JK Tyre resumes partial operations at its Karnataka facility

Leading tyre maker JK Tyre & Industries Ltd partially resumed operations at its global research and development (R&D) hub in Karnataka's Mysuru, following Covid-19 induced guidelines, an official said on Friday.

"We partially resumed operations at our global R&D hub, christened Raghupati Singhania Centre of Excellence at Mysuru after the easing of lockdown norms for the manufacturing sector," the official said in a statement here.

Mysuru is 150 km southwest of Bengaluru in the southern state.

The R&D centre houses the latest technologies and techniques to put India on the global innovation map.

The Hari Shankar Singhania Elastomer and Tyre Research Institute along with the R&D centre focuses on competitive technologies for tyres and polymers for catering to the emerging needs of customers.

The company has also commenced graded production at its Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Kankroli (Rajasthan) and Laksar (Uttarakhand) plants through its Cavendish Industries subsidiary.

"The plants will operate with restricted manpower to ensure safety, sanitisation and social distancing. Except the essential staff, all other employees will work from home till further notice," said the statement.

Keeping the well-being of employees in mind in the resumption roadmap, the company has prepared a standard operating procedure manual, as mandated by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and shared with employees and supply chain partners before resuming operations.

"As we are passing through a challenging phase, it is imperative we take steps to achieve the right balance again. While we recommence production, safety and well-being of our employees and communities are at the centre of our resumption plan," said Chairman Singhania on the occasion.

Singhania also hoped that the economy and business ecosystem would gradually recover in the coming months.

A pioneer of radial technology, the company claimed to be a market leader in the truck-bus radial segment.