By PTI

Hanover: Apollo Tyres will kickstart its plan to begin its operations in Europe by opening its first sales, marketing and technical office here in Germany in January, besides giving final touches to its seven-million-tyre greenfield unit project in East Europe.

The company, which has at present one plant each in India and South Africa, exports around 1.5 million tyres for four-wheeler and passenger car segments to around 70 countries, specially in the Middle East, South and Central America and Africa.

“We would be opening our first branch office here in Germany by January to cater to our European operations. We are also seeking greenfield projects in either Hungary or Slovakia, where operations to produce seven million tyres annually would start within two years,” Apollo Tyres European operations head, marketing, Hemant Kaul told PTI here.

The company’s only presence in Europe so far has been limited to the Britain-governed territory of Northern Ireland where Apollo last year sold around 7,000-odd tyres in partnership with local player Philip White Tyres.

The company is now planning to gain a major footprint in the multi-billion-dollar European market with partnership of local auto majors including Volkswagen AG. Its branch office in Germany would be its second international one after the existing office at South Africa.

“As part of our new effort to emerge as a strong player in the European project, we are focusing on our relationship with local auto majors like Volkswagen AG. We have got tremendous response from the European client during our interactions with them in the ongoing 5th International Suppliers Fair,” Kaul said.