Mumbai (India) – Marangoni Group, Italy, the Leading Global Retreading Specialist, has acquired GRP Ltd.’s 50% stake in the joint venture company in India – Marangoni GRP Pvt. Ltd – through its wholly owned subsidiary, Leader Rubber Company (SA) Prop. Ltd, South Africa. The 50:50 JV company, incorporated in late 2015, is a fast-emerging player in India’s commercial tyre retreading sector. With this acquisition, Marangoni, a Global Leader in high quality tyre retreading, is embarking on its solo journey in India, a fast-emerging key market in the retreading sector.

Commenting on this development, Vittorio Marangoni, President of Marangoni Group, reaffirmed Marangoni’s focus in India as the most growing country in its global expansion plans. With its flagship product, RINGTREAD, the company has established a premium and unique position in the Indian truck tyre market and amongst quality conscious fleets through its chain of Franchisee Partners in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. While the JV has achieved some key milestones over the last few years, the company intends to deepen and accelerate its business in India with this acquisition.

Speaking on the occasion, Brett Sproson, Managing Director, Leader Rubber Company, said that he was excited to see the progress the company and its Franchisees have made in establishing the Marangoni brand in India. He believes that the market dominating position that Leader enjoys in Africa has great synergy with the Indian market. Leader Rubber’s deep experience in flat treads will add to the Indian team’s focus on RINGTREAD – all towards establishing a potent product portfolio to cater to more fleets and applications. Brett, who has travelled to India in the past, hopes to travel again soon to renew his association with the country.

According to Hemant Kaul, CEO of Marangoni in India, the forward path of the company is clear, and the focus is on supporting our Franchisees in growing their business and margins in their markets. He thanked each Franchisee Partner for their patience and support during COVID-19 and subsequent period and assured them that several new initiatives are ready to roll out in quick succession. Kaul believes that the recent and growing trend of fleets seeking high quality retreading solutions amongst galloping tyre prices, is here to stay and provides Marangoni with a unique opportunity to increase its market share. In recent months, several of Marangoni’s customers have displayed a strong desire to significantly increase their retread to new tyre ratio to shield their business from rising costs.

 

Mumbai, 29/06/2022

 

 

About Marangoni S.p.A

Marangoni S.p.A., through its Group, is a world-renowned leader in the green tyre industry, in the design and construction of tyre retreading machinery, in the production of TBR and OTR retreaded tyres, and in the manufacture of compounds for technical products. With more than 70 years of experience, the brand is now present with its own industrial and commercial facilities in Italy, Germany, Norway, Turkey, China, Brazil and South Africa and has 1,000 employees. The parent company Marangoni S.p.A. is based in Rovereto (in Northern Italy), where the group’s headquarters and R&D centre are located. The group continues to invest successfully in innovation and environmental sustainability.

 

About Leader Rubber Company (SA) Proprietary Limited

For over 55 years, Leader Rubber Company has supplied and manufactured precure tread and consumables required for the retreading process. We also assist the end user with a range of tyre management tools. Our foundation is based on honesty, integrity, and our world-class operations that apply best business practice. We continuously strive to use innovative methods by making use of advanced technologies. Our customers always receive consistent quality, competitive prices and value added service.