MUMBAI: RPG group tyre company Ceat has sealed a new acquisition. It has entered into an all cash agreement to acquire Michelin’s Camso brand’s off Highway construction bias tyres and track business. The cost of the deal: an estimated $225 million. The Camso brand did business worth $213 million in calendar year 2023 and Ceat is getting its global ownership along with two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Sri Lanka.
Camso is a premium brand in construction equipment tyre and tracks with strong equity and market position in the EU and north American aftermarket and original equipment segments. The brand will be permanently assigned to Ceat across categories after a three-year licensing period, expanding its product portfolio in the high margin off-highway tyres (OHT) and tracks segments, which includes agriculture tyres and tracks, harvester tyres and tracks, power sports tracks and material handling tyres. Michelin will thus exit from the activities related to compact line bias tyres and construction tracks.
The acquisition is a significant milestone for Ceat in its ambition to become a leading global player in the high margin OHT segment. Over the past decade, it has been focusing on building that business, which now consists of 900 plus product offerings and covers around 84 per cent of the range requirement in the agricultural segment. Camso will give Ceat the ability to widen its product base into tracks and construction tyres. More importantly, it will give it access to a global customer base including over 40 international OEMs and premium international OHT distributors. Ceat brings in the ability for Camso to expand to other segments such as agriculture tyres. Both brands are highly complementary in their positioning and capabilities.
The transaction will be subject to regulatory approvals from relevant authorities.
RPG Enterprises vice-chairman Anant Goenka opined that the Camso acquisition is likely to catalyse the company towards becoming a global tyre maker. Said he: “Camso is an industry leading brand in the off-highway tyre market built through many years of investment in creating product superiority and manufacturing excellence, nurtured through the Michelin parentage. Most importantly, we found a great cultural alignment between Camso and Ceat because of our TQM way of working.”
Ceat MD & CEO Arnab Banerjee added that the Camso’s OHT tyres brand fitted excellently with Ceat and will help improving the company’s margin profile. “ Access to the most premium customers, a high-quality brand and a qualified global workforce is what excites us the most about this acquisition. The track segment is a technologically superior segment with a limited number of global players. We also found high synergies between the two brands, Ceat and Camso, and are confident that both will benefit tremendously from their complementary capabilities and positioning..” he said.
Michelin senior vice president beyond road business Line, Nour Bouhassoun said: “Michelin firmly believes that Ceat is the right fit to carry on our bias tyres and tracks for compact construction equipment business. Both our companies are fully committed to ensuring a smooth transition for our employees and business continuity for our customers and suppliers. With this operation, Michelin is continuing to reshape its beyond road business, in line with the group’s sustainable growth strategy.”
Mumbai: CEAT, a tyre manufacturer, has announced a partnership with Bayer 04 Leverkusen, the Bundesliga champions and DFB Cup winners. This two-year partnership designates CEAT as the premium tyre partner for the next two seasons, effective immediately, and will run until 30 June 2026.
CEAT MD and CEO Arnab Banerjee said, “We are thrilled to embark on this long-term partnership with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. This is especially significant as both CEAT and Bayer 04 Leverkusen boast rich heritage, each with over 100 years of history, making this partnership a fusion of two historic brands.”
CEAT CMO Lakshmi Narayanan added, “We have a strong global presence with our operations and state-of-the-art R&D facility in Germany and through this partnership, we gain the opportunity to connect with our German consumers. We believe this collaboration will also resonate strongly with Indian football audiences, inspiring passion and support for both, the sport and our brand in this vibrant market.”
CEAT is the new official premium and tyre partner of Bayer 04 Leverkusen Werkself. The contractual rights of CEAT as the new official premium and tyre partner include extensive TV presence through LED perimeter boards, cam carpets on the touchlines, and substitution boards at Werkself matches at the BayArena. Additionally, CEAT will have a prominent presence on media backdrops at Bundesliga press conferences and during matches. The official Bayer 04 Leverkusen team bus will be equipped with CEAT’s premium tyres.
“We are delighted to welcome CEAT as a new strong, international partner at Bayer 04,” explains Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH chief marketing and innovation officer Markus Breglec at the double winners. “Just like us, CEAT operates on international terrain. We are united as partners by our ambition to drive innovation and master challenges in a highly competitive environment.”
CEAT’s contribution to sports in India and beyond:
CEAT is a proud supporter of sports and recognizes the important role that sports play in the development of society. The company has a long-standing association with Indian cricket through strategic partnerships with the Tata IPL and Tata WPL which is one of the Top 5 Sporting Leagues in the World, with bat sponsorships and collaborations with leading cricketers. The partnership with Bayer 04 Leverkusen underpins its commitment to soccer and the expansion of its presence in international sport. In recent years, CEAT has also extended its support to various motorsports, including the popular Indian Supercross Racing League and other riding events across the country.
Mumbai: CEAT, a tyre manufacturer, announced the elevation of Vishal Pawar to the role of senior vice president – global sales and supply chain. This significant leadership change marks a new chapter in CEAT’s growth trajectory.
Vishal Pawar, who was leading the replacement sales as vice president, will succeed Saurav Mukherjee, who has resigned after a successful stint spanning over four years in the role. His contributions have been instrumental in shaping the company’s global sales and supply chain strategies.
Vishal Pawar brings extensive experience to his new role. An engineering graduate from the College of Engineering Pune and a management graduate from SIBM, he began his career with TAFE Limited in Chennai as a management trainee. He first joined CEAT in 2005 as Category Head before moving into sales and serving a successful stint as the Zonal Sales Head for the South.
In 2019, Pawar transitioned to Garware Technical Fibres before returning to CEAT, where he rose to become vice president of India’s largest aftermarket sales division. His wealth of experience and proven track record make him the ideal candidate to lead CEAT’s global sales and supply chain efforts.
CEAT MD & CEO Arnab Banerjee said, “We are thrilled to have Vishal step into this critical role. His deep understanding of the industry, combined with his strategic vision and leadership capabilities, makes him the perfect fit to drive our global sales and supply chain initiatives. I am confident that under his leadership, CEAT will continue to strengthen its market position and achieve new heights. I would also like to express our sincere thanks to Saurav Mukherjee for his significant contributions to the company. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”
Vishal Pawar said, “I am excited to take on this new role and shall work towards taking CEAT to the next level in terms of driving market share and making it a premium brand in the years to come. My primary focus will be on capability development and strengthening processes, which I believe makes the strong foundation of any sustainable business.”
Following the movement of Saurav Mukherjee from the company on July 31, 2024, Vishal Pawar has taken on his new role with effect from 1 July 2024.
Mumbai: CEAT, India’s leading tyre manufacturer, announced a significant shift in its communication identity and strategy. This transformation seeks to resonate with the changing lifestyles and preferences of contemporary consumers who are increasingly embracing travel, exploration, and adventure.
The new strategy positions CEAT as the ideal companion for exploration, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to consumer engagement and shared passion. This approach aligns with the shift being witnessed towards all-terrain vehicles and high-performance off-road bikes, as well as the growing interest in travel and discovery. CEAT has a range of high-performance tyres including Y-rated tyres for speed and all-terrain tyres that are designed to provide consumers with ultimate control and confidence on every journey.
As part of the newly launched campaign, CEAT has leveraged its decade-long association with TATA IPL Strategic Timeout to deliver its brand message. The CEAT Strategic Timeout board has been transformed in line with the new positioning and will continue to remain so throughout this TATA IPL season. The board colours changed from the traditional blue to integrate the campaign colours along with an interactive QR code that sparked curiosity inviting consumers to scan the code and unlock the next step.
CEAT Ltd MD & CEO Arnab Banerjee commented on the strategic evolution, saying, “CEAT’s transformation underscores our dedication to staying in tune with the aspirations of our consumers. Our new brand communication emphasizes our support for the explorer mindset of
discovering hidden gems which are accessible during their travels. This move represents our ongoing commitment to exceeding consumer expectations and delivering high-quality products that inspire confidence in every journey, whether on road or off road.
CEAT Ltd CMO Lakshmi Narayanan B, elaborated on the campaign’s direction: “Our new approach incorporates partnerships with prominent travel influencers to showcase the versatility and durability of our tyres in various unexplored yet accessible locales. This series of two-part campaigns is not just a visual treat, but also ignites intrigue and curiosity among our consumers through the novel interactive QR element embedded in the ads. Our high-performance products have been crafted for the curious enabling their passion for adventure and discovery.”
The campaign features captivating visuals and influencer-led storytelling, highlighting CEAT’s products in challenging environments. The first advertisement which is live on TV and social media features Brinda Sharma, a prominent travel influencer.
CEAT’s strategic shift marks a significant step towards redefining its brand promise while continuing to uphold its legacy of safety and reliability. By combining high quality products with a modern, exploratory ethos, CEAT strives to be a dynamic and trusted partner – a brand that fosters “shared passion” with their consumers to drive a deeper more meaningful relationship.
Mumbai: In a development that adds significant value to the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL), BCCI announces the association of My11Circle, Angel One, RuPay & CEAT as official partners for the league.
The collaboration with these esteemed brands marks a strategic move to enhance the overall experience for IPL fans and further elevate the premier cricketing extravaganza to new heights. Each partner brings a unique set of offerings and synergies that promise to contribute to the success and excitement of the tournament.
My11Circle, a leading fantasy sports platform, is set to bring the thrill of fantasy cricket to fans. The brand will be associated with the league for the next five years. With innovative gameplay and exciting contests, My11Circle aims to engage cricket fans and offer them a unique and immersive fantasy gaming experience.
Angel One, a prominent name in the financial services sector, joins hands with the TATA IPL to bring the worlds of sports and finance closer. A partnership that is set to last for the next five years, Angel One will provide valuable insights and engage cricket fans with interactive initiatives that combine the excitement of trading with the passion for cricket.
RuPay, the indigenous card network of India, which has been an integral part of the TATA IPL in the previous seasons renews its partnership for the next three years. As an associate partner, RuPay will enhance the payment and transaction experience for fans attending the matches, offering exclusive benefits and promotions for RuPay cardholders.
CEAT, that has been a pivotal partner over the years as the league’s Strategic Time-out partner has renewed its contract for five years. The collaboration between CEAT and TATA IPL is a testament to the shared values of performance, reliability, and resilience that both entities uphold.
The partnerships promises a season filled with innovation, engagement, and unforgettable moments for cricket enthusiasts who are set to experience an IPL season like never before.
Mumbai: In an insightful interaction, Professional Management Group COO Melroy D’Souza in conversation with Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO & editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari, speaks about how the upcoming edition of Pro Kabaddi League provides an unmissable opportunity for advertisers to drive brand and business impact.
Edited excerpts
India’s second biggest sporting league – Pro Kabaddi League enters its tenth season this year, having reached several incredible milestones through the years. What has led to the transformation of this homegrown sport into such a high-octane experience?
Kabaddi is one of India’s oldest sports that has been played over the years across India. Kabaddi was a sport which already had an audience but because it was not exciting, people didn’t play it. The way Pro Kabaddi League formatted it, the way viewers bought into it, really excited a lot of people. The second thing about Kabaddi which has worked, as you know people generally like to watch the best talent on display, and Kabaddi has done that. PKL got the best players in the world playing. The content that we consume, the content that we see is the best in its category. Third is the technology and the innovations that Pro Kabaddi League bought into the sport. A 10-12 camera setup, jazzy lights, and music, it all adds to the experience. People had never seen something like that before. You have some of India’s biggest names who support kabaddi. You have Mahindra Singh Dhoni who has been a brand ambassador. You have Virat Kohli, Amitabh Bachchan, we have various film promotions and various cricketers who have come on board. So that leads to the whole glamour of it hence the content piece of it people want to see that. Last thing of course we got the backing of Star. There’s a huge media promotion with media trust in it. When the PKL season starts, it’s like a festival happening. I think all of this has added to the league and it is what is built on it.
What are some of the key reasons why the league has managed to capture the imagination of viewers across the length and breadth of the country, especially among the youth and metro city audiences
If you see the growth graph of Pro Kabaddi League, it started off as a very popular league into tier two and tier three. But if you see the last 2-3 years’ data, you’ll see that it’s also now coming into the urban fold. It’s also being watched by about 77- 78% of the urban audiences as well. Now, this has happened because of multiple factors. You had a movie like Student of the Year, which actually used Kabaddi in its final scene. If you look at the Bournvita ad, they use Kabaddi as a medium to show ‘Tayyari Jeet Ki’. In no time it came into the main fold media. Third, one of the key things about Pro Kabaddi League is the format. Kabaddi, as a sport, is played for 40 minutes, so the duration is shorter. When the duration is shorter, the attention span is much larger, unlike a football or cricket. Also because the sport is so filled with action, it tends to stick to it much longer than any other sport. If I’m not mistaken, Pro Kabaddi League has the highest time spent per viewer across sporting leagues.
As someone that has played a pivotal role in creating a synergy between PKL and advertisers over the years, what differentiates PKL from other mediums in terms of ways that brands can leverage the property to drive high-scale impact?
One of the biggest pluses of PKL is that it is one of the few leagues which gives advertisers on-ground, on-air, social media and digital presence. When a brand associates with PKL, it is not just visible from assets like perimeter boards etc, but you also get on-air inventory and social media bundled into it. On top of that, you have features, you have activations, you have celebrity quotient, you have awards, trade promotions, contests, fan engagement, all of that comes together. From a brand perspective, it’s a wholesome association. If you see the media mix, any brand which is present on-air, on-ground and online together will always create a much higher impact than when it is done in isolation. I think that works wonders.
On PKL onboarding Dhani, the integration of the brand blended in, its proposition and the kind of impact the brand witnessed as a result
At the point when they came onboard Pro Kabaddi League, Dhani was giving loans and their key target audience was tier two and tier three cities. When they came to us, it was not a very well-known brand. It had to create brand equity for itself. Secondly, the most important thing for them was they wanted a call to action. They wanted someone to pick up the phone and call them and say listen, I will be dispersing loans, how do you disperse loans? Keeping this in mind and keeping our experience of doing CEAT Strategic Time Out on IPL, we said why don’t we adopt the same format to PKL? One is we create a differentiator; we do something with no one has ever done on PKL. It was the first time ever we had a strategic timeout, on PKL we got to the Dhani strategic timeout. Second is you have a verbal and a visual mention of it. So when a viewer watches it becomes easier for him to connect what it is, and the phone number given on that for a call to action. During the tournament in just a couple of weeks, the call to action drastically increased for Dhani. The number of calls that we would get before the PKL started compared to what they got once PKL started, increased to almost 30-40% more than what they were getting. They were extremely happy to see that there is an instant gratification to what we are doing. I think in that sense, it worked beautifully.
PKL is the only league wherein as a central sponsor you get access to talent (players across teams), and with players becoming household names how do you think brands can use these sons of the soil?
One of the best examples of PKL being used rightly by a brand is if you remember the AMFI commercial which we had done, they have a beautiful integration of the players and the brand messaging. They said, listen tier two and tier three people are still not very aware of mutual funds. They said they want people to communicate about not just using mutual funds on how easy it is to use mutual funds, and how safe it is to use mutual funds. They wanted people who are regular people who they relate to. They tied up with PKL for this particular purpose. While they did the hygiene ground branding and LED branding, they also did beautiful commercials which gave us messaging. They leveraged players from across teams to talk about their various features, how safe it was, how easy it was. I mean that that would be the best case-study.
This season PKL is going back to the 12-city caravan format across the nation. How beneficial is this for brands associating with PKL in terms of having broader access to key stakeholders like Consumers and Trade Partners?
The key for any brand or for any sport is the fans. As long as you have fans who love the sport coming and supporting it, that means the sport is in a healthy state. With PKL going back to the caravan format to every city that has a team, this will allow the fans of that city to come out and express themselves and support their team. The moment that happens, the vibrancy that happens in that city completely changes. There’s a lot of buzz at the ground level. It gives a lot of opportunity for advertisers who have invested in the team to try and leverage the players at a local level. You have a lot more meetings and we have a lot more consumer engagement. Generally, it is seen that whenever a tournament happens in a particular city, that city and surrounding areas come to life. In that sense overall, I think this will benefit.
Mumbai: RPG Group, one of India’s leading business conglomerates, announced the appointment of Anant Goenka to the position of vice chairman of the diversified group.
In addition to his new role, Anant Goenka will continue to serve as the vice chairman of CEAT and Zensar Technologies. This move strengthens the leadership at the group headed by Harsh Goenka, ensuring stability and continuity in the long term for the group, which is acclaimed for its corporate governance and people friendly value system.
RPG Group chairman Harsh Goenka said, “Anant’s extensive experience, driving CEAT towards performance excellence over the past decade, will play a pivotal role in shaping the next wave of growth for the RPG Group. This era is defined by rapidly evolving technology and I believe Anant has the requisite skills and business instincts to herald change and make a difference in the way we adapt to technologies, markets and consumers.”
A highly accomplished professional, Anant brings a wealth of experience to his new role. Prior to being the Vice Chairman of CEAT and Zensar technologies, Anant led CEAT as managing director & CEO through a highly transformative ten-year period.
Under his leadership, the market capitalization of the company grew significantly by over 20 times.
A graduate from the Wharton School and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management, Anant began his career in Unilever and RPG group company KEC International before joining CEAT. His leadership played a pivotal role in CEAT’s historic achievement of winning the prestigious deming grand prize making it the first tyre brand in the world to receive this coveted accolade of business excellence.
Anant Goenka’s remarkable achievements have earned him recognition as “India’s Under 40 Business Leader” by CEO Forum in 2020, “GQ: 50 Most Influential Young Indians” in 2018, and “Next Generation Business Leader of the Year” by Forbes in 2017. He was also named among “India’s 40 under 40 Business Leaders” by the Economic Times-Spencer Stuart. He has also served as the chairman of the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ATMA).
Speaking on the announcement, Anant Goenka said, “It is an honour and a responsibility that I will cherish and I hope to contribute towards the growth and competitiveness of our diverse businesses. Our fundamental value system, our governance standards and our quest for happiness will remain the guardrails within which we will continue to operate.”
Mumbai: CEAT, India’s leading tyre manufacturer, has roped in Lakshmi Narayanan B as chief marketing officer. In this role, Narayanan will spearhead the marketing initiatives of the company across all passenger vehicles, trucks and buses in all markets and augment CEAT’s position as an organisation that is ‘Making Mobility Safer and Smarter. Every Day’.
Narayanan has a strong experience in sales and marketing spanning 18 years. In his last role as the head of marketing at Asian Paints, he led a diverse team and played a defining role in consistently building multi-category portfolio and making inroads into new market segments fueling growth.
His accomplishments include growing the business operations in the premium segment, launching and spearheading forays in retailing and services that create new and powerful consumer experiences, driving the turnaround of the tools business and building several successes in product leadership. He has also worked with Samsung India Electronics in the early parts of his career.
Narayanan holds a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from Sardar Patel College of Engineering (SPCE) and an MBA from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS). He is a passionate Bullet enthusiast and enjoys long bike rides to various destinations.
Commenting on the appointment, CEAT Tyres chief operating officer Arnab Banerjee said, “We are extremely happy to welcome Narayanan onboard as our CMO. He is a highly experienced professional with a strong track record of building brands. His experience in the consumer marketing space as well as deep insights into the consumer psyche will play a pivotal role in shaping our marketing strategy and reinforce our position as a provider of safe and smart mobility.”
Narayanan added, “I am excited to lead and drive new frontiers with CEAT Tyres. I have seen the evolution of the brand over years in both key OE manufacturers as well as consumers. CEAT has built interesting communication & invested smartly in the world of sports and I am committed to playing a big role in building on the great foundation that the company has laid in the automotive space. I see an opportunity in building the brand through seamless and superlative experience for our consumers and partners.”
Mumbai: CEAT launched a new campaign #OneManManyRoles to celebrate the various roles fathers play to ensure their child is always safe.
Executed by Kinnect, the campaign resonates with the brand’s commitment to providing tyres that cover all the bases, are dependable, versatile, and stand for quality that inspires confidence.
The campaign film highlights many different hats that are donned, both literally and figuratively, by the caring father of a young daughter. There are several father-daughter moments shown in the film – whether it is the father chauffeuring her as she continues her shopping spree and anxiously waiting outside to pick her up from a late night party, or being a sleuthing father who is curious to know her date’s name. He’s the one exhorting her to work harder when she falls short in a competition, or sharing the joy of her success, and is simply being there for her at every step.
A father’s resolute shouldering of these different roles, which is being celebrated by CEAT through this campaign, is also mirrored in CEAT’s continuing endeavour in providing a solid, reliable and safe drive with SecuraDrive SUV Tyres.
CEAT COO Arnab Banerjee said, “Father’s Day was an appropriate occasion for us to laud the many roles that a father plays to provide the support that his children need. We, at CEAT, are dedicated to playing our own role for our customers in making sure that our tyres provide the same level of confidence that a dedicated and caring father inspires in his children.”
Speaking of the campaign, Kinnect executive creative director Ashish Tambe said on the release of the film, “If the role of a father in a child’s life had to be expressed in two words, it would simply be – Being There. And often, this ‘being there’ is just assumed by default. We’ve shed light on the diverse roles that fathers play to make sure they are always there for us. The film then connects how brand ‘CEAT’ plays a key role to facilitate Dads in ensuring safety, as they juggle these roles.”
Mumbai: Digital agency Kinnect has bagged homegrown tyre brand Ceat Tyres’ digital media mandate. The account for the flagship company of the RPG Group was won following a multi-agency pitch.
The agency will be responsible for strengthening the brand’s digital ‘tyre prints’ and will focus on social media management, creative communications, web development, as well as influencer outreach requirements of the brand, it said in a statement.
Kinnect will primarily focus on driving brand awareness through creative campaigns, as well as provide innovative solutions and ideas that enhance customer experience and build brand salience through various digital touchpoints.
Commenting on the partnership Ceat CMO, Amit Tolani said, “We endeavour to solidify our leadership in the mobility category, and Kinnect is a perfect partner to do this for us, impactfully. Digital communication will play a key role in our efforts to connect with our end customers, and the agency’s creative capabilities will gear us towards forging a more personalised relationship with them. Kinnect perfectly fits the bill of meeting our expectations.”
Kinnect CEO Rohan Mehta added, “Ceat has given us the responsibility of being their custodians on digital – and we’re extremely excited to take it on. We look forward to exploring diverse opportunities to strengthen its digital footprints. We endeavour to push boundaries to drive great brand sentiment and devise effective strategies that make a business impact.”
Founded in 1958, Ceat is one of India’s largest manufacturers of two-wheeler and four-wheeler tyres.
