The Art and Science of Building Consistent Quality in a Global Manufacturing Network

No two roads are ever the same. We produce tyres for export to over 100 countries. Our tyres must perform whether they are on icy European alps or the deserts of the Middle East. 

We make tyres for different types of vehicles — cars, trucks, tractors, bikes and more.  Our R&D teams are constantly refining our different tyres for different climates such as Summer Tyres, Winter Tyres, as well as, All Season Tyres.

Our scientists create different types of tyres to suit the regulatory requirements for each export country as well as their unique road conditions. Our global manufacturing plants and our R&D centres in India and the Netherlands create these award-winning tyres with quality as their North star. The key to global manufacturing is consistency of quality. 

Where Quality Takes Shape

Our challenge isn’t to just maintain uniformity in our manufacturing process, but to ensure tyres are developed to meet the precise requirements for each export country. That’s why we were early adopters of investing in smart manufacturing, which refers to the use of real-time data, automation and connected technologies to optimise production and ensure consistent quality.

Technology is just one part of our ecosystem of quality assurance. It starts right at the beginning, with the raw materials we select.  Every batch of raw materials is assessed and only used if it meets our exacting standards. We carry that same rigour through the entire product lifecycle, with periodic checks at every stage to make sure nothing is left to chance. 

That way, the quality you get from a Vredestein Ultrac Pro made in Hungary or an Apollo EnduRace RT2 made in Andhra Pradesh is built with a relentless pursuit of quality.

Leading this global effort is the brilliant Yoichi Sato. As our Chief Quality and HSE (Health and Safety) Officer, Sato San is a tyre industry veteran with around 30 years under his belt. Having held pivotal quality management roles all across the world, he has a penchant for working with multicultural teams, blending in the Japanese culture of Kaizen — and TQM — ensuring consistent quality and c0ntinuous improvement from the smallest of the processes to large-scale initiatives across our business.

One Family, One Standard

Quality isn’t just about following processes, it’s also about culture. Our 19,000 strong Apollo family spans 51 different nationalities across generations. What unites is our core value of taking responsibility, of delivering high standards for our customers and care for our planet.

Across our global operations, we run structured training programmes that cover a range of technical and non-technical skills for our global teams. Apolloites across regions and functions whether its sales, marketing, finance, product as well as the management, regularly come together at conferences and cross-cultural workshops, bringing their unique skillsets to the table, challenging ideas, sharing knowledge and learning from each other.

Coming together face-to-face sparks our best ideas and brings us closer as one Apollo family. Our ethos is the philosophy of ‘work hard, play harder’. We believe in having fun while working. This further propels us to drive progress together.

Partners in Quality

Quality doesn’t start or end at the factory gate. To maintain our standards globally, we rely on more than just internal excellence. We rely on our partners.

At Apollo Tyres, we take great care in how we choose, train, and collaborate with our suppliers. Every new partner goes through a comprehensive, multi-stage approval process, led by teams from Procurement, R&D, Manufacturing and Plant Technology. We assess everything from material quality and technical fit to sustainability practices and long-term alignment with our values.

Our audit teams, both in-person and remote, regularly assess supplier performance across quality, safety, and compliance. Feedback is shared via a dedicated portal, and we work closely with partners as well to drive continuous improvement.

The buck doesn’t stop there. We also invest in their growth. Through our Vendor Quality Management Programme, new suppliers are trained on everything from Apollo’s expectations and quality systems to material checks and performance benchmarks for each export country. Our Sustainability Workshops provide tools and guidance on ISO standards, green materials, and our Supplier Code of Conduct.

Apollo has been in the tyre business now for over five decades. Starting from a humble plant in Kerala, India, we now have seven global manufacturing plants across India, Hungary and the Netherlands, two Global R&D centres, Digital Innovation Hubs in the UK and India, alongside a supply chain spanning continents. 

From the very first tyre that was cured back in 1976, to the thousands of tyres that come off the press in our factories each day, we have always been obsessed with quality and that obsession is to stay.