quality standards across multiple critical parameters, including safety, mileage, precise control, braking efficiency, and noise reduction. Additionally, with low rolling resistance and minimal vibration, CEAT tyres enhance driving comfort, making them a trusted choice for leading automotive brands worldwide.
The CEAT brand originated in Italy and is backed by German engineering technology and extensive research and testing facilities in India and Europe. In addition to manufacturing half of Sri Lanka’s pneumatic tyre requirements, CEAT Kelani Holdings exports about 20 per cent of its production to 16 countries and plays a significant role in helping the national economy conserve foreign exchange by reducing dependence on imported tyres. The joint venture’s cumulative investment in Sri Lanka over the past decade alone exceeds Rs 8.5 billion.
